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Formora allows you to export your collected form responses, making it easy to use your data offline, import it into other systems, perform in-depth analysis, or create custom reports.

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Why Export Your Data?

  • Offline Analysis: Work with your data in spreadsheet software like Excel or Google Sheets even without internet access.
  • Backup: Keep a local copy of your important submission data.
  • Third-Party Integration: Import data into CRMs, marketing automation tools, databases, or business intelligence platforms.
  • Custom Reporting: Create specialized charts, graphs, and reports beyond Formora’s built-in analytics.
  • Compliance/Archiving: Store data according to your organization’s archival policies.

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Accessing Export Options

The option to export responses is typically found within the responses view for your form:
  1. Navigate to the form for which you want to export data.
  2. Go to its “Responses” section.
  3. Look for an “Export” button, often located near the top of the responses table or within an actions menu.
Mockup showing an 'Export' button on the responses page.

Export button in the Formora responses view

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Available Export Formats

Formora offers several export formats, though availability might depend on your subscription plan:
  • Availability: Typically available on all plans, including Free.
  • Description: A plain text file where values are separated by commas. This is a highly versatile and widely compatible format.
  • Use Cases: Importing into almost any spreadsheet software (Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers), databases, and data analysis tools.
  • Structure: The first row usually contains the header (field names/labels), and subsequent rows contain the individual submission data.
  • Availability: Often available on paid plans (e.g., Starter, Growth, Pro).
  • Description: A native Microsoft Excel spreadsheet file. It may preserve some data types and text formatting better than CSV if Formora applies any specific formatting during export.
  • Use Cases: Working directly in Excel, leveraging Excel’s advanced features for analysis and reporting.
  • Availability: Typically available on higher-tier paid plans (e.g., Growth, Pro).
  • Description: Creates a non-editable document. This can be useful for creating printable versions of submissions or for archival purposes where data immutability is key.
  • Output: Formora might offer options to export:
    • Individual PDFs: One PDF file per submission.
    • Compiled PDF: A single PDF containing multiple (or all) selected/filtered submissions, each on its own page or section.

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The Exporting Process

When you initiate an export, you may encounter the following options:
  1. Select Data Range:
    • All Responses: Export every submission received for the form.
    • Filtered Responses: If you have applied filters to your responses table (e.g., by date range or field value), you can often choose to export only the submissions that match your current filter criteria.
    • Selected Responses: Some interfaces might allow you to select specific rows (submissions) from the table and export only those.
  2. Choose Export Format: Select your desired format (CSV, Excel, PDF) from the available options based on your plan and needs.
  3. Initiate Export:
    • Direct Download: For smaller exports, the file will likely download directly to your computer through your browser.
    • Background Generation: For very large datasets, Formora might process the export in the background and then send you an email with a download link once the file is ready. This prevents browser timeouts.
Mockup of a dialog box for selecting export format and data range.

Export options dialog in Formora

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Content of Exported Files (CSV/Excel)

For CSV and Excel exports, you can typically expect:
  • Header Row: The first row will contain the names of your form fields, serving as column headers.
  • Submission Data: Each subsequent row will represent one form submission, with the submitted values in the corresponding columns.
  • Submission Metadata: Columns for standard submission information are usually included, such as:
    • Submission ID
    • Submission Date & Time
  • File Uploads: If your form includes file upload fields, the exported CSV/Excel file will likely contain a link or reference to the uploaded file rather than embedding the file itself. You would then access the actual files as described in Managing File Uploads.
Screenshot of a spreadsheet showing form responses with headers and data rows.

Example of exported CSV data opened in a spreadsheet application

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Plan-Based Limitations

As mentioned in the Understanding Formora Plans guide, access to certain export formats (like Excel and PDF) and potentially advanced export options might be tied to your subscription level. The Free plan typically supports CSV exports, while paid plans unlock more formats and capabilities. Exporting your data from Formora provides flexibility for a wide range of use cases, from simple backups to complex data analysis in specialized tools. The final part of response management is understanding how to handle File Uploads within your submissions.
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