Import & Export

Copera makes it easy to bring your data in from spreadsheets and other tools, and to export it when you need to share, report, or back up your work. A guided import wizard walks you through bringing in a CSV step by step, and a powerful export dialog lets you produce a file in the format you want, with exactly the columns and formatting you need.

This page covers importing data and running a single export. For tracking past exports and setting up exports that run automatically, see Export History & Scheduled Exports.

Importing Data

Copera's guided import wizard brings rows into a board from a CSV file, walking you through each step so the result lands cleanly. You can import into an existing table, into a new table on an existing board, or as a brand-new board.

Because almost every tool can export to CSV, the wizard works whether your data started in a spreadsheet or in another product — you export that tool to CSV, then import the CSV here.

Starting an Import

To import into an existing board:

1. Open the board and the table where you want the data.
2. Open the Import option from the board or table menu.
3. The import wizard opens, showing a step-by-step progress bar across the top.

To import as a new board, choose the Import option in the Create Board dialog instead.

Step 1 — Choose Your Source

Pick where your data is coming from. Options include a generic CSV file plus shortcuts for Airtable, Asana, ClickUp, Jira, Monday.com, and Notion. Choosing a specific tool simply tailors the on-screen guidance for getting a clean CSV out of that product — every path imports a CSV.

Step 2 — Upload Your File

The wizard shows short tips for exporting from your chosen source, then a drop zone where you can drag and drop or click to browse for your .csv file.

As soon as the file is read, a preflight summary appears so you know what you are about to import before you continue. It reports:

• The number of rows and columns detected.
• The detected delimiter (comma, semicolon, and so on).
• Warnings for things worth a second look, such as blank column headers (these columns cannot be imported), repeated column names, or completely empty rows.

If a file is too large or has too many rows or columns, the wizard tells you exactly which limit was exceeded so you can trim the file and try again. A file with a lot of columns is fine: you choose which ones to bring in on the next steps.

note

A single import can include up to 20,000 rows, and the file can be up to 25 MB. Your file can have up to 500 columns, and one import can bring in up to 100 of them — you choose which ones on the Map columns step. As you approach a limit, the summary highlights it; above a file limit, you cannot continue until you reduce the file.

Step 3 — Map Columns

The wizard lines up each column from your file against the fields on your board and automatically matches columns whose names line up. For every file column you can:

• Map it to an existing board field.
• Create a new field for it (choosing the field type).
• Skip it so it is not imported.

Choosing Which Columns to Import

The Columns to import panel lists every column in your file, so you decide exactly what comes in. Each row in the panel shows a checkbox, the column's position in the file (#1, #2, and so on), its name, the type Copera guessed for it, and a sample value from your data. When you import into an existing table, a column that matches an existing field also shows which field it maps to.

1. Tick or untick a column to import it or skip it. Unticked columns are skipped: they are not created on your board, and none of their data is imported.
2. Use the master checkbox at the top of the panel to select all columns or deselect all columns in one click.
3. Watch the live summary — for example, "4 of 97 columns will be imported" — to see how many columns you have chosen.
4. Type in the Filter columns box to find a column by name. While a filter is active, the master checkbox applies only to the columns that match it.
5. Use the All, Selected, and Skipped tabs to switch between every column, only the columns you are importing, or only the columns you are leaving out.

The grid preview below the panel shows how your data will look as a table. Each new column has a checkbox in its header, so you can also tick or untick columns right there. Skipped columns are hidden from the preview unless you turn on Show skipped columns.

One import can bring in up to 100 columns. If you select more than that, the summary shows how many are selected against the limit, and you cannot continue until you deselect the extra columns.

tip

Working with a very wide file? Use the master checkbox to deselect all columns first, then use Filter columns to find and tick only the ones you need.

Repeated and Blank Column Names

If your file uses the same column name more than once, that is fine. Each one is listed as its own column, and the repeats get a number so you can tell them apart — for example, Product and Product_1. You can select or skip each of them individually.

Columns whose header cell is blank cannot be imported, and they are not listed in the panel. If one of them matters, add a name to its header in your file and upload it again.

Choosing the Row Title

When you create a new board or table from a file, the first selected Text column (in the order of your file) becomes the row title automatically. To use a different column instead, tick the Row title checkbox on the Text column you want.

You need at least one selected column of type Text to continue. If none of your selected columns is Text, change one column's type to Text first.

Step 4 — Match Option Values

If you mapped a column to a Status, Dropdown, or Labels field, an extra step appears so you can match the values in your file to the existing options on that field (or create new options for them). This keeps your single-select and multi-select data tidy instead of creating duplicates. This step is skipped automatically when none of your columns need it.

Step 5 — Match People

When your file contains people (such as an "Assignee" column), the wizard lets you match each name or email to a workspace member, so assignments and ownership land on the right person after the import.

Step 6 — Review and Import

When you are creating a new board or table, a Review step summarizes what will be created before anything is written. It shows how many columns will be created and how many columns from your file are skipped (for example, "4 of 97 CSV columns · 93 skipped"), along with which column is the row title. If anything looks off, go back to change your selection. Confirm to start the import.

The import then runs in the background, so you can close the wizard and keep working. You will get a notification when it finishes, with a link straight to the imported table. Larger files simply take a little longer.

tip

Test with a small sample file first. Running ten rows through the wizard lets you confirm your column mapping and option matching before importing thousands of rows.

