Export Azure DevOps Data to Excel in 2026 Using CSV & OData

Updated: February 13, 2026 · 8 min read

Azure DevOps has dashboards, analytics views, and pipeline reports built in. Most engineering managers ignore them and open Excel. That is not a failure of Azure DevOps, it is a recognition that Excel is where finance, project management, and leadership teams live. Getting your sprint data, work item history, and pipeline metrics into Excel is a solved problem. There are three ways to do it, each with different trade-offs on speed, freshness, and complexity.

This guide covers all three: direct CSV export for one-off snapshots, the Azure DevOps Excel add-in for live-refreshable data connections, and the Analytics OData feed for advanced Power Query reporting.

But, first

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Why Export Azure DevOps Data to Excel?

While Azure DevOps includes dashboards and analytics, many teams turn to Excel for greater flexibility in reporting. Here’s why:

1. Streamlining Reporting & Analysis

Manually compiling status reports from Azure DevOps can be tedious and time-consuming. Exporting data to Excel automates this, letting you refresh work item data with one click and avoid repetitive manual updates. It saves time and effort for engineering managers who need regular progress reports.

2. Custom Charts and Pivot Analysis

Excel enables you to create custom charts (e.g. burndown trends, defect age histograms) and perform pivot-table analysis on work items. In fact, one of the quickest ways to generate a custom work-tracking report is to export a flat list query to Excel – you can then build status or trend charts and slice the data with PivotTables (you can refer them below). This level of customization is often beyond what Azure DevOps’s default analytics provide.

Figure 1: Azure DevOps Sprint Progress Chart

3. Combining Data Sources

Excel serves as a common platform to merge Azure DevOps data with other datasets. For example, you could:

• Combine work item data with cost data

• Correlate code quality metrics (from a tool like CodeAnt.ai) with Azure Boards 

• Build KPI dashboards that blend technical and business performance.

Excel’s flexibility allows engineering directors to integrate multiple sources and perform custom calculations for KPIs relevant to the business.

4. Sharing with Non-Technical Stakeholders

Not all stakeholders have access to or familiarity with Azure DevOps. Exporting to Excel allows you to package project data (e.g. a list of open issues or a sprint plan) into a format that can be easily emailed or presented. Excel spreadsheets can be viewed by anyone and are often the “lingua franca” for business reports, ensuring broader accessibility of the information.

In short, exporting to Excel gives engineering teams greater control over their Azure DevOps data, enabling ad-hoc analysis, custom reporting, and easier distribution of information. 

Next, we’ll cover how to actually perform these exports for work items and other Azure DevOps data.

How to Export Work Items to Excel

There are three ways to export Azure DevOps data to Excel.

• Method 1: CSV export: fastest, no setup required, data is static.

• Method 2: Excel add-in: live connection that refreshes with one click, requires the Azure DevOps Office Integration add-in.

• Method 3: OData Analytics feed: most powerful, connects Power Query directly to Azure DevOps Analytics, handles large datasets and complex queries.

For quick one-off reports use CSV. For live reports you refresh regularly use the Excel add-in or OData.

Method 1: CSV export (fastest, no setup)

CSV export in Azure DevOps takes under 2 minutes and requires no installation or configuration. Open your Boards backlog or query results, click the export icon, and download a CSV file that opens directly in Excel. This is the right method when you need a one-time snapshot of work items to share with stakeholders or drop into an existing Excel report.

Step 1: Open your Boards view

In Azure DevOps, navigate to Boards → Backlogs or Boards → Queries. The export option is available from both views. If you want to export a specific set of work items, create a query first, Queries gives you more control over which fields are exported.

Step 2: Configure the columns you want

Click Column Options (top right of the board view) and add or remove fields. Every field you add here appears as a column in the exported CSV. Common fields to add: Iteration Path, Area Path, Priority, Story Points, Assigned To, Created Date, Closed Date, State.

Step 3: Export to CSV

Click the export icon (arrow pointing down) in the top-right toolbar. Select Export to CSV. Azure DevOps generates the file and downloads it to your browser's default download folder.

Step 4: Open in Excel

Open Excel, go to Data → From Text/CSV, select the downloaded file. Excel will detect the comma-separated format automatically. If dates or numbers are formatting incorrectly, set the locale during import.

What you can and cannot export via CSV:

Work items (all types), query results, backlog items, and sprint contents can all be exported to CSV. Pipeline run data, test results, and analytics data cannot be exported directly via CSV, for those, use Method 3.

