Export datasets to cloud storage destinations

This article explains the workflow required to export datasets from Adobe Experience Platform to your preferred cloud storage location, such as Amazon S3, SFTP locations, or Google Cloud Storage by using the Experience Platform UI.

You can also use the Experience Platform APIs to export datasets. Read the export datasets API tutorial for more information.

Datasets available for exporting datasets-to-export

The datasets that you can export vary based on the Experience Platform application (Real-Time CDP, Adobe Journey Optimizer), the tier (Prime or Ultimate), and any add-ons that you purchased (for example: Data Distiller).

Use the table below to understand which dataset types you can export depending on your application, product tier, and any add-ons purchased:

Video tutorial video-tutorial

Watch the video below for an end-to-end explanation of the workflow described on this page, benefits of using the export dataset functionality, and some suggested use cases.

Supported destinations supported-destinations

Currently, you can export datasets to the cloud storage destinations highlighted in the screenshot and listed below.

When to activate audiences or export datasets when-to-activate-audiences-or-activate-datasets

Some file-based destinations in the Experience Platform catalog support both audience activation and dataset export.

This document contains all the information necessary to export datasets. If you want to activate audiences to cloud storage or email marketing destinations, read Activate audience data to batch profile export destinations.

Prerequisites prerequisites

To export datasets to cloud storage destinations, you must have successfully connected to a destination. If you haven’t done so already, go to the destinations catalog, browse the supported destinations, and configure the destination that you want to use.

Required permissions permissions

To export datasets, you need the View Destinations, View Datasets, and Manage and Activate Dataset Destinations access control permissions. Read the access control overview or contact your product administrator to obtain the required permissions.

To ensure that you have the necessary permissions to export datasets and that the destination supports exporting datasets, browse the destinations catalog. If a destination has an Activate or an Export datasets control, then you have the appropriate permissions.

Select your destination select-destination

Follow the instructions to select a destination where you can export your datasets:

Select your datasets select-datasets

Use the check boxes to the left of the dataset names to select the datasets that you want to export to the destination, then select Next.

Schedule dataset export scheduling

Use the Scheduling step to:

Use the Edit schedule control on the page to edit the export cadence of exports, as well as to select whether to export full or incremental files.

The Export incremental files option is selected by default. This triggers an export of one or multiple files representing a full snapshot of the dataset. Subsequent files are incremental additions to the dataset since the previous export. You can also select Export full files. In this case, select the frequency Once for a one-time full export of the dataset.

Edit folder path edit-folder-path

Select Edit folder path to customize the folder structure in your storage location where exported datasets are deposited.

You can use several available macros to customize a desired folder name. Double-click a macro to add it to the folder path and use / between the macros to separate the folders.

After selecting the desired macros, you can see a preview of the folder structure that will be created in your storage location. The first level in the folder structure represents the Folder path that you indicated when you connected to the destination to export datasets.

Review review

On the Review page, you can see a summary of your selection. Select Cancel to break up the flow, Back to modify your settings, or Finish to confirm your selection and start exporting datasets to the destination.

Verify successful dataset export verify

When exporting datasets, Experience Platform creates one or multiple .json or .parquet files in the storage location that you provided. Expect new files to be deposited in your storage location according to the export schedule you provided.

Experience Platform creates a folder structure in the storage location you specified, where it deposits the exported dataset files. The default folder export pattern is shown below, but you can customize the folder structure with your preferred macros.

folder-name-you-provided/datasetID/exportTime=YYYYMMDDHHMM

The default file name is randomly generated and ensures that exported file names are unique.

Sample dataset files sample-files

The presence of these files in your storage location is confirmation of a successful export. To understand how the exported files are structured, you can download a sample .parquet file or .json file.

Compressed dataset files compressed-dataset-files

In the connect to destination workflow, you can select the exported dataset files to be compressed, as shown below:

Note the difference in file format between the two file types, when compressed:

Exports to JSON files are supported in a compressed mode only. Exports to Parquet files are supported in a compressed and uncompressed mode.

Remove datasets from destinations remove-dataset

To remove datasets from an existing dataflow, follow the steps below:

Dataset export entitlements licensing-entitlement

Refer to the product description documents to understand how much data you are entitled to export for each Experience Platform application, per year. For example, you can view the Real-Time CDP Product Description here.

Note that the data export entitlements for different applications are not additive. For example, this means that if you purchase Real-Time CDP Ultimate and Adobe Journey Optimizer Ultimate, the profile export entitlement will be the larger of the two entitlements, as per the product descriptions. Your volume entitlements are calculated by taking your total number of licensed profiles and multiplying by 500 KB for Real-Time CDP Prime or 700 KB for Real-Time CDP Ultimate to determine how much volume of data you are entitled to.

On the other hand, if you purchased add-ons such as Data Distiller, the data export limit that you are entitled to represents the sum of the product tier and the add-on.

You can view and track your profile exports against your contractual limits in the license usage dashboard.

Known limitations known-limitations

Keep in mind the following limitations for the general availability release of dataset exports:

Frequently Asked Questions faq

Can we generate a file without a folder if we just save at / as the folder path? Also, if we don’t require a folder path, how will files with duplicate names be generated in a folder or location?

Can you route the manifest file to one folder and data files into another folder?

Can we control the sequencing or timing of file delivery?

What formats are available for the manifest file?

Is there API availability for the manifest file?

Can we add additional details to the manifest file (i.e., record count)? If so, how?

How are data files split? How many records per file?

Can we set a threshold (number of records per file)?

How do we resend a data set in the event that the initial send is bad?