Export

Use the Export node when a workflow needs to turn data into a file that people can download, share, or send to another system.

Common examples:

• Convert database results into an Excel file.
• Create a CSV file for finance or operations.
• Generate a Word document report after data reconciliation.
• Prepare rows for upload to another tool.

Before You Use This Node

What you may need	Where to set it up	Why it matters
Reusable source data	Datasets	Keep common business data in one place before exporting it.
Saved file inputs or files used by nearby steps	Files	Files can be stored centrally and reused by upload, download, or reporting steps.
Reusable names, dates, or report periods	Global Variables	Use the same report period or file name pattern across workflows.

What the Export Node Can Do

Action	Plain meaning	Use it when
export:csv	Create a .csv file	The next system expects a simple spreadsheet-style text file.
export:xlsx	Create an Excel .xlsx file	People need a familiar Excel report.
export:doc	Create a Word .docx document	You need a formatted document with headings, text, and images.

Modes

export:csv and export:xlsx support two modes. export:doc always creates a new file (overwrite only).

Mode	What it does	Needs existing file?
Overwrite	Creates a new file from input data	No
Upsert	Finds rows by a match column and updates them. Inserts new rows if no match is found	Yes

The Basic Idea

Give Rows

Use rows from an earlier step

Choose Format

CSV or Excel

Name File

Use a clear report name

Use File

Download it or send it to another step

Simple: the Export node takes rows and produces a CSV or Excel file.

What You Fill In (CSV and Excel)

CSV and Excel exports read their configuration from exportDetails (format, fileName, mode, fileId/file, matchColumn, input), with per-format options under options and an optional columns list.

Overwrite Mode

Field	What it means	Example
Input rows	The list of records to export	Result from SQL, DataTable, or API step
Format	File type (xls/xlsx are auto-detected for Excel)	CSV or XLSX
File name	Name without the extension	monthly-report-april
Columns	Which fields should appear in the file, and how they are formatted	See Columns below
Include headers	Whether the first row should show column names	Yes
Sheet name	Excel sheet name, for XLSX only	Report

Overwrite options

• CSV: includeHeaders, dateFormat.
• Excel: includeHeaders, autoFilter, autoColumnWidth, dateFormat, numberFormat, sheetName. Excel output is written using a streaming writer, so large exports stay memory-safe.

Upsert Mode

Field	What it means	Example
Input data	A JSON object (single row) or JSON array (multiple rows)	{{$('fetchData').result}}
File	Existing file to update (fileId or file)	Select from Files section
Match Column	The column header used to find existing rows	Date or Order ID
Sheet Name	Target sheet in Excel (optional)	Baby_jogger
Columns	Optional explicit field-to-header mapping	Only needed when input keys differ from file headers
Create Row If Missing	Insert a new row when no match is found	Yes (default)
Merged Header Separator	Separator for addressing merged headers in Excel	:: (default)

Upsert options

• CSV: createRowIfMissing, headerRowIndex, downloadTimeoutSeconds.
• Excel: preserveExistingFormat, createSheetIfMissing, sheetIndex, headerRowIndex, mergedHeaderSeparator (default ::), createRowIfMissing, downloadTimeoutSeconds.

Columns

Each entry in the columns list describes one output column:

Field	What it means
field	Source key, dot-notation supported for nested values (e.g. customer.name)
header	Column header text to write
type	Optional value type, date or datetime, for typed formatting
format	Date/number format pattern applied to the value

For Excel, a column can additionally be targeted by position using columnIndex, index, or column (a numeric index or an Excel column letter such as C), and can specify a parentHeader to address a cell under a merged header.

For upsert mode, input keys are automatically mapped to file column headers. If the file has merged headers (e.g., a parent cell "12 PM to 1 PM" spanning sub-columns "Orders" and "Failed"), use the :: separator in your input keys:

{
  "Date": "5-29-2026",
  "Total Order Count": 35,
  "OMS": 22,
  "12 PM to 1 PM::Orders": 3,
  "12 PM to 1 PM::Failed": 1
}

Create a Word Document (export:doc)

export:doc builds a .docx document from an ordered list of content blocks. Its configuration lives under exportDocDetails.

Field	What it means	Example
fileName	Output name; the .docx extension is added automatically	reconciliation-summary
pageOrientation	Page layout: portrait (default) or landscape	portrait
content	Ordered list of blocks that make up the document	See below

Each block in content has a type:

Block type	Fields	Notes
heading	text, level	level sets the size: H1 = 24pt, H2 = 20pt, H3 = 16pt
text	text, bold	A paragraph of body text; bold optional
image	path, caption, width, height, fitToPage	Defaults width 400, height 300; fitToPage sizes the image to 450x340
pagebreak	—	Starts a new page

URLs in text are detected and rendered as clickable hyperlinks. If an image cannot be loaded, a red [Image not found] placeholder is inserted in its place so the document still generates.

export:doc always creates a new file; there is no upsert mode.

Friendly Example — Overwrite

You want to send finance an Excel file after a reconciliation step.

Field	Value
Input rows	{{Reconcile Accounts.output.rows}}
Format	XLSX
File name	reconciliation-{{reportMonth}}
Columns	Account, Expected Amount, Actual Amount, Difference
Include headers	Yes

What happens:

1. Automation Hub reads the rows from the previous step.
2. It creates the Excel file.
3. The step output includes the file name and storage details.
4. A later Email, S3, FTP, or SFTP step can use the generated file.

Friendly Example — Upsert

You have an Order Count Tracker Excel file with hourly data per day. Every hour, an automation fetches the latest counts and updates the current day's row.

Field	Value
Input data	{{$('fetchHourlyData').result}}
Mode	Upsert
File	Order Count Tracker.xlsx
Match Column	Date
Sheet Name	Baby_jogger

What happens:

1. The step downloads the existing Excel file.
2. It looks for a row where the Date column matches the input's Date value.
3. If found, it updates only the cells that have matching headers in the input.
4. If not found, it creates a new row at the bottom.
5. The updated file is saved back.

Output

The output envelope depends on the action:

• export:csv / export:xlsx report status: "success". Overwrite runs also return fileName, format, mode, rowCount, columnCount, and the generated artifact. Upsert runs return rowsProcessed, rowsUpdated, rowsInserted, rowsSkipped, and the updated fileId/file.
• export:doc returns a boolean success flag along with fileName, format: "docx", contentBlocks (the number of blocks written), and the generated artifact.

Tips

• Use clear column names so the file is understandable outside Automation Hub.
• Use Global Variables for file names that include a month, region, team, or environment.
• Use CSV when another system will import the file.
• Use Excel when people will review the file manually.
• Use Upsert when you need to update specific rows in an existing tracker or report without overwriting the entire file.
• In Upsert mode, only the cells you provide in the input are updated — other cells in the row are left untouched.