CSV Export Guide

Learn how to export feedback data to CSV format for analysis, reporting, and backup.

What is CSV Export?

CSV (Comma-Separated Values) is a universal data format that:

Opens in Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers
Compatible with data analysis tools
Human-readable text format
Easy to import into other systems

Exporting Feedback

Basic Export

All feedback:

Go to All Feedback page (or project feedback page)
Click “Export CSV” button in toolbar
File downloads automatically
Default filename: miniback-feedback-YYYY-MM-DD.csv

Filtered export:

Apply filters (status, project, date range, search)
Click “Export CSV”
Only filtered feedback is exported
Filename reflects date: miniback-feedback-2025-01-15.csv

Export Options

What gets exported:

✅ All feedback matching current view
✅ Respects active filters
✅ All fields included
✅ Current page + all pages

What’s NOT exported:

❌ Deleted feedback
❌ Feedback from excluded projects
❌ Analytics/charts (use screenshots)

CSV File Format

Column Structure


ID,Message,Email,URL,Browser,Status,Project,Project ID,Source,Created At,Updated At

Column Descriptions

Unique feedback identifier
Format: feedback_abc123...
Use for reference

Message

Full feedback content
Quoted if contains commas
Preserved formatting

Email

User email (if provided)
Empty if not provided
Not validated

URL

Submission page URL
Where widget was triggered
Helpful for context

Browser

User agent string
Browser and OS information
Technical context

Status

Current status: NEW, REVIEWED, or RESOLVED
As of export time
Not historical

Project

Project name
Human-readable
Helpful for multi-project exports

Project ID

Project unique identifier
Format: proj_abc123...
For technical integration

Source

Submission method
Values: WIDGET or API
Identifies origin

Created At

Submission timestamp
ISO 8601 format: 2025-01-15T10:30:00.000Z
UTC timezone

Updated At

Last modification timestamp
ISO 8601 format
Status changes update this

Example Rows


ID,Message,Email,URL,Browser,Status,Project,Project ID,Source,Created At,Updated At
feedback_123,"Love the new design!",user@example.com,https://example.com/home,Mozilla/5.0...,RESOLVED,My Website,proj_456,WIDGET,2025-01-15T10:30:00.000Z,2025-01-16T14:20:00.000Z
feedback_789,"Bug on checkout page",support@example.com,https://example.com/checkout,Chrome/120.0...,REVIEWED,My Website,proj_456,WIDGET,2025-01-15T11:45:00.000Z,2025-01-15T12:00:00.000Z
feedback_abc,"API test feedback",,https://example.com/api,,NEW,My Website,proj_456,API,2025-01-15T15:00:00.000Z,2025-01-15T15:00:00.000Z

Opening CSV Files

Microsoft Excel

Method 1: Double-click

Double-click .csv file
Opens automatically in Excel
Default import settings applied

Method 2: Import wizard

Excel → Data → From Text/CSV
Select CSV file
Preview data
Adjust delimiters if needed
Click “Load”

Encoding issues:

If special characters appear wrong: File → Import → choose UTF-8 encoding

Google Sheets

Method 1: Upload

Google Sheets → File → Import
Upload tab
Select CSV file
Import location: “Replace current sheet” or “Insert new sheet”
Click “Import data”

Method 2: Drag and drop

Open Google Drive
Drag CSV file
Right-click → Open with → Google Sheets

Apple Numbers

Open Numbers
File → Open
Select CSV file
Data imports automatically

Analyzing Exported Data

Common Analysis Tasks

Count feedback by status:


Excel: =COUNTIF(F:F,"RESOLVED")
Sheets: =COUNTIF(F:F,"RESOLVED")

Average resolution time:


1. Create new column: =K2-J2 (Updated - Created)
2. Filter by status: RESOLVED
3. Calculate average: =AVERAGE(L:L)

Filter by date range:


1. Select data → Data → Filter
2. Click Created At column filter
3. Date filters → Between
4. Select range

Search for keywords:


1. Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on Mac)
2. Search in "Message" column
3. Find all: creates list

Pivot Tables

Create pivot table (Excel):

Select data → Insert → PivotTable
Rows: Project
Values: Count of ID
Shows feedback per project

Example analyses:


Feedback by project + status
Submissions per day/week/month
Top URLs with feedback
Email domains (company feedback)

