Exporting Your Data from Ask Jenny
When an answer in Ask Jenny is more than you want to read on screen, you can take it with you. Ask Jenny for the numbers first, then ask her for the file.
Getting a CSV
Ask your question normally, then say "download that as a CSV" — or ask for both at once: "Give me every job booked last quarter with the technician, business unit and invoice total, and download it as a CSV."
Jenny runs the query, builds the file and gives you a download link in the chat. It also lands in the attachments panel for that conversation.
Export is built for the web app. Over text message or voice, Jenny can answer your question, but there's nowhere to put a file.
Getting a PDF
You can also export a whole conversation as a PDF — useful when you want the narrative and the charts rather than the raw rows. Download the PDF when you generate it: that link is good for one hour.
What you'll see on screen versus what you can export
Jenny keeps on-screen answers short on purpose. Export is how you get the whole thing.
Where | How many rows |
|---|---|
An answer shown in the chat | 50 |
A metrics answer in the chat | 200 |
A table or chart inside a saved report | 1,000 |
A CSV export | 100,000 |
The limits, and what to do about each
What happens | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
"Truncated" — the file stops short | You hit 100,000 rows, or 10 MB, whichever came first | Narrow the date range, or split it — one file per quarter, per business unit, per location |
"The export query took too long" | The query ran past 45 seconds | Add filters or shorten the date range. Multi-year, every-column pulls will hit this |
Jenny asks you to re-run without a row limit | The query ended with a specific limit, which would have produced a file that looked complete but wasn't | Ask for the full result — the 100,000-row ceiling is applied for you |
The export is refused outright | Only read-only queries can be exported | Nothing to do — this is working as intended. Exports can never change your data |
Rows are missing compared to a colleague's file | Exports run at your own permission level | See Who Can See What. If the data is Admin-only, ask an Admin to run it |
Why a download link stopped working
There are two different clocks, and which one you hit tells you what to do.
A CSV from a web chat lasts 30 days. The link refreshes itself each time it's clicked, so it keeps working for the life of the file. After 30 days the file is deleted and the link shows an "export expired" page — re-run the query for a fresh one.
A PDF link lasts one hour. The file itself is kept, but the link you were handed stops working. Generate it again from the chat.
Common questions
Can I export more than 100,000 rows? Not in one file. Split it — by quarter, by business unit, by location — and ask for each in turn.
Why does my export have fewer rows than my colleague's? Because the file is built with your permissions applied. If the query touched payroll, accounting, inventory, marketing spend or employee records and you're a Member, those rows aren't in your copy. An Admin running the same question gets the full file.
Can I schedule an export to arrive every week? Not as a raw CSV — that's what recurring reports are for. See Recurring Reports.
Can I export straight to Excel or Google Sheets? Not directly. The CSV opens cleanly in both.
Where do my exports go after the chat? They're in the attachments panel for that conversation for 30 days.
Can I ask for an export by text? Jenny will answer your question over text, but there's nowhere to deliver a file. Ask again in the web app when you need the file.
I asked for everything and it timed out. What now? Add filters. A date range and one or two dimensions is usually the difference between a 45-second query and a five-second one.
Where to go next
Who Can See What — why an export might be missing rows
Ask Jenny — asking questions well, so the export is right the first time
Recurring Reports — scheduled delivery instead of one-off exports
Reporting & Analytics — the reporting built into the app