Integrations
Getting your data out for another system
For a report, for your ERP, or to leave. What can be taken out and in what form.
Getting information out is needed more often than expected, and not only to leave: for a report someone wants in a spreadsheet, to feed another system, to hand a file to a client, or to answer a formal request.
Three different things asked for as if they were one
| What is asked for | What it really is | When it is used |
|---|---|---|
| "A spreadsheet with the data" | A listing: who, what, when, status | Reports and analysis |
| "The documents" | The original files, with their organisation | Handovers, formal requests, system change |
| "Everything" | Both, plus the activity history | An orderly exit or a deep audit |
Important
Confusing the first two causes half the disappointments. A listing without the files is useless for handing over a file; files without the listing arrive without context and the recipient cannot tell what anything is.
What to check when exporting
- 1
That filenames still say something
A dump of files with internal names is technically complete and useless in practice.
- 2
That the index of what everything is comes with it
It is what allows rebuilding the organisation at the destination.
- 3
That extracted values come separately
Dates, amounts and identifiers in a listing, not only inside the PDFs.
- 4
And that the activity history is included if needed
For an audit or litigation, it is usually the most important part.
Watch out
If the destination is another system, do not export everything on day one. Take a small sample, check it loads properly, and only then the rest. A full migration that has to be repeated costs double and is usually discovered late.
When the export is to leave
That early check is also a criterion for choosing any platform: if you cannot leave with your own material, it is not a tool, it is a dependency.
Worth knowing
For one-off reports the listing is usually enough. Save the full export for when it is genuinely needed: it is heavier and adds nothing to an analysis.
›Can only some files be exported?
Yes, and for client handovers that is the norm.
›Does it include what I deleted?
No; deleted material does not return via an export.
›What about personal data?
It comes out with the rest: on export, responsibility for safeguarding it moves wherever you put it.
A real case
The situation
A company asks for "an export" for a report and receives thousands of files.
What you do
- Distinguishes listing from documents and asks only for the listing
What you get
Gets the analysis in a spreadsheet in minutes, with nothing heavy to download.
The situation
A monthly list is needed and an integration is built.
What you do
- Uses the scheduled export
What you get
The problem is solved with nothing to maintain.
The situation
The export comes out without each document's context.
What you do
- Checks it includes which file it belongs to
What you get
What is exported is usable in the other system.
The situation
Everything is exported each time and the file is unmanageable.
What you do
- Exports only the period or filter needed
What you get
The file can be processed.
The situation
The export is run by hand on the 1st of every month.
What you do
- Schedules the export
What you get
The 1st stops occupying anyone.
The situation
It is exported and there is no record of what or when.
What you do
- Records the export with its date and scope
What you get
What went out is auditable.
This article answers
- exporting platform data
- getting information into a spreadsheet
- migrating documentation to another system
- downloading everything of ours