Exporting your data

Exports give you the records behind the figures as a file you can open in a spreadsheet.

When you need one

• Your accountant wants the detail rather than a summary
• You want to analyse something reports do not cover
• You are asked for a copy of somebody's data
• You want your own backup

It is your data

Being able to get your records out whenever you want is not a favour. It is what stops any platform, including this one, holding you hostage. Take an export occasionally so you know you can.

Personal data in exports

An export of customers is a file full of personal data sitting on a laptop. Keep it somewhere sensible and delete it when you are done. The obligations that apply in the system apply to the copy on your desktop.

Responding to a data request

Where a customer asks for the data you hold about them, an export is part of how you answer. There is a separate article on doing that properly.

Common questions

What format do exports come in?

A spreadsheet-friendly file you can open in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets.

Can I export everything at once?

Export the areas you need. Taking each type separately is also easier to work with afterwards.

Who can export?

It is permission-controlled, because an export is a copy of your customer data.