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Data Export — post-enable runbook

Data Export is now on. There is exactly one action this module unlocks — triggering an org-wide JSON export — and you should run it once at enable time to confirm the full pipeline works before you need it for a real audit or migration.

For the surface-level overview, see the Data Export module reference.

Prerequisites​

Before Data Export will succeed, confirm:

  • Storage is configured and verified for the org. The export file is written to your own storage bucket, not the platform's. An unverified bucket fails the export at the upload step.
  • A platform-level backup config is active and verified. The org-export pipeline reads the platform config to know how to compress and write the file.
  • You have national-admin role on the org. Regional admins, chapter officers, and members cannot trigger org exports.
  • Storage has enough free space. The export includes every row of every org-scoped model, gzipped — large orgs produce multi-hundred-megabyte files.

Who can enable it​

Only a platform admin can toggle Data Export for your org. Org admins request the change through their platform admin.

What gets auto-created​

Enabling Data Export does not create any records. The toggle exposes the export controls in Settings → Data Management and allows the related endpoints to respond.

A BackupRecord row is created each time you trigger an export. Its status moves from pending to running to completed (or failed).

What appears in the sidebar​

Data Export does not add a sidebar entry. The controls live inside Org → Settings → Data Management. Org admins see the Trigger Export button and the Export History list there.

First 30 minutes — required steps​

  1. Open Org → Settings → Storage. Click Test Connection. If the test fails, fix storage before doing anything else — the export pipeline will fail at the same point.
  2. Open Org → Settings → Data Management. Confirm both the Trigger Export card and the Export History card render.
  3. Click Trigger Export. A new row appears in Export History with status pending. It moves to running within seconds and eventually to completed (or failed with an error message).
  4. When the export reaches completed, click Download. You will receive a presigned URL valid for 15 minutes. Download the gzipped JSON file and open it once to confirm the structure looks right.
  5. Confirm the file is also visible in your own storage bucket. The export is always written there too — the download is a convenience presigned URL on top of the bucket object.

First 30 minutes — recommended next steps​

  • Decide your retention policy for export files in your own storage. The platform does not auto-delete them — old exports accumulate until you clean them up.
  • Tell your platform admin which scheduled-export preset you want (daily, every 12 hours, weekly, or disabled). The schedule is set at the platform level via the org-export preset.
  • Treat the JSON as sensitive. It contains member PII, financial records, donor data, and any custom fields you have collected. Limit who has bucket access.
  • Document the recovery procedure. Knowing where the file lives and how to read it months from now is worth more than the export itself.

What happens if you disable​

Turning Data Export off hides the export controls in Settings and returns 403 on the related endpoints. Past exports are preserved — the BackupRecord rows stay in the database and the actual gzipped files stay in your storage bucket. Scheduled exports stop running for the org. Re-enabling restores access.

Common gotchas​

  • Only one export at a time per org. Triggering a second export while one is pending or running returns HTTP 409. Wait for the running one to finish first.
  • The presigned download URL expires in 15 minutes. The file itself stays in your bucket — just regenerate the URL by clicking Download again.
  • The file is one big gzipped JSON, not a per-entity CSV bundle. If you want spreadsheet-shaped extracts, ingest the JSON into your own tool and pull the tables you need.
  • Media files are not included. Profile photos, document attachments, and album images live in storage already — copy them directly from your bucket if you need them with the data.
  • An export reflects the org as of now. There is no point-in-time export — running the task again replaces the picture, it does not give you a diff.

Where to go deeper​

Last verified against v0.62.1 (2026-05-10).