Why Data Export Matters
Exporting your data unlocks capabilities beyond the built-in analytics dashboard:- Compliance and auditing - Meet GDPR, CCPA, and internal data governance requirements
- Custom analytics - Analyze data with your preferred tools (Python, R, Excel, Tableau)
- Backup and archival - Maintain historical records for regulatory or business purposes
- Cross-platform insights - Combine conversation data with CRM, product analytics, or business intelligence tools
- AI-powered analysis - Use tools like ChatGPT or Claude to ask custom questions about your data
- Report generation - Create executive reports or team dashboards with exported data
All exports respect your current permissions. You can only export data from projects you have access to.
Export Types
botBrains offers two complementary approaches to data export, each optimized for different use cases.Full Dataset Export
The Full Dataset Export provides a complete snapshot of all your project data in a single asynchronous operation. When to use:- Complete data backups
- Comprehensive analysis requiring all historical data
- AI-powered analysis with tools like ChatGPT or Claude
- Data migration to other systems
- Compliance audits requiring full records
- Request export with optional date range filter
- botBrains processes your entire dataset in the background
- Receive email notification when export is ready (typically 5-15 minutes)
- Download JSONL file via link in email
- File remains available for 7 days
- Limited to 2 exports per day per project (across all team members)
- Processing time varies with dataset size (typically 5-15 minutes)
- Downloads available for 7 days after generation
Entity-Specific Export
Entity exports provide immediate downloads of specific data types with customizable fields and formats. When to use:- Quick exports of filtered data
- Spreadsheet analysis in Excel or Google Sheets
- Targeted reports (e.g., “all escalated conversations this month”)
- Specific field subsets to reduce file size
- Sharing sanitized data with external stakeholders
- Navigate to entity list page (Conversations, Messages, or Users)
- Apply filters and search criteria
- Click Export button
- Select format and fields
- Download immediately
- Conversations - Metadata, status, ratings, and nested messages
- Messages - Individual messages with text content, tags, and analytics
- Users - Contact information and engagement metrics (no nested conversations)
- CSV - Best for Excel, Google Sheets, or simple analysis
- JSONL - Ideal for programmatic processing or data pipelines
- Excel (CSV) - CSV optimized for Excel compatibility
- Maximum 10,000 rows per export
- Exports respect active filters from the list page
Choosing the Right Export Method
| Scenario | Recommended Method | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Complete backup of all data | Full Export | JSONL |
| Analysis in Excel or Google Sheets | Entity Export | CSV or Excel |
| Filtered conversation subset | Entity Export | CSV or JSONL |
| AI-powered custom analysis | Full Export | JSONL |
| GDPR data request | Full Export | JSONL |
| Weekly metrics report | Entity Export | CSV |
| Import to analytics platform | Full Export or Entity Export | JSONL |
| Share with non-technical stakeholders | Entity Export | Excel |
Performing a Full Dataset Export
Prerequisites
Before requesting a full export:- Ensure you have sufficient project permissions (Admin or Owner role)
- Check that you haven’t already requested 2 exports today
- Verify your email address is correct to receive the download link
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Navigate to Data Export Go to Settings → Data Export in your project. Step 2: Configure Export Options In the Full Dataset Export section, click Full Export. Optional: Set Date Range- Leave empty to export all historical data
- Set “From” date to export data created after a specific date
- Set “To” date to export data created before a specific date
- Use date filters to create incremental backups
- Task ID for reference
- Download link (valid for 7 days)
- File size information
- Expiration date
Rate Limits and Scheduling
Full exports are limited to 2 per day per project across all team members. This prevents system overload while allowing regular backups. Best practices for scheduled exports:- Create a dedicated export schedule (e.g., weekly on Sundays)
- Coordinate with team members to avoid conflicts
- Use date ranges for incremental exports instead of full exports
- Archive downloads systematically with clear naming:
botbrains_export_2024-03-15.jsonl
Performing Entity-Specific Exports
Exporting Conversations
Step 1: Navigate to Conversations Go to Analyze → Conversations. Step 2: Apply Filters Use the filter panel to narrow results:- Date range - Conversations created within specific dates
- Status - Resolved, Unresolved, Escalated
- Rating - Filter by CSAT score (1-5)
- Topic - Conversations about specific topics
- Channel - Web, Zendesk, Salesforce, Slack, etc.
