Exporting & backing up your data
Pick what to export, choose CSV or JSON, and find the downloaded file so you always have your own copy.
Settings → Import & Export → Export tab. Exporting only ever reads your data - nothing is changed or deleted.
This is the bulk export - the whole clinic at once. For one animal's history as a file, don't come here: open the patient and use ⋯ → Generate history PDF instead. Needs Export data - a practice manager or the clinic owner by default, not a vet. (The per-patient PDF is available to anyone who can open a patient.)
Make a backup
- Settings → Import & Export → Export.
- Leave all eight record types ticked.
- Pick CSV (ZIP archive) for spreadsheets, or JSON for another system.
- Leave Date Range blank.
- Export Data.
The file downloads automatically to your Downloads folder as wattle-export-2026-06-02.zip or .json. There's no "Save as" pop-up and no success message, so it's easy to think nothing happened - it almost certainly did.
What each tick-box includes
| Tick-box | Includes |
|---|---|
| Clients | Owners and contact details |
| Patients | The animals - plus their reminders and alerts |
| Appointments | Bookings from the schedule |
| Consultations | Visit notes - plus any prescriptions |
| Invoices | Invoices - plus line items and payments |
| Ledger Entries | The money trail: charges, payments, credits |
| Catalogue Items | Products and services with prices |
| Communications | Emails and messages sent to clients |
Some types quietly bring related records along so your backup is complete. You don't need to do anything.
CSV or JSON
CSV gives you a ZIP file, not a single spreadsheet - inside are separate .csv files, one per record type. That's normal and means it worked. Double-click on a Mac; right-click → Extract All on Windows.
JSON gives one file meant for another piece of software, not for reading by eye. If you're unsure, you want CSV.
For the technically minded: in JSON, exporting Clients and Patients together nests each patient inside its owner, while Patients alone gives a flat list. If a script depends on the shape, export the same combination each time.
Date ranges
Date Range (optional) under Export Options. Fill From, To, both, or neither - blank means everything, which is what you want for a full backup.
Catalogue Items ignore dates entirely. Your price list is always exported in full, whatever range you set - a price list isn't tied to a date. If you only want the date-filtered records, untick Catalogue Items. There's a small grey reminder under the date fields that's easy to miss.
Filtering uses each record's own date: appointments by start time, invoices by created date.
Finding the file
| Browser | How |
|---|---|
| Chrome / Edge | The download arrow top-right, or Ctrl+J / Cmd+Shift+J |
| Safari | The download icon top-right, then the magnifying glass to reveal it in Finder |
| Firefox | The download arrow top-right, then the folder icon |
Once you've found it, move it somewhere safe - an external drive or a cloud folder. A backup is only useful if you can find it later.
A sensible habit
- Run a full backup (everything ticked, no date range, CSV) monthly.
- Keep a few past exports rather than overwriting - the dated filenames make this easy.
- Store at least one copy off your work computer.
Controlled-drug records have their own statutory reporting and retention rules - see The Schedule 8 register.
Gotchas
- The button says "Exporting..." and seems stuck. Bigger clinics take longer. The progress bar and records-fetched count mean it's busy, not frozen.
- Export Data greyed out means nothing is ticked. Tick a box or press Select All.
- A red message instead of a download is usually a network hiccup - try again. If it keeps failing, your account's permissions may need checking.
- A date range that returned far fewer or more records than expected - widen it, or leave it blank.
Related
The catalogue · Invoices · Your team · Printing & PDFs · Patients · Troubleshooting