The limitation: CSV exports are static. Every time you need fresh data, you re-export manually. For anything you report on regularly (weekly sprint reports, monthly velocity tracking), the Excel add-in or OData feed is a better investment.

Method 2: Azure DevOps Excel add-in (live refresh)

The Azure DevOps Excel add-in creates a live connection between Excel and your Azure DevOps project. After initial setup, you click Refresh in Excel and the data updates from Azure DevOps automatically, no manual re-export. It works with work items, backlogs, and queries. It does not support pipeline or test data. Requires Azure DevOps Office Integration, which installs alongside Visual Studio or as a standalone download.

Step 1: Install the Azure DevOps Office Integration

Download and install Azure DevOps Office Integration from visualstudio.microsoft.com. This installs a Team tab in Excel's ribbon. If you have Visual Studio 2019 or later installed, this component may already be present, check your Excel ribbon for a "Team" tab.

Step 2: Connect Excel to your Azure DevOps project

Open a new or existing Excel workbook. Click Team → New List in the ribbon. You will be prompted to connect to a server, enter your Azure DevOps organisation URL: https://dev.azure.com/{your-organisation}. Select your project and team, then choose your data source: a query, backlog, or requirement list.

Step 3: Map your fields

Azure DevOps presents a list of available fields. Select the work item fields you want as columns: ID, Title, State, Assigned To, Story Points, Iteration, Priority, Created Date, and any custom fields. Click Get Work Items to populate the spreadsheet.

Step 4: Work with data in Excel

Your work items now appear as an Excel table. You can sort, filter, and add formulas. Add a PivotTable to summarise by state, iteration, or assignee. Add a chart for velocity trends or burndown visualisation.

Step 5: Refresh the connection

When you need updated data, click Team → Refresh in the ribbon. Azure DevOps re-queries and updates all rows. Changes you make to work item fields directly in Excel can also be pushed back to Azure DevOps using Team → Publish.

Two-way sync note: The Excel add-in supports two-way synchronisation, you can edit fields in Excel and publish the changes back to Azure DevOps. This is useful for bulk updates (mass reassignments, iteration changes) but use it carefully, publishing overwrites current values in Azure DevOps.

The limitation: The Excel add-in works with work items only. Pipeline run data, test results, release history, and analytics metrics require Method 3.

[H2]

Method 3: OData Analytics feed (advanced reporting)

The Azure DevOps Analytics OData feed connects Excel's Power Query directly to Azure DevOps's analytical data, including work items, pipeline runs, test results, and board metrics. It handles large datasets (thousands of work items) that crash CSV exports. Setup takes 30–60 minutes but the result is a live, refreshable Excel report that queries exactly the fields you need. Available on all Azure DevOps tiers.

Step 1: Find your OData endpoint

Your OData endpoint is: https://analytics.dev.azure.com/{organisation}/{project}/_odata/v4.0-preview/

Replace {organisation} with your Azure DevOps org name and {project} with your project name. You can test the endpoint in a browser — it should return JSON listing available entity types.

Step 2: Open Power Query in Excel

In Excel, go to Data → Get Data → From OData Feed. Paste your OData endpoint URL and click OK. If prompted for authentication, select Organisational account and sign in with your Azure DevOps credentials.

Step 3: Select your entity and fields

Power Query presents a Navigator showing all available entities. Common ones:

• WorkItems: all work item data including custom fields

• PipelineRuns: CI/CD pipeline execution history

• TestRuns: test execution results

• BoardLocations: current board column positions

Select your entity, click Transform Data to open the Power Query editor, and remove columns you don't need. This keeps the query fast and the Excel file manageable.

Step 4: Apply filters in Power Query

For large projects, always filter before loading. In Power Query Editor click Add Column → Custom Column or use the filter dropdowns. Example: filter WorkItems to only StateCategory eq 'InProgress' or IterationPath eq 'MyProject\Sprint 15'. Unfiltered queries on large projects can return tens of thousands of rows and time out.

Step 5: Load to Excel

Click Close & Load to import data into Excel as a table or into the Data Model (better for PivotTables across multiple queries). Once loaded, go to Data → Queries & Connections → Refresh All to update from Azure DevOps on demand.

Step 6: Build your reports

With data in Excel tables or the Data Model you can:

• Build PivotTables by State, Assigned To, Iteration, or Area Path

• Create charts for weekly throughput, cycle times, or deployment frequency

• Join pipeline run data with work item data to correlate deployment frequency with backlog throughput

• Set up scheduled refresh in Power BI Desktop if you want automated daily updates

Exporting Specific Data Types: What Works With Which Method

How to Export Reports & Boards to Excel

Beyond individual work item lists, many teams want to export board data (Kanban or sprint taskboards) or analytics reports (burndown, velocity, cumulative flow, etc.) for deeper analysis in Excel. While Azure DevOps doesn’t offer a direct “Export Board to Excel” button, there are reliable ways to access the underlying data.

