Data Studio - Export from a Template

  • Updated

A template is a pre-configured export definition. Instead of starting from a blank wizard and picking every data set, action, field, and filter yourself, you pick a template that already reflects a common use case and tweak the parts that matter for your account. It's the fastest way to get a working export in Data Studio when you don't need anything custom.

Who does this: Any Act-On user with access to Data Studio
Time needed: 3 to 5 minutes
Why this matters: Building an export from scratch means thinking through which actions, fields, and filters make sense together. Templates remove that decision for the common cases, so your first export is working in a few minutes rather than a few sessions. You can always edit the result afterwards, including switching to a different grouping, adding filters, or changing the schedule.
Quick Reference (Advanced Users) - Click to Expand
  • Go to Reports > Data Studio > Exports > New from template.
  • Pick a dataset (Media, Forms, Landing Pages, Email Messages, Webinars, Website Traffic) then pick a template available for that dataset.
  • Step through the wizard: Name/Description, Actions + Inclusive Filters, Grouping, Fields, optional Filters, Schedule, Delivery.
  • You can edit anything the template pre-selected before saving.
  • Default output is a CSV. Other formats: CSV ZIP, CSV GZ, XLSX.
Try it like this: Create a weekly Email Messages export using a template. Go to Reports > Data Studio > Exports, click New from template, pick the Email Messages dataset and a template such as "Email Performance by Message", accept the default Name, and step through to the Schedule tab. Set it to Daily or Weekly with the days you want, choose a destination (or use Downloadable File), and click Finish. You now have a scheduled export without building the definition from scratch.

What you need before you start

  • Access to Data Studio (Reports > Data Studio). If you don't see it, ask your Account Manager.
  • A destination set up if you want the file delivered somewhere other than the Downloadable File option. See Configuring Destinations for Data Studio Exports.
  • A rough idea of which dataset you want to export from. If you're not sure, see Data Studio Overview for the full list.

Start a new export from a template

  1. When signed in to Act-On, go to Reports > Data Studio. A new browser tab opens.
  2. On the left, click Exports.
  3. On the right, click New from template.

New from template button in the Data Studio Exports tab

Pick a dataset and a template

  1. Choose a Dataset. You can export from:
    • Media
    • Forms
    • Landing Pages
    • Email Messages
    • Webinars
    • Website Traffic
  2. Choose a Template. The templates available depend on the dataset you picked.

Template selection list for the chosen dataset

Name the export

  1. Data Studio fills in a default Name and Description. Edit them if you want something more specific.
  2. Click Next.

Name and Description fields for the new export

Actions and inclusive filters

  1. Select which actions you want in the export. The options vary by dataset. For a full list of what each action means, see Choosing Actions for Data Studio Exports.
  2. Optionally add Inclusive Filters to limit the data at source. Click select under any of these to pick specific items:
    • Campaigns - limit the export to specific campaigns.
    • Messages - limit to specific messages.
    • Automated Programs - limit to specific automations.
  3. Click Next.

Actions and Inclusive Filters step in the export wizard

Tip: Inclusive filters reduce the number of source rows Data Studio has to process, which lowers token cost. Filter at source whenever you can rather than pulling everything and filtering later.

Choose the grouping

  1. Choose either Detailed log data or Aggregated rolled-up data based on the choices the template offers.
  2. Click Next.

Grouping step showing Detailed and Aggregated options

Select fields and output options

  1. To define the structure of your export, double-click or drag items from Available Fields into Selected Fields. Or click the popular button next to Selected Fields to quickly build a default set.
  2. For Website Traffic exports, optionally tick Generate a weekly heatmap to produce an easy-to-read visualisation of hourly traffic patterns.
  3. Set the Date Format for the export.
  4. Click Next.

Fields and output options step

Add optional filters

To filter further, click here in the filter panel to add additional criteria.

For example, to find contacts with birthdays on May 26th in Roseville, CA:

  1. Add a filter for Birthday and set it to "if birthday contains 5/26".
  2. Add a filter for Mailing City and set it to "if mailing city is Roseville".
  3. Add a filter for Mailing State/Province and set it to "if mailing state/province is CA".
  4. Use the Combine expressions with dropdown to pick and, or, or custom. The example above uses and.

Click Next when you're done.

Set the schedule

  1. Choose On Demand, Daily or Weekly, or Monthly.
  2. Fill in the required fields for the option you picked.
  3. Click Next.

What's the difference?

  • On Demand - a date range selector appears when you run the export, letting you pick a relative range or all time.
  • Daily or Weekly - if specific days of the week are selected, the export (or package) runs on those days between 3am and 5am in your account's time zone, retrieving data for the previous X days via the Last X Days selector.
  • Monthly - the period retrieved is always a full month. The run happens on the 1st of the following month between 1am and 3am in the account's time zone. If you set date boundaries, the monthly schedule runs only within those bounds.

Schedule step in the export wizard

Set delivery and finish

  1. Choose the Data Export destination. Any destinations you've connected appear here. The default is a CSV file available for download from Data Studio.
  2. Add a File name. Click Append Date if you want the date appended to each run's filename.
  3. Choose the Format: CSV, CSV compressed into a ZIP, CSV compressed into a GZ, or XLSX.
  4. Optionally set a Notification and enter the email address that should receive it.
  5. Click Finish.

Delivery step in the export wizard

You land on the Exports page. If you chose On Demand, click Generate and set the date range to run it now. If you chose Daily, Weekly, or Monthly, the export runs on the schedule you picked.

Common pitfalls

  • Accepting the default Name and ending up with several exports that look identical in the Exports list. Rename templates to something descriptive before saving.
  • Skipping Inclusive Filters on large datasets. Without them, source row count (and therefore token cost) can be much higher than you expect.
  • Picking a grouping (Detailed vs Aggregated) without checking which fields it exposes. Available Fields differ by grouping - if you can't find the field you need, go back and switch grouping.
  • Setting a schedule before you've saved a destination. The export will fall back to Downloadable File, which expires after a short retention period.
What you've unlocked: A working scheduled export built in minutes. If you want to build a more tailored definition from scratch, see Creating Exports in Data Studio. To combine this export with others into a single delivery, see Merging Data and Exports in Data Studio.

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