Charts

Status distribution pie chart:

Select Status column
Insert → Chart → Pie chart
Visual breakdown

Feedback over time line chart:

Select Created At + ID columns
Group by date
Insert → Chart → Line chart

Data Integration

Importing to Other Tools

Jira:

Export CSV
Jira → Issues → Import
Map columns: Message → Description, Status → Status
Import

Notion:

Create database
Import → CSV
Select file
Map columns
Import

Airtable:

Create base
Import data → CSV file
Column mapping
Import

Trello:

Use CSV to Trello importers (third-party tools)
Or manually create cards (for small datasets)

Database Import

PostgreSQL:


COPY feedback(id, message, email, url, status, created_at)
FROM '/path/to/miniback-feedback.csv'
DELIMITER ','
CSV HEADER;

MySQL:


LOAD DATA INFILE '/path/to/miniback-feedback.csv'
INTO TABLE feedback
FIELDS TERMINATED BY ','
ENCLOSED BY '"'
LINES TERMINATED BY '\n'
IGNORE 1 ROWS;

Use Cases

Weekly Team Report

Process:

Filter: Last 7 days
Export CSV
Open in Excel
Create pivot table: Status breakdown
Add chart
Share with team

Feature Request List

Process:

Search: “feature” or “request”
Filter: Status = NEW
Export CSV
Open in Sheets
Sort by Created At
Share for prioritization

Bug Tracking

Process:

Search: “bug” or “error” or “broken”
Export CSV
Import to Jira/Linear
Create tickets
Track resolution

Customer Support Backup

Process:

Export all feedback (no filters)
Save to backup location
Schedule monthly (automate if using API)
Compliance/audit trail

Analytics Deep Dive

Process:

Export all feedback
Import to Excel/Python/R
Custom analysis:
- Sentiment analysis
- Keyword extraction
- Time series analysis
- User behavior patterns

Automation

API Export

For STARTER/PRO plans with API access:


// Node.js example
const fetch = require('node-fetch');
const fs = require('fs');
 
async function exportFeedback() {
  // Fetch all feedback
  const response = await fetch(
    'https://your-domain.com/api/projects/proj_123/feedback?limit=100',
    {
      headers: { 'x-api-key': process.env.MINIBACK_API_KEY }
    }
  );
 
  const data = await response.json();
 
  // Convert to CSV
  const csv = convertToCSV(data.data);
 
  // Save file
  fs.writeFileSync('feedback-export.csv', csv);
}
 
function convertToCSV(data) {
  // CSV conversion logic
  const headers = 'ID,Message,Email,Status,Created At\n';
  const rows = data.map(item =>
    `${item.id},"${item.message}",${item.email || ''},${item.status},${item.createdAt}`
  ).join('\n');
 
  return headers + rows;
}

Scheduled Exports

Cron job example:


# Daily export at 2 AM
0 2 * * * /usr/bin/node /path/to/export-script.js

Best Practices

Regular Backups

Recommendation:

Weekly exports for active projects
Monthly exports for all projects
Store in secure backup location
Version control (dated filenames)

File Naming

Good naming:


miniback-feedback-2025-01-15.csv
miniback-my-website-january-2025.csv
feedback-export-Q1-2025.csv

Include:

Project name (if specific)
Date/period
Purpose (optional)

Data Privacy

When exporting:

⚠️ Contains user emails and messages
⚠️ Personal data (GDPR consideration)
✅ Store securely
✅ Access control
✅ Delete when no longer needed

Column Customization

Excel:

Hide unnecessary columns
Freeze header row (View → Freeze Panes)
Auto-filter (Data → Filter)
Adjust column widths

Troubleshooting

Export button not working:

Check if feedback exists
Try with cleared filters
Refresh page
Try different browser

File won’t open:

Check file extension (.csv)
Try opening with text editor first
Re-download file

Special characters garbled:

Open with UTF-8 encoding
Excel: Data → From Text → UTF-8
Sheets usually handles automatically

Missing data:

Verify filters applied
Check date range
Ensure feedback wasn’t deleted

Empty file:

No feedback matches filters
Clear filters and try again
Verify project has feedback

What’s Next?

Feedback Workflow - Manage feedback before export
Analytics - Visual analysis alternative
API Reference - Programmatic export

Need help? See Troubleshooting or contact support.