The classic step for generating spreadsheets with PDI is the Microsoft Excel Output step. The main difference compared to Text file output is that with this step you have to tell PDI the name of the sheet to generate. The step also has a tab for providing font names, colors, and other formatting options for header and rows.
In addition to this step, there is another one named Microsoft Excel Writer. The Microsoft Excel Writer step emerged as a PDI plugin to support features not available in the standard tool, as, for example:
- Support for templates
- Cell comments
- Hyperlinks
- Formulas, and more
With this step, you can also generate the XLSX files, which is not possible with the standard output step.
Since PDI 4.2, the Microsoft Excel Writer step is available in the official PDI distribution. Now both output steps coexist and you should choose the one that best fits your needs.