Hidden values in table and matrix reports

Table and matrix reports automatically hide repeating values to improve readability. These values are not removed from the data and are always included in the report. They may appear blank in the report view, but can be revealed by changing the font colour in an Excel export. This article explains why values appear blank, how sorting affects this behaviour, and how to override it.

In this article:

• Why repeating values appear blank
• How sorting affects repeating values
• Need more support?

Why repeating values appear blank

Table and matrix reports group rows based on the report’s default sorting. Within each group, repeated values appear in the first row only. The same value in subsequent rows appears blank.

These values are hidden in the report view and become visible when you hover over the cell. They are not removed from the underlying data.

When you export the report to Excel, these values are included but use the same font colour as the cell background. To make them visible, select the cells and change the font colour.

CSV exports do not retain this formatting, so all values appear automatically in the exported file.

How sorting affects repeating values

You can control whether repeated values appear blank by changing the report’s sort hierarchy. The right approach depends on whether you want to keep or change the report’s default sorting and grouping.

• Keep the default sorting and grouping: Add the same field that appears in the first column of the report to Hidden fields, then enable sorting on it. This starts the sort hierarchy from the hidden field and will display all hidden values in the report.
• Change the default sorting and grouping: Sort by a field that is not the first column. This changes the grouping and row order, which can display values that previously appeared blank due to the default grouping.