Start for free Start for free

Data Export and Portability

Data export and portability is your ability to download your data from a vendor in a usable format, such as CSV or JSON, so you can keep it or move it to another tool.

What is data export and portability?

Data export is your ability to download the data you keep in a vendor's product. Portability means getting it in a form you can move into another tool, such as CSV or JSON files, instead of screenshots or PDFs.

For individuals in the EU, portability is a legal right. GDPR Article 20 gives people the right to receive personal data they provided in a "structured, commonly used and machine-readable format." For a business customer, export rights come mainly from the contract, so the wording of the terms decides what you can take and when.

Export matters most at the end. When a contract ends, many vendors give you a short window to retrieve your data before deleting it. See data deletion after termination.

Why it matters to you

  • Switching tools. If you cannot get your data out in a usable form, moving to another vendor costs more time and money. That is a common cause of vendor lock-in.
  • Records you must keep. Customer history, invoices or audit logs may need to be kept after you stop using a tool.
  • Missed deadlines are final. Once the export window closes, the vendor may delete your data for good.

What to check

  • Which data you can export: records, files, attachments, comments and logs, or only some of them.
  • The file format, and whether links between records survive the export.
  • Whether you can export yourself at any time, or must ask support.
  • How many days you have after the contract ends, and whether you keep login access during that time.
  • Whether the vendor charges for exports or for help with a large one.

Transition Assistance (Exit Period)

Transition assistance, or the exit period, is the time after a contract ends when the vendor still lets you retrieve your data. Larger contracts may also include help moving to a new provider. In standard SaaS terms it is usually just a fixed number of days.

Examples from real terms:

  • Zoom lets you retrieve your content for 30 calendar days after the agreement ends.
  • HubSpot lets some Marketing Hub customers request their data within 30 days after termination. For its free tools and Smart CRM, it gives no access after termination.
  • Atlassian keeps site access for 15 days after a subscription period ends. Its retention period for Free, Standard, Premium and Enterprise plans is 60 days, after which data is permanently deleted.

Check how the window starts and whether you must ask for access. Put the end date in your vendor offboarding plan, and export before you cancel when you can. For a large move, ask in advance whether the vendor will extend the window or help with the transfer, and get the answer in writing.

How Venpo helps

Venpo watches your vendors' terms, DPAs and help pages that cover termination, and emails you a plain-English alert when an export window or deletion rule changes. Each vendor also has a change history, so you can see what the terms said when you signed.

Start for free

Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to export my data after canceling a SaaS subscription?

It depends on the vendor's terms. Zoom gives 30 days and Atlassian keeps data for 60 days on most plans. Some vendors give less, or no window at all, so export before you cancel.

Can a vendor refuse to give me my data back?

Your rights come from the contract, so check the termination and data retrieval sections. For personal data under the GDPR, a processor must delete or return it at your choice when the services end.

Related terms

How Vendors Use Your Data Data Deletion After Termination Data deletion after termination is what a vendor does with your data when your contract ends: usually a short window to export it, then deletion from live systems, with backups removed later. Vendor Management Vendor Offboarding Vendor offboarding is what you do when you stop using a vendor: export your data, have the vendor delete what it holds, remove its access to your systems and update your records. Vendor Management Vendor Lock-In Vendor lock-in is when leaving a vendor would cost so much time, money or data that you stay even when you would rather go. It usually comes from data you cannot easily export, long commitments and workflows built around one tool. How Vendors Use Your Data Data Retention Data retention is how long a vendor keeps your data, including your content, account details, logs and backups, both while you use the service and after you leave. Termination and Disputes Survival Clause A survival clause lists the parts of a contract that keep applying after it ends, such as confidentiality, data protection, unpaid fees and liability limits.

Sources

Last reviewed