Keep task identity separate from display order
Task UIDs identify records and dependency endpoints. A row’s position in the current table can change when the view is filtered, so it is not a safe replacement for that identity. Native WBS can carry meaningful formatting such as leading zeros, and the workbench preserves it as text when the source supplies it.
Derived outline is a separate aid built from stored row order and outline levels. It is useful when a source omits explicit WBS text, but it should not be presented as a recovered native code. Both values remain separate in the workbook so reviewers can distinguish supplied identifiers from a calculated display reference.
Understand the exported selection
The workbench displays 25 tasks per page for readability. Downloads include all tasks matching the active filter, not only the current page. Assigned resources and assignments follow that task set. Dependencies that touch a selected task retain their endpoint UIDs even when the other task is outside the exported selection.
Read the dependency selection column before treating the workbook as a self-contained network. External projects are not fetched, and missing endpoints are not manufactured. Calendar references are included for context. Stored XML calendar rule trees can be retained as reference data, but this does not mean the workbench has executed recurrence rules or calculated working availability.
Preserve data while respecting output limits
Workbook cells are written as text to preserve date strings and WBS values and to avoid formula execution. Formula-like CSV text receives an explicit apostrophe protection prefix, recorded in the omission report. JSON retains the original supported strings and is the clearest representation when spreadsheet typing would be misleading.
A cell that is too long for Excel causes XLSX to be omitted with an explanation rather than silently truncated. The optional PDF supports up to 500 filtered tasks and paginates the chart. Long labels may be shortened there, while unsupported font characters become visible Unicode labels. Share the full data export whenever exact names or long calendar reference trees matter.