If you choose to run a custom export, you’ll be able to modify a number of things regarding the file that you’re exporting.

How do I change the file's columns?

When you choose to export a custom file, the first thing you'll see is the column picker. This is where you decide which parts of your data to include. You can choose all the columns or just the ones you need. You can also connect this to other tools like SFTP export or recurring schedules to make your work faster and easier.

The columns are grouped by the kind of information they show. First, you'll see form details. Then, you'll see information about guardians and students. If your form has verifications, you'll see those next. At the end, there are special columns that depend on the questions in your form. You can search for a question by name to find it faster.

Any columns you don’t choose won’t show up in the file. If this is a repeating export, those columns will be left out every time. Some columns might also be empty, like “Tiebreaker” or “Waitlist position,” if your form doesn’t use Lottery & Offers.

I changed my form — what happens to the new questions I added on a recurring export?

If you set up your export to run on a schedule, and later added new questions or verifications in the form builder, those changes won’t be added to the export automatically. Don’t worry — it won’t break anything. But if you want the new items in your file, you’ll need to make a brand-new recurring export. To add them, create a new recurring export.

I made new tag groups — will they show up in my recurring export?

Yes! If you picked “Tags” as a column when setting up your export, any new tag groups you create will be included. They’ll show the tags that were added to each form.

How do I rename an export?

On the final screen of a Custom Export, you’ll be able to modify the name of the file that your data is exported to. This is useful if you’re trying to distinguish in the filename itself by type of form you’re grouping.

If you schedule exports, this name is how you’ll identify your export later on when looking at a list of exports and scheduled exports.

How do I export me file to someplace else?

On the final screen of a Custom Export, you can specify an additional means of delivery - aside from email, which you'll always get a copy of just in case. Avela offers several options:

• Export via sFTP
• Export to existing Google Spreadsheet (coming soon)
• Export to Google Drive as a new Spreadsheet or new CSV (coming soon)

How can I schedule an export?

On the final screen of a Custom Export, you can also indicate when you’d like to receive the export. The default is immediately, but if you select “Later”, you can specify:

• Sometime later in the same or following day
• A custom date

Note: Exports cannot be scheduled to a time in the past, so certain dates and times will be disabled.

Can I set up a recurring schedule to export?

To set up an export with a recurring schedule, simply toggle on the button that reads “Repeats”. This will allow you to specify a cadence to the schedule: Daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly. You can combine setting up a Custom time to schedule with Repeat schedules to, for example, export every month on the 15th, at 9AM.