Export Board Work Items via Query

Boards in Azure DevOps (Kanban or sprint boards) are essentially filtered views of work items. For example:

• A sprint taskboard = all active items in Sprint X

• A Kanban column = user stories in “New” and “Active” states

To export this data:

1. Create a query that mirrors the board’s filters (e.g., Iteration Path = Project\Sprint X and exclude “Removed/Done”).

2. Export the query results to CSV or Excel (as explained in the previous section).

This produces a flat list of board items with fields like Assigned To, State, Work Item Type, etc. While Excel won’t replicate the visual layout (columns, swimlanes), you’ll still get all the data and can regroup it with PivotTables or filters.

Exporting Analytics Reports

Azure DevOps includes built-in analytics widgets such as velocity charts, cumulative flow diagrams (CFD), and burndown reports. Export options vary by widget:

• Manual Export or Copy/Paste: Some report lists (e.g., test case results) include an Export to Excel button. Others may allow copying table data directly. However, many charts (velocity, CFD) don’t have a direct export option.

• Leverage OData Analytics (Advanced): The most flexible approach is using the Azure DevOps Analytics OData feed. This allows you to pull raw trend data, such as daily counts, sprint velocity, or work item history, directly into Excel. With OData queries, you can recreate reports like:

  • Velocity: Story points completed per sprint

  • Cumulative Flow: Items in each state by day

  • Burndown: Remaining work over time

This requires some familiarity with query syntax but unlocks custom reports beyond what Azure DevOps provides out of the box.

Figure 2: How Azure DevOps board/report data flows into Excel for custom reporting and analysis

How to Use Excel for Advanced Analysis

If exporting queries and reports isn’t enough, Excel can also act as a live reporting tool by connecting directly to Azure DevOps Analytics via the OData feed. This method is ideal for advanced analysis across large datasets or historical trends, since you can refresh data without re-exporting CSV files.

Step 1: Understand the OData Feed

Azure DevOps Services provides an OData Analytics API endpoint that exposes entities like WorkItems, TestResults, Pipelines, Projects, and WorkItemSnapshots (daily history). With this, you can query both current and historical data.

Make sure Analytics is enabled for your Azure DevOps organization (it’s on by default in Azure DevOps Services).

Step 2: Connect Excel to the Feed

1. In Excel (2016 or later), go to Data > Get Data > From Other Sources > From OData Feed.

In older versions (2010/2013), install the Power Query add-in first.

2. Enter the OData URL in this format:

https://analytics.dev.azure.com/{OrganizationName}/{ProjectName}/_odata/{version}/

If your organization is Fabrikam and you want the v2.0 Analytics API, the URL would be https://analytics.dev.azure.com/Fabrikam/_odata/v2.0/. 

3. You can include {ProjectName} to scope to a single project.

Authenticate using Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) if available. Alternatively, generate a Personal Access Token (PAT) with Analytics read permissions.

Step 3: Select & Filter Data

• Excel will display available entities in the Navigator (WorkItems, WorkItemSnapshots, TestRuns, etc.).

• Use Transform Data (Power Query Editor) before loading to filter down records (e.g., only Active work items, or a 6-month window).

• This prevents massive datasets (like millions of snapshot rows) from overloading Excel.

Step 4: Analyze & Refresh

Once imported, your data lives inside Excel tables or the Data Model. From here you can:

• Build PivotTables to track progress by State, Assigned To, or Iteration.

• Create charts for weekly throughput, cycle times, or deployment frequency.

• Join DevOps data with other datasets (e.g., financial KPIs, security scans, or CodeAnt.ai quality metrics).

Because the connection is live, clicking Refresh All re-queries Azure DevOps, keeping reports up to date without re-exporting CSVs.

Example Use Cases

• Lead Time Trends: Pull CreatedDate and ClosedDate fields, calculate cycle time in Excel, and chart trends over months.

• Throughput vs Deployments: Join pipeline run data with work item data to analyze if higher deployment frequency correlates with backlog throughput.

• Custom Governance Metrics: Use OData + Power Query to enforce KPIs your org cares about (e.g., defect age, reopen rate, time in “Blocked” state).

Permissions & Requirements

• You’ll need at least Basic access in Azure DevOps.

• Analytics permissions are usually enabled for project members by default.