- Labels - Custom conversation labels
- Search - Text search across conversation content
- CSV - Opens in Excel, Google Sheets, or text editors
- JSONL - One JSON object per line, easy to process programmatically
- Excel (CSV) - CSV with Excel-specific formatting
- Click Clear to deselect all fields
- Check only the fields you need
id- Unique conversation identifiercreated_at- When conversation startedupdated_at- Last message timestampstatus- Resolved, Unresolved, Escalateduser_id- Associated user identifierrating- CSAT score (0-5)channel- Communication channelmessages- Nested array of all messages (CSV exports messages as separate rows)
Exporting Messages
Messages export individual messages as separate rows, useful for text analysis, sentiment tracking, or message-level reporting. Step 1: Navigate to Messages Go to Analyze → Message Search (or use the Messages tab). Step 2: Apply Filters Filter messages by:- Sender type - User, Assistant, Operator
- Content - Text search
- Date range - Message creation dates
- Sentiment - Positive, Neutral, Negative
- Topics - Associated conversation topics
- Tool usage - Messages that used specific tools
id- Unique message identifiertext- Message contentrole- user, assistant, operatorconversation_id- Parent conversationcreated_at- Message timestampsentiment- Detected emotional tonetopics- Detected or assigned topics
Exporting Users
User exports provide contact information and engagement metrics without nested conversations. Step 1: Navigate to Users Go to Analyze → Users (or Users tab). Step 2: Apply Filters Filter users by:- Activity date - Last interaction date
- Conversation count - Users with X or more conversations
- Email status - Has email, no email
- Custom attributes - Any external attributes you’ve set via SDK
id- Unique user identifieremail- User email addressname- User display namecreated_at- First seen datelast_seen_at- Most recent activityconversation_count- Total conversationsmessage_count- Total messages sentexternal_attributes- Custom data from your application
User exports do NOT include nested conversations or messages. Use Conversation export or Full Export to get complete user interaction history.
Understanding Export Formats
CSV (Comma-Separated Values)
Best for: Excel, Google Sheets, quick manual analysis Structure:- Nested data (like messages in conversations) creates multiple rows
- Text fields are quoted if they contain commas
- Easy to open and read
- Limited to flat data structures
- Special characters may need escaping
- Creating charts or pivot tables in spreadsheet software
- Sharing with non-technical team members
- Quick visual inspection of data
- Simple filtering and sorting
JSONL (JSON Lines)
Best for: Programming, data pipelines, AI analysis Structure:- Each line is a complete, valid JSON object
- Preserves nested data structures
- Easily processed line-by-line in any language
- More compact than pretty-printed JSON
- Human-readable but not as intuitive as CSV
- Importing to data warehouses or analytics platforms
- Processing with Python, JavaScript, or other languages
- Uploading to AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude) for analysis
- Maintaining data relationships (users → conversations → messages)
Excel (CSV)
Best for: Microsoft Excel users Structure: Same as CSV, but with Excel-specific formatting optimizations:- UTF-8 BOM for proper character encoding
- Optimized delimiter handling
- Better date format compatibility
- You exclusively use Microsoft Excel
- Working with international characters or special symbols
- Need Excel to auto-detect data types correctly
Working with Media Files
Exports do not contain actual media files (images, videos, documents). Instead, they include time-bound download links for each media attachment.How Media Links Work
In your exported data, media fields contain URLs like:- Pre-signed with temporary access credentials
- Valid for a limited time (typically 7 days)
- Direct download - no authentication required
- Original file quality and format preserved
Archiving Media Files
If you need permanent copies of media files: Option 1: Manual Download- Export your data
- Extract media URLs from export file
- Download each file before URLs expire
- Store in your preferred storage system
Custom Analysis with AI Tools
One of the most powerful uses of exported data is custom analysis with AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini. These tools can answer questions that go beyond built-in metrics.Prerequisites for AI Analysis
Data Privacy Compliance Before uploading data to external AI tools:- Review your organization’s data policies - Ensure AI tool usage complies with GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, or other regulations
- Check AI provider policies - Verify data handling, retention, and training policies
- Consider data sanitization - Remove PII (emails, names, phone numbers) if required
- Use business subscriptions - Most AI providers offer business plans with stricter data protections
- Document your decision - Maintain records of compliance verification
- Use JSONL or CSV format for AI analysis
- Full Export works best for complex cross-conversation questions
- Entity exports work for focused analysis on specific data types
Base Prompt Template
Upload your exported file to your AI tool, then use this prompt template before asking your question:Example Analysis Questions
Example 1: Identify Most Active Users
Export needed: Full Export Question:Example 2: Analyze Premium Customer Issues
Export needed: Full Export Question:Example 3: Understand Customer Demographics
Export needed: User Export Question:Example 4: Track Feature Interest
Export needed: Conversations Export (includes messages) Question:Example 5: Improve Low-Rated Conversations
Export needed: Conversations Export (includes messages) Question:Advanced Analysis Patterns
Sentiment Trend AnalysisData Structure Reference
Understanding the data structure helps you select the right fields and interpret exports correctly.Full Export JSONL Structure
