Paginated Report Time Column Error

The issue you're encountering with `start_time` exporting as ######### in Excel and showing values like 23:58:51 is likely due to a mismatch between the underlying data type and formatting in your Paginated Report and how Excel interprets negative or improperly parsed time values.

🛠 Root Cause

• In Excel, time values are stored as fractions of a day since 12:00 AM. A negative value like -0.999201388888889 isn't a valid time and renders as ######## or shows an incorrect time like 23:58:51 if forced.
• This suggests that start_time in your dataset may contain negative durations or is being misinterpreted as a numeric value instead of a time value.

✅ Solution

To ensure proper export of time values from your Paginated Report to Excel:

1. Ensure the source value is a valid DateTime or TimeSpan (not a calculated numeric value).
2. In your Paginated Report (Report Builder or Visual Studio RDLC Designer):
• Select the start_time text box.
• Right-click → Text Box Properties → Number → Time → Set to hh:mm:ss tt.
• In the expression, confirm you're using something like:

  =Format(Fields!start_time.Value, "HH:mm:ss")

  Or, if it's a string:

  =TimeValue(Fields!start_time.Value)

3. Check your dataset to ensure it returns the time in a proper SQL datetime or time format (not a float or numeric).
4. Ensure your dataset field is not returning negative values or incorrect data types. Example for SQL Server:

   SELECT CAST(start_time AS TIME) AS start_time FROM your_table

🧪 Test

Try previewing your report and exporting it to Excel after applying the above changes. Check if the time displays correctly.

📎 Related Resources

• Format Data in a Report (SSRS)
• Exporting to Microsoft Excel (SSRS)