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Exporting Reports

Admin Manager

The Sales Report offers five export buttons -- a print-ready PDF, a per-sale CSV, a Line Items (CSV), a premium Excel (.xlsx) workbook, and a Tax Summary (CSV). If your store has cash flow reporting enabled, the Cash Flow report supports CSV and PDF export and the Profit & Loss report supports CSV export. This page explains how to export and what to expect in each downloaded file.

Sales Report

Export Formats​

CSV (Comma-Separated Values)​

CSV files can be opened in any spreadsheet application -- Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice Calc, or Apple Numbers.

Best for:

  • Importing data into accounting software (QuickBooks, Xero, etc.)
  • Custom analysis with formulas, pivot tables, and charts
  • Merging with external data sources
  • Bulk data processing

Characteristics:

  • Plain text format, universally compatible
  • One row per record
  • Column headers in the first row
  • Numbers are unformatted (no currency symbols or commas)

Excel (.xlsx) Workbook​

The Excel (.xlsx) button downloads a polished, multi-sheet workbook rather than a flat CSV. It's the best choice when you want a finished, shareable spreadsheet: header rows are frozen with filter arrows, money columns are pre-formatted as currency, and receipt numbers are stored as text so Excel doesn't mangle them into scientific notation.

Best for:

  • Handing a clean, formatted spreadsheet to an accountant or owner
  • Working across summary, transaction, and line-item views in one file
  • Analysis that benefits from ready-made pivot tables and filters

PDF (Portable Document Format)​

The Export PDF button opens a polished, print-ready Sales Report in a new browser tab, ready to save or print. It is a designed report -- not a screenshot of the page.

Best for:

  • Printing physical copies
  • Emailing to accountants, owners, or partners
  • Archiving completed reports
  • Presentations and meetings

Characteristics:

  • Fixed, print-friendly layout
  • Includes headers, summaries, and tables
  • Not editable (read-only)
  • Includes the date range and generation timestamp

How to Export the Sales Report​

The Sales Report has five export buttons in the page header: Export PDF, Export CSV, Line Items (CSV), Excel (.xlsx), and Tax Summary (CSV).

Step-by-Step​

  1. Navigate to Reports > Sales Report.
  2. Set the date range and any filters you want applied. The export will include exactly what you see on screen.
  3. Click the export button you need.
  4. Your browser will download the file (or, for PDF, open a print-ready tab). Check your Downloads folder.
Filter Before Exporting

Set all your filters and date ranges before clicking Export. Most exports contain exactly the data shown in the current view -- nothing more, nothing less. (Two exceptions: the Excel (.xlsx) button ignores the "Manual Items Only" filter, and Tax Summary (CSV) always uses just the date range.)

Which Export Should I Use?​

ButtonFormatWhat you getBest for
Export PDFPDFA designed, print-ready reportPrinting, emailing, filing
Export CSVCSVOne row per sale; items packed into one "Item Details" cell; split payments broken out in a "Payment Breakdown" cellQuick per-transaction export
Line Items (CSV)CSVOne row per item soldPivoting sales by product, category, or brand
Excel (.xlsx)ExcelA formatted 3-sheet workbookA finished, shareable spreadsheet
Tax Summary (CSV)CSVPer-sale tax breakdown (GST/PST/additional)Filing tax remittances

Sales Report Export Details​

Export CSV (one row per sale)​

Columns: Receipt #, Date/Time, Cashier, Revenue Center, Payment Method, Payment Breakdown (each tender of a split payment, e.g. Cash: $50.00; Debit: $30.00), Status, Subtotal, Tax, Discount, Total, Amount Tendered, Change, Item Details (all items packed into one cell, e.g. Blue Dream x7.0g @$10.0).

Line Items (CSV) -- one row per item​

The most "pivotable" export: instead of cramming a sale's items into a single cell, it gives every line item its own row.

Columns: Receipt #, Date/Time, Cashier, Revenue Center, Payment Method, Sale Status, Product, Option (a named option/variant, or -), Category, Brand, Quantity, Unit, Unit Price, Line Discount, Line Total.

