cannot export item code separately in report.

Hi there KHTheany,

When it comes to exporting reports and lists, being able to view the data you need and manipulate it accordingly is an important feature. Exporting data from QuickBooks Desktop is an easy process, but when it comes to manipulating the data or adjusting the columns, you'll need to do a little extra work on your end. Let me explain.

When you export reports or lists from QuickBooks Desktop to Excel, the data will be exported exactly as it's stored in QuickBooks. When you open the Excel file, you'll be able to adjust columns and manipulate the data you see to suit your needs, but there isn't an option to do that in QuickBooks prior to exporting. Here are a few articles that go over the exporting process for you to review:

• Import and export data in QuickBooks Desktop

• Import or export MS Excel files

• Export reports as Excel workbooks in QuickBooks Desktop

I can see how expanded capabilities when it comes to manipulating data prior to exporting it from QBDT would be handy. Letting our product development team know that this is something you'd like to see worked on would be the best way to have your voice heard in this situation. To do that, navigate to the Help button and look for the option to submit Feedback. I'll be sure to pass this along on my end as well.

It's possible that you might come across a third-party app that'll make the process of exporting your data a little easier. Check out the apps that are available here, ensuring that you select the Canada flag from the drop down at the top to filter through apps available in your region. 

I wish you all the best and hope you have an enjoyable week.

Thanks Rebecca for spending your time responding to my question. However, I still cannot find a way to make my report goes easier as I still need to remove the item number and item description from ITEM Column manually. 

Hi KHTheany,

Welcome back. I can see this is an important task for you, and, like my colleague, I'm with you on how separating those columns in QuickBooks Desktop before exporting would be easier. I can clarify what Rebecca mentioned above.

QuickBooks Desktop has certain ways that it organizes information in reports. In this case, the item number is included in the same column as the description, and the two cannot be separated in the report itself. Because of that, it'll mean manual work on your end once you get the file into Excel.

What you can consider, if you haven't already done so, is including the Item Description column in your Sales by Customer Detail report. This won't separate the item number and description from one another, but it does add an additional column where the item description is by itself. In doing that, all you would have to do once the file is in Excel is remove the additional description information from the item number column. To add the Item Description column, select Customize Report, then use the Columns section on the Display tab to add the Item Description column. Click OK when you're ready to run the report again.

I know this can cause extra work, especially if the report has a lot of data, however there isn't another way to handle this at this time. This is why the Feedback option is such a valuable asset. Our product development team loves hearing from users about how certain features are impacting them and what might be done to make things even easier. Don't hesitate to share your thoughts using the feedback option via the Help menu.

I hope that helps clear things up, but don't hesitate if you have further questions.

Thanks Laura for your clear explanation. currently, I did remove it manually and save it one file to use Vlookup later. It really waste the time and energy as we have hundreds of items. By the way, I also send the feedback in Help menu. Hope it has some update on this case soon. 

Thank you for submitting your feedback @KHTheany, that's the best way to have your voice heard about the features and improvements you want to see within our products. I can see how time consuming this process must be for you so I'll make sure that my team is in the loop on this as well. Don't hesitate to reach out here in the Community with any other questions you might have.

Hi,

I see that this has been an issue for about 2 years and still no action has been taken. This has been discussed on thread:

https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/account-management/reports-is-there-any-report-tha...

It seems like feedback with Quickbooks does not often get acted on. I am sure others will agree with me on this.

Hi broshat7, it's great you've been navigating in the community to find a resolution to the issue. The thread you've provided is actually for the US version of QuickBooks Online, and none of what is shared could apply to the CA QuickBooks Desktop version. These two programs aren't the same and also vary across regions. I know how convenient it's to have every tool you need when managing your business, and I want to reassure you that we take your feedback very seriously. Our goal is to always improve your user experience, and sharing your opinion helps us a lot with achieving that. If you haven't already, I encourage you to follow the steps shared above on this thread to share your comments directly to our engineers. 

You're always welcome to stop by if you need anything else.

I know it is almost 3 years later but I've had the same issue and in navigating the community pages I came across this thread...I was hoping that there would have been a resolution to this by now.

KHTheany, there is a relatively quick way to separate the item code from the description once you've downloaded the report in Excel.  Please see link. Hope it helps

How to split cells in Excel | 4 ways to make your data usable | Excel Off The Grid - Bing video