I built an Excel pivot chart tied to a cube built in SSAS.  It works great, mostly.  I changed some of the fonts and font sizes.  These are randomly reset for some of the rows when I refresh the connection, expand or contract sections, or add or remove fields.  This is obviously unnacceptable.  Please tell me there is a fix so I can actually use this product with my very basic expectations.

Hi,

Based on my research, the workaround is record a Visual Basic for Applications macro that saves the changes that you make to your PivotChart. Then, you can run the macro to reapply the formatting as necessary.

Here's a related link for you to refer:

http://support.microsoft.com/?id=215904

That isn't really an answer.  If this issue has been around that long then I am totally confused and a little angry.  Nevermind that I plan on putting this in Excel Services where VBA and Macros aren't allowed.  I don't know if you have the ability to make people aware that this failure still exists but if you do then that's what needs to happen.

Hi,

I am trying to involve someone familiar with this topic to further look at this issue.

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Hello Kenneth,

I have been looking into your issue. I having a hard time trying to reproduce this. Can you provide me with step by step instructions on how to reproduce this consistently? Also what is the build number of Excel you are using? You can find this by going to the "File Tab>Account>About Microsoft Excel". Please try and include details around what text you are changing and to what exact settings. Also include what exact actions you are doing when the formatting is reset.

Thank you,

I am using 15.0.4420.1017

All I changed was the font style and font size of data within the pivot table.  These change randomly back , as in only some rows and only some columns, as I use the pivot table normally.  I get the same thing with the background color of the pivot table headers.  Some cells change back.  I tried going back to the original font and size then some starting going to my custom setting.  I got the original to stick by unchecking Preserve cell formatting on update under pivotTable options, setting the font and size and then rechecking that option.  I haven't seen it change the fonts from the fixed original since.  It still changes the background color though.  I changed the fonts from Calibri 11pt to Arial 8pt.  I have a theme of pivot style light 15.  I'd like the header to be white and not grey, I changed the background color.  Like I said these are all very basic changes using the very basics of Excel formatting.  I used no tricks, hacks, or odd settings.  I have no add-ins.  I have no macros or VBA.  I simply tied a pivot table to an SSAS cube on SQL Server 2008R2 and am using the Field List of the pivot table to add fields and using the +/- expanders on the data to look at it as a pivot table is supposed to.  I am using Excel under the most basic expectations I have for a Pivot Table.  From the link provided above I can see this isn't a new Excel 2013 issue but has been around for over a decade.

• Proposed as answer by JFuller1212 Thursday, April 11, 2013 11:50 PM
• Unproposed as answer by JFuller1212 Thursday, April 11, 2013 11:50 PM

Hello Kenneth,

In my research I have found this is a known issue with some formatting elements in a pivot table/chart. These issues are on our radar. But at this time there seems to be no fix. Sorry for any inconvenience this has caused you. Thank you for providing a possible workaround that resetting the "Preserve formatting on update" setting somewhat resolves the issue, as that is what I see as well in my tests.

Thank you,

Hi Ken,

I found some of the same, simple and frustrating issues with pivot tables.

Here is what I found, and it's seems a little odd, but I tried it with one of my pivot tables that keeps losing the "align text left" in many of the rows of pivot table results.  Very annoying!

When I highlighted the whole column that I wanted aligned left.  Currently, some were left, some were right, some were centred.  I saved and refreshed.  Everything went back to this weird mix.

Then I highlighted just one or two rows, reformatted, saved and refreshed.  It stayed!!
I then highlighted down ONLY to the first subgroup, reformatted, saved and refreshed.  It stayed!

I tested it again by highlighting the rest of the column, including various subtotal rows, etc.  Saved, refreshed, and none of it stayed reformatted!!

Try this.  You might be pleasantly surprised....

• Proposed as answer by JFuller1212 Thursday, April 11, 2013 11:57 PM

I am also stuck on a report I'm creating due to this issue, has there been any update?  I tried JFuller's suggestion but unfortunately that's not working for me. Sigh.

I'm having the same issue with a PivotChart in Excel on Sharepoint.  If Microsoft wants to keep up in the BI world then something as simple as this issue should be fixed immediately.  BI analysts can't produce professional graphs because of re-formatting issues.

 Tableau is looking better and better.....

I'm having the same issue with a PivotChart in Excel on Sharepoint.  If Microsoft wants to keep up in the BI world then something as simple as this issue should be fixed immediately.  BI analysts can't produce professional graphs because of re-formatting issues.

 Tableau is looking better and better.....

Also on same situation, almost 3 months using Excel 2013, and havn't been able to find a solution to this formatting pivot table issue.

15 months on and still no solution?

I agree, this is a long time to be waiting for a fix on such an issue as this.  Please Microsoft Excel Team, fix this. 

The problem does indeed persist.  On my version of Office 2013 (Office 365 Pro), this problem is intermittent.  If I mess with the Pivot Table Options (uncheck and check the Preserve Cell Formatting and Autofit column widths on update), sometimes my Wrap Text sticks on refresh, sometimes it does not.  Who knows why. 

It is hard for us users to understand why this would not be a priority to the Excel Team to fix.   

• Edited by TMiq Friday, June 20, 2014 1:54 AM spelling

I think i found a partial solution to this.  For the font & font sizes created a Theme and applied the theme to the pages.  I couldnt get the alignment of the dates to stay as I wanted them but at least I didnt have the fonts change back all the time.  

Try saving the graph as a graph template and then when you lose your formatting when you change your filter selection just apply the saved template.  Worked great

This is a bit of a joke.

Since ever, Excel had this problem.

Yes. It can be solved by the user.

It's like a trip... from France to Spain, you could go, either crossing the pirennean mountains, or the other way around.

Beijing is beautiful, with all that smog. Worth the trip.

The point is simple. I make a chart. I save a chart. I update a chart. The chart (as i made it) disappears.

This problem commes since the first version of pivot chart, and not one single fix from Microsoft.

It is not the USER that has to make a tweak. It is supposed to work!