Exporting Board Data

You can export a board view at any time. To do so, open the view menu (the three-dot menu next to the view name) and hover Export. The submenu offers two ways to export, plus links to your export history and scheduled exports.

note

The Export submenu only appears if you have permission to export the board. Board admins always can; other members need the Export role. See The Export Role.

Quick Export

For a fast snapshot, choose Quick export view (.csv). This skips the dialog entirely and instantly downloads a CSV of exactly what you see on screen — your visible columns and visible system columns like the row ID, in their on-screen order. Hidden columns are left out so the file matches your view.

Advanced Export

Choose Advanced export to open the full export dialog, where you control the format, the columns, and how every value is written. The dialog mirrors what is on your screen: your current filters, sorting, grouping, and search are carried into the export automatically, so you get a file of the data you are actually looking at.

When you are done configuring, click Export. (If you simply open the dialog and press Export, you get the same kind of file as the quick CSV — sensible defaults are pre-filled.)

Choosing a Format

The dialog presents eight formats as selectable cards:

Format	Best for
CSV	Spreadsheets and importing into other tools.
Excel (XLSX)	A native Excel workbook.
JSON	Feeding data into scripts and other apps.
Markdown	Pasting a table into docs and notes.
HTML	A ready-to-view web table.
PDF document	A polished, printable report.
ZIP bundle	One archive containing the data file plus attachments.
Calendar (ICS)	Putting date-based rows onto a calendar.

Some formats add their own options when selected — for example, PDF lets you pick a page size and orientation; ZIP lets you choose the data format inside the archive and whether to include attachments; and Calendar (ICS) lets you pick which date column drives each event. The Calendar (ICS) card is only available when your table has a date column to build events from.

Choosing Columns

The column picker lists every column in your view — visible, hidden, and system columns alike — so you can build the exact file you want:

• Tick or untick any column to include or exclude it. Visible columns start ticked; hidden columns start unticked.
• Drag a column to change its order in the exported file.
• Use the quick buttons — Visible only, Select all, or None — to set your selection in one click.
• A small preview shows sample values for each column, and you can pick which row to preview so you see realistic data.

Controlling How Values Are Written

A formatting section lets you decide exactly how each kind of value appears in the file, so it lands the way the destination tool expects:

• Dates — keep them as displayed, write them in a standard machine-readable form, or use a custom pattern.
• Numbers — as displayed, as raw values, or formatted for your locale.
• People — show names, emails, or both.
• Multi-select values — choose the character used to separate multiple labels in a single cell.
• Links and linked rows — choose whether to write the address, the label, both, or a structured value.

You can set these as defaults for the whole export, or override them for individual columns when one column needs to be treated differently.

Extra Options

A settings section adds a few optional toggles:

• Include group totals — when your view is grouped, add the group summaries (counts, sums, and so on) to the export. This only appears when grouping is active.
• Save a copy to my Drive — in addition to downloading the file, keep a copy in your Copera Drive.

info

When your view is grouped by a date column, the export groups rows by the day shown on screen, honoring the date format you chose — so rows that fall on the same calendar day land in one clean group instead of being split apart by the time of day.

Saving Export Presets

If you run the same kind of export regularly, save your configuration as a preset. In the dialog, click Save current as preset, give it a name, and reuse it later from the Presets dropdown. You can mark one preset as your Default so the dialog opens with it pre-loaded, and Manage presets lets you rename, delete, or change the default.

Exporting Selected Rows

You do not have to export the whole view. Select rows with the checkboxes, and a floating action bar appears at the bottom of the table with an Export button. This opens the same export dialog, but scoped to just your selection — a banner confirms how many rows you are exporting. It is the quickest way to produce a file of a handful of specific records.

In the Grid view, the same selection bar also offers Copy link, which copies a direct link to the selected row (or rows) so you can paste it into a chat, document, or email.

What to Keep in Mind

• Filters and views are respected — the export reflects the filters, sorting, grouping, and search active in your view at the moment you export.
• Rich text — formatted paragraph fields are written as plain text in formats like CSV.
• Attachments — file columns are written as links in most formats; choose the ZIP bundle format to include the actual files alongside the data.
• Large exports run in the background — bigger files are prepared behind the scenes and delivered through Export history with a notification, rather than downloading instantly.

Backing Up Your Boards

Exports double as a simple backup. To keep offline snapshots of your data:

• Run regular exports (CSV or Excel) before making large structural changes to a board, as a safety net.
• Schedule exports to receive automatic, recurring snapshots by email without having to remember — see Export History & Scheduled Exports.
• Turn on Save a copy to my Drive when exporting so a copy is always kept in Copera.

Best Practices

tip

Test imports with a small file first. Run a handful of rows through the wizard to confirm your column mapping and option matching before importing thousands of rows.

tip

Save a preset for recurring exports. If you produce the same report each week, save its format and columns as a preset (or turn it into a scheduled export) so you never reconfigure it from scratch.

tip

Export filtered or selected rows for focused reports. Apply filters or select specific rows before exporting when you need a targeted file rather than the entire dataset.

tip

Match people during import. Mapping names and emails to workspace members keeps assignments and ownership intact after the import.

Next Steps

• Track and automate your exports in Export History & Scheduled Exports.
• Learn about Board Permissions to control who can import and export data, including the Export role.
• Explore Field Types to understand how imported and exported data maps to Copera columns.
• Set up Automations to process newly imported rows automatically.