  • Honors "Manual Items Only." If you set the Manual Items Only filter on the report, this export keeps only the manually-typed lines (each named <name> [Manual], category Manual), so you can isolate one-off charges like delivery fees.
  • Marks the unit on each line: weighed products show their weight unit (g, oz, lb, kg), fuel shows L, and everything else shows ea.
  • Split payments are shown as a single split in the Payment Method column here; use the per-sale Export CSV (Payment Breakdown column) or the Excel workbook's Transactions sheet to see each tender.

Excel (.xlsx) -- three sheets​

SheetOne row perKey contents
Summary--Report title, period, generated timestamp, KPI rows (Total Revenue, Transactions, Avg Order Value, Tax Collected), a Payment Method table, and a Category table.
TransactionsSaleReceipt #, Date/Time, Cashier, Revenue Center, Payment Method, Payment Breakdown, Status, Subtotal, Tax, Discount, Total, Amount Tendered, Change, Items.
Line ItemsItemReceipt #, Date/Time, Cashier, Payment Method, Product, Category, Brand, Quantity, Unit, Unit Price, Line Discount, Line Total.
Excel skips the "Manual Items Only" filter

The workbook always includes every line item regardless of the on-screen Manual Items Only toggle. If you specifically want only manual lines, use Line Items (CSV) with that filter set.

Export PDF (print-ready report)​

Completed sales only. Sections: report title, period, and generated timestamp; a KPI row (revenue, transactions, averages, discounts); Revenue by Type; Payment Methods; Discount Breakdown (order, line-item, campaign, promotion, and loyalty discounts); Top Products; Category Performance; Brand Performance; and Busiest Times (by hour and weekday).

Working with CSV Files​

Opening in Excel​

  1. Double-click the downloaded CSV file. Excel should open it automatically.
  2. If columns do not align correctly, use Data > Text to Columns with comma as the delimiter.
  3. Format currency columns as Number with 2 decimal places for proper display.

Opening in Google Sheets​

  1. Go to Google Sheets.
  2. Click File > Import.
  3. Upload the CSV file.
  4. Select Comma as the separator type.
  5. Click Import data.

Common CSV Tasks​

Pivot table for payment method analysis:

  1. Select all data in the Sales Report CSV.
  2. Insert a pivot table.
  3. Set Payment Method as the row field.
  4. Set Total as the value field (Sum).

Filter for a specific date range:

  1. Open the CSV with date columns.
  2. Apply a filter to the Date column.
  3. Set conditions to show only the dates you need.

Scheduling Regular Exports​

Brother POS does not currently support automated scheduled exports. For regular reporting:

  1. Set a calendar reminder for your desired frequency (daily, weekly, monthly).
  2. Log in and generate the report for the desired period.
  3. Export and save to your preferred location.
  4. Use a consistent folder structure for easy retrieval: 
    Reports/
      2026/
        January/
          Sales_Report_Jan_2026.csv
          Sales_Report_Jan_2026.pdf
        February/
          ...
Accounting Integration

If you need automated data exports for your accounting system, consider connecting Brother POS with your accounting software through the WooCommerce integration, which can push transaction data automatically.

Troubleshooting Export Issues​

File Downloads but Is Empty​

  • Verify that your date range contains data. If there are no sales for the selected period, the export will have headers but no data rows.
  • Check that your filters are not excluding all records.

CSV Opens with Jumbled Columns​

  • The file may be using a different delimiter. Open it with a text editor first to check whether it uses commas, semicolons, or tabs.
  • Use your spreadsheet application's import wizard instead of double-clicking the file.

PDF Is Missing Data​

  • Ensure the report fully loaded on screen before clicking Export.
  • If the report has many pages, wait a moment for the PDF generation to complete.

Special Characters Display Incorrectly​

  • Brother POS CSV files use UTF-8 encoding. If accented characters (e.g., French names) display incorrectly, set your spreadsheet application to import with UTF-8 encoding.

What's Next?​