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Exporting Your Practice Data

How to create a full data export, choose which clients and dates to include, download the ZIP securely, and use PracticeRunner exports later.

Use Settings → Data Export when you need a full practice export for backup, transition planning, archive purposes, or a future move into another system.

The export runs in the background, builds a password-protected ZIP file, stores it securely, and then makes it available for download.

What Data Export Is For

Data Export is designed for full-practice or multi-client data packages. It is different from:

  • Contact Import / Export, which only handles contact-level CSV and VCF files
  • Client record requests, which are narrower legal or insurance record packages

Creating an Export

  1. Go to Settings → Data Export
  2. Choose the scope of the export:
    • All clients
    • Selected clients
    • One client
  3. Optionally set a date range
  4. Choose whether to export:
    • Migration export
    • PDF record export
    • Complete PracticeRunner backup
    • Complete structured data only
  5. Enter a ZIP password
  6. Start the export

The export request is queued as a background job. You do not need to keep the page open while it runs.

PracticeRunner generates the ZIP password for you. If needed, you can generate a new password and copy it before you start the export.

Choosing Scope

The export page supports three scope options:

  • All clients: exports the full selected practice dataset
  • Selected clients: exports a subset of clients
  • One client: exports one client only

Core client profile data is included for in-scope clients even if you also apply a date filter.

Using Date Ranges

Date ranges are useful when you only want the last several years of billing, appointments, documents, and form activity.

In general:

  • client demographics and contact details are still included for in-scope clients
  • time-based records are limited to the selected date range
  • this is useful when you do not want to move more than 7 to 10 years of historical data into another system

Choosing Export Content

PracticeRunner supports four export content modes:

  • Migration export: includes migration-friendly CSV files, note text files, generated PDFs, and original uploaded files. It does not include PracticeRunner's complete JSON backup format.
  • PDF record export: exports PDFs without the structured JSON, CSV, and VCF layer.
  • Complete PracticeRunner backup: includes PracticeRunner's complete structured JSON format, migration-friendly CSV files, generated PDFs, and original uploaded files. Use this for PracticeRunner restore or support-assisted recovery.
  • Complete structured data only: includes PracticeRunner's complete structured JSON format and migration-friendly CSV files, but skips generated PDFs. Use this only when you need structured backup data without generated PDFs.

Important:

  • files that were originally stored in PracticeRunner are still exported in migration and complete backup modes
  • this includes original PDFs that were already stored in the system
  • this also includes other uploaded files when they are needed for a reliable record transfer
  • migration export is usually the best option when another EHR asks for files to import
  • migration export includes progress notes and psychotherapy notes as plain text files and generated PDFs when those notes exist
  • complete backup exports are more sensitive because they include PracticeRunner's full structured backup format
  • complete structured data only mainly skips PDFs that PracticeRunner would otherwise generate during export
  • PDF record export includes PDFs that were originally stored in PracticeRunner, plus PDFs that PracticeRunner can generate during export
  • PDF record export skips structured JSON files, CSV files, VCF files, and non-PDF uploaded files

What Gets Included

A full PracticeRunner export can include:

  • clients and contact details
  • relationships
  • client documents
  • invoices
  • statements
  • superbills
  • completed forms and form submissions
  • appointments and recurring-series metadata
  • appointment progress notes
  • psychotherapy notes
  • appointment memos
  • appointment attachments and other uploaded record files
  • non-clinical calendar events
  • JSON files that preserve structured record details
  • CSV files for migration-friendly structured records
  • VCF files for contact compatibility

PracticeRunner includes the actual uploaded files when those files are part of the record. This can include non-PDF uploads such as attachments, not just PDFs.

The export does not include:

  • forms that were sent but never completed
  • reminder email templates as exported reminder records
  • scheduling-link files

Where it helps, PracticeRunner includes CSV files so common structured records are easier to review or move into another system. Progress notes and psychotherapy notes are included as plain text files in migration and complete backup exports, which can be easier for another system to import than PDFs alone. Complete backup modes also include structured JSON data so the export can be re-imported more reliably into PracticeRunner later. JSON is the complete record for PracticeRunner backup and restore.

If you choose migration export or complete PracticeRunner backup, PracticeRunner also includes generated PDFs for supported records. If you choose complete structured data only, generated PDFs are omitted. If you choose PDF record export, the package contains PDFs only and does not include the structured JSON, CSV, or VCF layer.

Export Format

The export is delivered as a password-protected ZIP file.

Depending on the mode you choose, the ZIP can contain:

  • complete structured JSON files
  • CSV files for clients, appointments, invoices, payments, and diagnoses
  • note text files for progress notes and psychotherapy notes
  • exported PDFs when included by the selected export mode
  • original uploaded files when they are part of the record
  • VCF files where applicable
  • a manifest describing the package contents, including a file inventory

PDF record export skips the structured JSON, CSV, and VCF files.

PracticeRunner exports are designed to be self-describing. This helps preserve data for archive purposes and supports later re-import.

In complete backup modes, billing JSON files also include readable header details and line-item summaries so invoices, statements, and superbills are easier to understand outside the app.

JSON and CSV Files

PracticeRunner can export your data in both complete structured JSON format and migration-friendly CSV files.

Use migration export when another system asks for files to import. It includes CSV files, note text files, generated PDFs, and uploaded files without including PracticeRunner's complete JSON backup format.

Use the complete PracticeRunner backup when you need the most complete PracticeRunner record, including details that do not fit cleanly in a spreadsheet. JSON is the best format for backup, archive, and future restore into PracticeRunner.

Use the CSV files when another system asks for spreadsheet-style data. CSV import/export supports migration-friendly structured records such as:

  • clients
  • appointments
  • invoices and charges
  • payments
  • diagnoses

CSV files are easier for many systems to read, but they are not a full replacement for JSON. CSV does not include clinical notes, psychotherapy notes, attachments, signed forms, questionnaires, contracts, good faith estimates, audit logs, portal messages, or uploaded document files. Progress notes and psychotherapy notes are exported as plain text and PDF files where applicable. Other non-tabular records remain in the PDF and uploaded file portions of migration exports, and in the JSON, PDF, and file portions of complete backup exports.

Downloading the Export

When the job finishes, the export page shows:

  • the export status
  • a reference number
  • a summary of what was included
  • the final ZIP file size
  • a Download action

Downloads are served from secure object storage using a direct download link.

Password-Protected ZIP Files

Every data export ZIP is password-protected.

Important:

  • store the password somewhere safe before sharing or archiving the file
  • PracticeRunner does not ask you to type your own password for this export flow
  • anyone who needs to open the ZIP will need the password
  • if you lose the password, the ZIP will not be usable

Export History

The Data Export page also shows prior exports for your organization.

This history helps you:

  • confirm what was exported
  • download completed packages again
  • review file size and counts
  • track when a given archive was created

Re-Importing a PracticeRunner Export

PracticeRunner exports are designed to support later import back into PracticeRunner.

If you later import one of these packages:

  1. Go to Settings → Data Import
  2. Upload the exported ZIP
  3. Choose PracticeRunner as the source system
  4. Enter the ZIP password if needed
  5. Start the import

This is different from importing a SimplePractice export. The import page will ask which source system you are importing from.

Notes About Large Exports

  • Submitted exports can take a few minutes to start
  • Most exports finish within a few minutes, though larger exports can take longer
  • You can leave the page and return later
  • Date filtering can reduce package size significantly
  • Exports that include many generated PDFs will usually be much larger than complete structured data only exports
  • Exports that include many uploaded files will also be larger, even when generated PDFs are skipped

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