ToolWatch supports two ways to report on Job Cost and Billing activity:
Canned Reports – Available under Reports & Graphs in the Billing Reports group
Custom Export Templates – Used to export raw transactional data in a format you define
ToolWatch allows you to export Job Cost and Billing data both before and after posting. You can export summary or detailed data using a custom export template that includes only the fields you want.
This article focuses on using custom templates to export transactional data for reporting, reconciliation, or accounting.
What You'll Learn
Differences between canned reports and export templates
How to configure and manage custom export templates
How to export data from ToolWatch using those templates
When to export posted vs. unposted charges
Before You Export
To successfully export billing data, you must:
Have billing transactions available (calculated or posted)
Have at least one export template created in the system
📌 Export templates control the structure, fields, and formatting of your export file.
Types of Export Templates
Export templates determine:
Which fields appear in the exported file
Whether data is summarized or listed by line item
The file format (CSV or text-delimited)
Whether headers, page breaks, or other formatting are included
Common Template Types
Template Type | Output Format | Use Case |
Detail - CSV Format | Detailed line-item data in comma-delimited format | Best for import into Excel or other systems |
Summary - CSV Format | One row per item or Cost Center | Good for quick billing overviews |
Detail - Text Delimited | Raw data for integration | Used with external accounting tools |
Summary - Text Delimited | Grouped billing totals | Used when Excel formatting is not needed |
💡 You can create multiple templates for different reporting needs.
How to Create a Transaction Detail Export Template
To create a template that exports transaction-level details from Job Cost & Billing:
From the Navigator panel, select the Job Cost & Billing module
Click Export Templates
In the Export Templates List window, open the Template Type dropdown
Select either Transaction Summary or Transaction Detail
Click Create New
In the Name field, enter a title for the template
In the Record Delimiter field, choose how to separate values in the file
Comma is most commonly used (CSV format)
In the Record Format field, select:
Job Cost – for single-line format (matches job costing systems)
Accounting – for double-line format (used with general ledger systems)
In the Available Fields list, highlight a field you want to include
Click Add to Export to move it to the Export Layout column
Repeat to add all desired fields
Use the Up/Down arrows to arrange field order
Click Save
✅ Your template will now appear in the Export Template List and can be used to export Job Cost and Billing data.
Step-by-Step: Export Billing Data
From the Navigator panel, select the Job Cost & Billing module
Click Export Data
The Job Cost Data Export window opens
In the Cost Centers field, check the boxes next to the Cost Centers you want to export
In the Export Source field:
Choose Posted or Unposted Transactions
Then select one of the following data types:
Job Cost Data
Billing Data
Job Cost and Billing Data
In the Data Format field, select Summary or Detail
In the Export Templates field:
Choose your export template from the dropdown
(Optional) Check Include Column Headings
In the Date Parameters field, set the Posting Date Range to define the data window
📌 For posted data: The date range must reflect when the data was posted, not when the transactions occurred
Click Export
The exported CSV file will be saved to your Downloads folder as export-data.csv
Exporting Posted vs. Unposted Data
Scenario | What to Export | Where to Export From |
Reviewing charges before billing | Unposted data | From the Billing Browser (before posting) |
Sending records to Accounting | Posted data | From a posted export report or history view |
Reconciling periods | Both | Useful for audit trails or multi-department review |
Best Practices
Keep a set of shared export templates for consistency across your team
Export unposted data before posting to catch errors or add credits
Export posted data by billing period for audit and finance teams
Use CSV Detail Format for most spreadsheet-compatible exports
Document any changes to your export templates to avoid confusion during reconciliation