Knowledge Base

Problem

When exporting observational data from Observer XT, the export process stops before completing and not all observations are included in the output.

Details

Affects Observer XT projects where one or more observation names contain special or non-standard characters (e.g., accented letters, punctuation, or other unusual symbols). The export halts at the observation with the problematic name, leaving subsequent observations excluded from the export file.

Solution

1. If your data export stops partway, first export to a plain text file format to help identify where the export fails — the problematic observation name may be visible in the partial output.
2. Review the observation names in your project for any special characters (e.g., accented letters, symbols, punctuation beyond standard hyphens and underscores).
3. Rename any observations containing special characters using only standard alphanumeric characters, hyphens, or underscores.
4. Retry the export. The export should now complete and include all observations.