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Sundial / User guide / Explain change with evidence
Explain change with evidence / Chapter 25

Export diagrams and build a report

Export diagrams, export a current-state inspection copy, and assemble a reporting sequence.

Turn analysis into a useful project review. Share clear visual evidence and understand which exports are reports and which files you need for a full backup.

For an inspection copy of the current project, use Export in the main header:

  1. Apply any form drafts whose changes should be included.
  2. Choose Export and locate the downloaded project-named YAML file. A connected folder is not required.
  3. Keep that file for inspection or sharing a current-state report. It includes work, comments, workflow configuration, Team, sprint records and membership, and Kanban settings.

This export omits native collaboration history, structured project audit history, reporting snapshots, detailed workflow and effort audits, and frozen sprint completion-board payloads. It is not a full backup or a native Open target. Back up the complete .sundial folder for those purposes. No configuration code needs to be copied from this manual.

Export one diagram

  1. Open the required tab and wait for its data to be ready.
  2. Set root, comparison endpoints, depth/disclosure, counters, assignee display, resolution, or scenario controls as appropriate.
  3. Enable Show title. For Delta GANTT, keep Show dates when exact movement is important.
  4. Click SVG or PNG in the diagram toolbar.
  5. Save the file, or locate the browser download.
  6. Open the saved image and check its title, legend, filters, and readability.

SVG preserves vector quality and supported source links. PNG is convenient for a blog, slide, or document. Static exports do not include hover popups or interactive disclosure controls. Exported images include a Sundial caption with the tool's web address; SVG retains the caption's link. Exports include the chart content with its filters applied, regardless of scroll position or viewport zoom. Very large PNG canvases may be uniformly downscaled; SVG retains natural dimensions.

Export a bundle

  1. Build a successful current forecast.
  2. Select the intended Delta period and history root; prepare the staffing scenario if needed.
  3. Use the header's Export SVG or Export PNG.
  4. Save the ZIP and confirm the exported diagram count.
  5. Extract and review its files before sharing.

The archive includes available current, Delta, history, and scenario charts. Charts lacking their required inputs may not be present; do not assume every archive contains a fixed count. A Team what-if result is included when its chart has been built. Export Sunburst over time separately from its own toolbar to preserve the selected side-by-side comparison. Individual files are named by chart kind, such as wbsTree, gantt, sunburst, workTracker, deltaWbs, deltaGantt, scopeOverTime, milestoneOverTime, and teamScenarioGantt.

A useful review sequence

  1. Update the work items, recorded effort, workflow states, priorities, and sprint plan.
  2. Review the reference team's calendars and availability.
  3. Check Delivery outlook and GANTT for commitments at risk.
  4. Compare with the prior checkpoint using both Delta tabs.
  5. Inspect Scope alongside Milestones to relate estimate changes to delivery movement.
  6. Use Work tracker to investigate capacity or sequencing.
  7. Test staffing options if the dates call for a decision.
  8. Verify automatic saving, capture the accepted reporting checkpoint, and export the review images.

In the written report, give the reporting start and comparison endpoints. Explain the assumptions and any missing or approximate source data that affect the results. A screenshot of the interface is useful for teaching controls; Sundial's own PNG export is usually better for a chart-only publication.

Put this into practice with the included example project.

Open Sundial