Exporting Reports

AD FastReporter Pro can export generated report results to eight file formats. You can export manually from the results view, or automatically as part of a scheduled task.

Export Formats

Format	Extension	Description
XLSX	.xlsx	Excel spreadsheet with column headers, formatting, and auto-sized columns. The most common choice for sharing reports with colleagues.
CSV	.csv	Comma-separated values in UTF-8 encoding. Works with Excel, Google Sheets, databases, and scripting tools.
CSV (append)	.csv	Same as CSV, but appends rows to an existing file instead of overwriting. Useful for building cumulative data files over time with scheduled tasks.
HTML	.html	Formatted HTML page with an embedded CSS stylesheet and a table layout. Can be opened in any browser or attached to an email. Includes report name, filter description, exported-by username, and timestamp in the header.
PDF	.pdf	Print-ready PDF document with table layout. Suitable for formal reporting, compliance documentation, and archival.
XML	.xml	Structured XML with each record as an <item> element and each field as a child element. Useful for integration with other systems that consume XML.
ODS	.ods	OpenDocument Spreadsheet format. Compatible with LibreOffice Calc, OpenOffice Calc, and other ODF-compatible applications.
JSON	.json	JavaScript Object Notation. Useful for feeding report data into scripts, APIs, web applications, or data processing pipelines.

Exporting from the Results View

After generating a report, the results toolbar shows export buttons for each format. Click a button to start the export:

1. A file save dialog appears
2. Choose the save location and file name
3. Click Save — the export runs and the file is written

After export, AD FastReporter offers to open the file immediately.

DateTime Format for Excel Exports

By default, date and time values in XLSX (and ODS/JSON) exports use the format configured in Settings → General → XLSX DateTime format. If your reports contain date fields (last logon, password expiry, account creation, etc.), you can adjust this format to match your organization’s preference — for example, yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss or dd/MM/yyyy.

File Name Masks for Scheduled Exports

When exporting as part of a scheduled task, you can define a file name mask that automatically generates meaningful file names. Available variables:

Variable	Replaced with
%REPORT_NAME%	Name of the report form
%REPORT_CATEGORY%	Report category (Users, Computers, etc.)
%DATE%	Current date
%DATETIME%	Current date and time

If no file name mask is specified, the default name is the report form name followed by today’s date (e.g., AllUsers20260329).

CSV Append Mode

The CSV (append) format is specifically designed for building cumulative data files over time. Instead of overwriting the target file, it appends the new report rows to the end. This is useful when you schedule a daily report and want all results in a single CSV file — for example, tracking active user counts or password expiry dates over weeks or months.

If the target file doesn’t exist yet, CSV (append) creates it with column headers like a normal CSV export.

Export Permissions

Exporting requires write access to the target folder. If the export fails with a permission error, verify that the user account running AD FastReporter (or the scheduled task run-as account) has write permissions to the configured export path.

Pro Feature

Export is a Pro feature. In the Free edition, you can generate and view all reports in the results grid, but the export buttons are disabled. Request a trial to try all export formats, or see pricing to purchase.