Generate Excel Reports

Create dynamic Excel spreadsheets from templates with data tables, formulas, and formatting.

Overview

RenderDoc Excel generation is perfect for:

• Financial reports - P&L statements, balance sheets, budgets
• Data exports - Customer lists, transaction histories, inventory
• Analytics reports - Sales data, metrics dashboards
• Operational documents - Timesheets, schedules, rosters

Quick Start

import { RenderDoc } from '@renderdoc/sdk';

const client = new RenderDoc({ apiKey: process.env.RENDERDOC_API_KEY });

const result = await client.documents.generate({
  templateId: 'monthly-sales-report',
  format: 'xlsx',
  variables: {
    reportTitle: 'Sales Report - January 2025',
    generatedDate: new Date().toISOString(),
    salesData: [
      { region: 'North', sales: 125000, target: 100000 },
      { region: 'South', sales: 98000, target: 110000 },
      { region: 'East', sales: 156000, target: 140000 },
      { region: 'West', sales: 112000, target: 120000 }
    ],
    totalSales: 491000,
    totalTarget: 470000
  }
});

console.log('Excel report ready:', result.downloadUrl);

Creating Excel Templates

1. Create Template in Dashboard

1. Go to Templates > Create Template
2. Select Excel Template
3. Use the spreadsheet designer to create your layout

2. Define Variables

Excel templates support:

• Cell values: {{variableName}}
• Row iteration: {{#each items}}...{{/each}}
• Conditional content: {{#if condition}}...{{/if}}

3. Template Structure

Example template structure for a sales report:

| A              | B           | C          | D           |
|----------------|-------------|------------|-------------|
| {{reportTitle}}|             |            |             |
| Generated:     | {{date}}    |            |             |
|                |             |            |             |
| Region         | Sales       | Target     | Variance    |
| {{#each salesData}}                                      |
| {{region}}     | {{sales}}   | {{target}} | ={{B}}-{{C}}|
| {{/each}}                                                |
|                |             |            |             |
| Total          | {{total}}   | {{target}} | ={{B}}-{{C}}|

Working with Data Tables

Simple Table

variables: {
  employees: [
    { name: 'Alice', department: 'Engineering', salary: 85000 },
    { name: 'Bob', department: 'Marketing', salary: 72000 },
    { name: 'Carol', department: 'Sales', salary: 68000 }
  ]
}

Nested Data

variables: {
  departments: [
    {
      name: 'Engineering',
      employees: [
        { name: 'Alice', role: 'Senior Developer' },
        { name: 'David', role: 'Junior Developer' }
      ]
    },
    {
      name: 'Marketing',
      employees: [
        { name: 'Bob', role: 'Marketing Manager' }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Formatting Options

Number Formatting

Template cells can include Excel number formats:

• Currency: $#,##0.00
• Percentage: 0.00%
• Date: MM/DD/YYYY

Preserving Formulas

RenderDoc preserves Excel formulas in templates. Use relative references that adjust as rows are inserted:

| Product | Quantity | Price | Total |
|---------|----------|-------|-------|
| Widget  | 10       | 25.00 | =B2*C2|
| Gadget  | 5        | 50.00 | =B3*C3|

Real-World Example: Financial Report

async function generateFinancialReport(month, year) {
  const client = new RenderDoc({ apiKey: process.env.RENDERDOC_API_KEY });

  // Fetch data from your systems
  const revenue = await getRevenueData(month, year);
  const expenses = await getExpenseData(month, year);
  const projections = await getProjections(month, year);

  const result = await client.documents.generate({
    templateId: 'financial-report',
    format: 'xlsx',
    variables: {
      reportTitle: `Financial Report - ${month} ${year}`,
      preparedBy: 'Finance Team',
      preparedDate: new Date().toLocaleDateString(),

      // Revenue section
      revenueItems: revenue.items,
      totalRevenue: revenue.total,

      // Expense section
      expenseCategories: expenses.categories.map(cat => ({
        name: cat.name,
        items: cat.items,
        subtotal: cat.subtotal
      })),
      totalExpenses: expenses.total,

      // Summary
      netIncome: revenue.total - expenses.total,
      profitMargin: ((revenue.total - expenses.total) / revenue.total * 100).toFixed(2),

      // Projections
      nextMonthProjection: projections.nextMonth,
      quarterProjection: projections.quarter,
      yearProjection: projections.year
    },
    filename: `financial-report-${month}-${year}`
  });

  return result.downloadUrl;
}

Multiple Sheets

For multi-sheet workbooks, structure your variables by sheet:

variables: {
  sheets: {
    summary: {
      title: 'Executive Summary',
      metrics: [...]
    },
    details: {
      title: 'Detailed Data',
      transactions: [...]
    },
    appendix: {
      title: 'Appendix',
      notes: [...]
    }
  }
}

Batch Excel Generation

Generate multiple Excel reports efficiently:

const result = await client.documents.generateBatch({
  templateId: 'sales-report',
  format: 'xlsx',
  documents: regions.map(region => ({
    variables: {
      regionName: region.name,
      salesData: region.sales,
      targets: region.targets
    },
    filename: `sales-report-${region.code}`
  }))
});

Best Practices

1. Pre-calculate Totals

Calculate totals in your code rather than relying solely on Excel formulas:

const items = [...];
const total = items.reduce((sum, item) => sum + item.amount, 0);

variables: {
  items,
  total  // Pre-calculated
}

2. Format Dates Before Sending

variables: {
  reportDate: new Date().toLocaleDateString('en-US', {
    year: 'numeric',
    month: 'long',
    day: 'numeric'
  })
}

3. Handle Large Datasets

For very large datasets, consider:

• Pagination in the template
• Multiple sheets
• Summary views with detailed data in separate sheets

const PAGE_SIZE = 1000;
const pages = chunk(allData, PAGE_SIZE);

variables: {
  pages: pages.map((pageData, index) => ({
    pageNumber: index + 1,
    data: pageData
  })),
  totalPages: pages.length
}

4. Test with Sample Data

Before generating production reports, test with sample data:

const testVariables = {
  reportTitle: 'TEST REPORT',
  salesData: [
    { region: 'Test Region', sales: 12345, target: 10000 }
  ]
};

const testResult = await client.documents.generate({
  templateId: 'sales-report',
  format: 'xlsx',
  variables: testVariables
});

// Download and verify the output

Common Use Cases

Inventory Report

variables: {
  warehouseId: 'WH-001',
  reportDate: new Date().toISOString(),
  inventory: [
    { sku: 'SKU-001', name: 'Widget', quantity: 150, reorderPoint: 50 },
    { sku: 'SKU-002', name: 'Gadget', quantity: 25, reorderPoint: 30 }
  ],
  lowStockItems: 1,
  totalValue: 45000
}

Employee Timesheet

variables: {
  employeeName: 'John Doe',
  payPeriod: 'Jan 1-15, 2025',
  entries: [
    { date: '2025-01-01', project: 'Project A', hours: 8 },
    { date: '2025-01-02', project: 'Project B', hours: 6 }
  ],
  totalHours: 70,
  regularHours: 70,
  overtimeHours: 0
}

Sales Pipeline

variables: {
  pipelineDate: new Date().toISOString(),
  opportunities: [
    { company: 'Acme Corp', value: 50000, stage: 'Proposal', probability: 60 },
    { company: 'Beta Inc', value: 75000, stage: 'Negotiation', probability: 80 }
  ],
  totalPipeline: 125000,
  weightedPipeline: 90000
}

Next Steps

• Create templates with the visual designer
• Batch generation for multiple reports
• API Reference for all options