• If you run into issues, check your account settings or create a PAT with Analytics (Read) scope.

Using the OData feed turns Excel into a custom Azure DevOps reporting engine, letting you build trend analysis, cross-dataset joins, and live dashboards far beyond the default Analytics widgets.

Next, we’ll cover common errors you might hit while exporting or connecting to Excel, and how to fix them quickly.

Common Export Errors & Fixes

The most common Azure DevOps Excel export errors are: authentication failures when connecting OData (fix: use Organisational account, not Windows or Anonymous), query timeouts on large datasets (fix: add filters to reduce rows before loading), and the Excel add-in not appearing in the ribbon (fix: repair or reinstall Azure DevOps Office Integration via Visual Studio Installer).

1. Excel Add-in Missing or Disabled

• Symptom: Team ribbon doesn’t appear in Excel.

• Fix: Go to File > Options > Add-ins > COM Add-ins and enable Team Foundation Add-in. If it’s missing, reinstall the Azure DevOps Office Integration 2019. In rare cases, set LoadBehavior=3 in the registry to force-load the add-in.

2. Authentication Errors (TF30063, TF31003)

• Symptom: “Not authorized” or “Unable to connect.”

• Fix:

  • Sign out and back in using the correct Microsoft/Azure AD credentials.

  • If needed, use a Personal Access Token (PAT) with work item read/write scope.

  • Ensure Excel is updated for MFA prompts.

  • Verify you have at least Stakeholder access (read) or Basic access (write).

3. OData Feed Connection Fails

When connecting Power Query to the OData feed, always select Organisational account as the authentication type. Windows authentication and Anonymous both fail for cloud-hosted Azure DevOps. If you see a 401 error, clear the cached credentials in Power Query (Data → Queries & Connections → right-click → Data Source Settings) and reconnect.

4. CSV Export Formatting Issues

• Line breaks/HTML tags: Fields like Descriptions may show <p> tags or  . Use Find/Replace or rely on Excel integration for cleaner exports.

• Auto-formatting errors: Large IDs may appear in scientific notation. Pre-format columns as Text or import via Data > From Text/CSV to control data types.

• Unsupported work item types: Some types (e.g., Test Cases) don’t export via CSV, use the Excel add-in or REST API instead.

5. Hierarchy Not Preserved

• Symptom: CSV exports flatten parent/child links.

• Fix: Use a Tree of Work Items query + Excel add-in. Direct Links queries import flat; for true hierarchy, stick to Tree queries.

6. Large Data or Performance Problems

• Symptom: Queries capped at 20,000 items; very large exports can hang Excel.

• Fix:

  • Filter queries (date ranges, states).

  • Remove unnecessary columns.

  • Use OData with filters instead of pulling entire datasets.

  • Prefer 64-bit Excel for large data.

7. Publish/Update Conflicts in Excel

• Symptom: Work item changed in Azure DevOps after you loaded it.

• Fix: Refresh data before publishing. Correct rule violations (e.g., invalid states, read-only fields). For Assigned To fields, ensure exact match or use Name <email>.

8. macOS Compatibility Issues

• Symptom: The Azure DevOps Excel add-in is Windows-only.

• Fix:

  • Use CSV export.

  • Run Excel in a Windows VM.

  • Use Power BI for richer reporting on Mac.

Microsoft considers the Excel add-in “feature complete” (no further updates). For long-term reliability, prefer CSV exports or OData connections over the Office plugin.

Beyond Manual Exports: Automating Azure DevOps Reporting

Manual exports, even with OData live refresh, require someone to open Excel and click Refresh. For engineering managers who need daily visibility into code quality, review times, and delivery metrics alongside their work item data, automation is the next step.

CodeAnt AI integrates directly with Azure DevOps to surface engineering metrics automatically, DORA metrics (deployment frequency, lead time, change failure rate, MTTR), PR review velocity, code quality trends, and security findings, without manual exports. Instead of pulling data into Excel to answer "how are we doing?", CodeAnt AI pushes the answer into your Azure DevOps workflow continuously.

For teams that want both, Excel flexibility for ad-hoc analysis plus automated continuous metrics, CodeAnt AI's data connects to Power Query via its API, letting you combine CodeAnt AI's code quality metrics with Azure DevOps work item data in the same Excel model.

In short:

• Excel = visibility

• CodeAnt.ai = continuous intelligence

This is "How You Do Code Review on Azure DevOps."

Stop rebuilding the same Excel report every week. CodeAnt AI continuously tracks engineering metrics, PR review time, code quality trends, DORA metrics, directly in Azure DevOps. No exports required.

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