- Each line = one user
- Users contain array of conversations
- Conversations contain array of messages
- Maintains full hierarchy and relationships
Conversation Export Structure
JSONL format:Message Export Structure
Messages as individual records, useful for message-level analysis:User Export Structure
Users without nested conversations:Common Use Cases
GDPR Data Subject Access Requests
When a customer requests their personal data:- Navigate to Analyze → Users
- Search for user by email or ID
- Note the user ID
- Go to Settings → Data Export
- Click Full Export
- Download export file
- Extract the user’s line from JSONL (contains all conversations and messages)
- Provide to data subject
Weekly Executive Reports
Create a recurring export process:- Every Monday morning, export previous week’s conversations
- Filter: Date range = Last 7 days
- Export format: CSV
- Open in Excel or Google Sheets
- Create pivot table summarizing:
- Total conversations
- Average CSAT
- Resolution rate
- Top topics
- Share with stakeholders
Integration with Analytics Platforms
Send data to Tableau, Looker, or similar tools:- Schedule weekly Full Exports (manually or via API if available)
- Download JSONL files
- Use ETL process to load into data warehouse
- Create dashboards combining conversation data with product analytics
- Track correlations between product usage and support conversations
Quality Assurance Sampling
Sample conversations for QA review:- Navigate to Analyze → Conversations
- Filter: Random sampling (export all, randomly select subset)
- Export with fields: id, rating, status, messages
- Review sampled conversations for quality
- Create improvement tasks based on findings
Compliance Audits
Maintain audit trail for regulatory requirements:- Monthly full export with date range = previous month
- Archive JSONL files with naming convention:
audit_2024-03_export.jsonl - Store in compliant storage (encrypted, access-controlled)
- Maintain index of export dates and file locations
- Produce when requested for audits
Troubleshooting
Export Failed or Empty
Symptoms: Export completes but file is empty or contains no data Possible causes:- Date range filters exclude all data
- No data exists for selected entity
- Active filters on entity page are too restrictive
- Remove all filters and try again
- Verify data exists for selected time range
- Check date range settings (ensure “From” is before “To”)
CSV Not Opening Correctly in Excel
Symptoms: Special characters display incorrectly, columns not separated properly Possible causes:- Character encoding mismatch
- Excel locale settings
- Use “Excel (CSV)” export format instead of standard CSV
- Import CSV using Excel’s “Get Data” feature with UTF-8 encoding
- Open in Google Sheets first, then download as Excel format
Rate Limit Exceeded
Symptoms: Error message “Export limit reached, try again at [time]” Possible causes:- Already requested 2 full exports today
- Another team member requested exports
- Wait until specified retry time
- Coordinate with team on export schedule
- Use entity exports instead (no rate limit)
- Use date range filters for incremental exports instead of full exports
Media Links Not Working
Symptoms: 403 Forbidden or 404 Not Found when accessing media URLs Possible causes:- URLs have expired (typically after 7 days)
- URLs were copied incorrectly
- Request new export to get fresh URLs
- Download media files immediately after export
- Set up automated download process
Large File Handling
Symptoms: Export file is too large to open in Excel (more than 1 million rows) Possible causes:- Dataset exceeds spreadsheet limits
- Conversation export with many nested messages creates excessive rows in CSV
- Use JSONL format instead of CSV
- Use date range filters to create smaller exports
- Process data programmatically (Python, R) instead of spreadsheet tools
- Use entity exports with specific date ranges
JSONL File Format Issues
Symptoms: File appears as single long line, difficult to read This is normal: JSONL files are designed for programmatic processing, not human reading Solutions:- Use a code editor with JSONL support (VS Code, Sublime Text)
- Process with Python or JavaScript instead of opening directly
- Use command-line tools like
jqfor inspection:
Best Practices
Regular Backup Schedule
Establish a consistent backup routine: Weekly backups:- Every Sunday night, export previous week
- Date range: Last 7 days
- Naming:
weekly_backup_2024-03-15.jsonl - Store in cloud storage with versioning
- First of each month, export previous month
- Date range: Previous calendar month
- Naming:
monthly_backup_2024-03.jsonl - Archive for long-term retention
- Export all data before deploying new AI guidance
- Enables rollback analysis if issues arise
Field Selection Strategy
For backups: Export all fields to preserve complete records For analysis: Select only needed fields to reduce file size and processing time For sharing: Remove PII fields (email, name) when sharing with external partiesFile Naming Conventions
Use descriptive, sortable names:Data Retention Policy
Define how long you keep exports: Regulatory requirements:- GDPR: Retain only as long as needed for business purposes
- HIPAA: Minimum 6 years for medical data
- CCPA: Enable deletion on request
- Active analysis: 90 days
- Historical trends: 1-2 years
- Compliance archives: 7+ years
- Compress old exports (gzip reduces size by 80 percent or more)
- Move to cold storage after 90 days
- Delete non-compliant exports regularly
Data Sanitization
When sharing exports with external parties or AI tools: Remove PII:- Share summary statistics instead of raw data
- Provide anonymized samples rather than full datasets
Next Steps
Now that you understand data export:- Review Conversations - Filter and analyze conversations before exporting
- Track Metrics - Use built-in analytics before resorting to custom exports
- Message Search - Find specific messages to export
- Project Settings - Configure project-level settings
- Security & Permissions - Understand who can export data