# Export documents and their metadata

Export document files and a matching metadata CSV from Content Central using the supported paths — search export, report templates, or workflow actions — scoped, size-planned, and validated against the source.

Product: content-central · Versions: 7.x · Audience: system-administrator · Time: About 30 minutes · Last verified: 2026-09-18

Canonical: https://help.ademero.com/content-central/administration/export-documents-and-metadata

**At the end of this guide you'll have your chosen documents exported — files on disk, plus a metadata CSV — validated against the source system, using only supported product features.**

## Pick the right export path

Content Central has three export paths built around metadata and workflow. If your goal is simply to get document files out, whether a handful or all of them, use [Export all your documents from Content Central](/content-central/administration/export-all-your-documents) instead: it covers the built-in bulk download and a scripted export, and needs no server access.

| You want | Use | You get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| A quick, one-time metadata list | **Export CSV** on the search results page | CSV of the search results (no files) |
| Date-range or recurring metadata reports | **Report Templates** | CSV or XLS output on a schedule |
| Document **files** plus a metadata CSV | Workflow: **Content - Export** + **Export Data** actions | Files on disk + a metadata flat file |

> **NOTE:** The **Export Queue** page under **Administration > Workflow** is not part of document export — it manages queued accounting/ERP integration exports. Don't look for your export there.

## Before you start

Decide three things first:

- [ ] **Scope.** Which catalog, which document types, and (if relevant) what date range. Every path filters by catalog and document type; report templates also filter by date range.
- [ ] **Destination.** A folder with enough free space, writable by the Content Central service account. Estimate size from your storage folders before you begin, and plan where the export goes after — an export sitting on the production server is not delivered.
- [ ] **Size check.** Exports are limited to `50,000` documents. If your scope matches more than that, the export is truncated — split it up front by document type or date range.

> **NOTE:** Taking everything out, for compliance, legal hold, or moving to another system? [Export all your documents from Content Central](/content-central/administration/export-all-your-documents) is the self-service guide for that, with batching and verification built in.

## Quick metadata export from search results

Use this when you need a metadata list now and don't need the files.

1. Run a search scoped to what you want — pick the catalog and document type, and add field criteria as needed.
   
   > note: If you change the criteria afterward, run the search again. The export uses the criteria from the last search you actually executed.

2. Above the results grid, click **Export CSV**. The button appears only when the search has results, and it isn't shown in Smart Search mode.

3. Wait for the file.
   
   **What you should see:** With fewer than 500 results, the CSV downloads immediately. With 500 or more, an **Export Queued** notification appears — the export runs in the background, and you'll receive an internal message (and email, if configured) with a download link when it's ready.
   
   > important: The download link expires after a period of time. Download promptly; if you see a link-expired message, run the export again.

4. Open the CSV and check it against the result count (see **Validate the export** below).

> **NOTE:** The export always contains the full result set (up to the 50,000 limit), no matter how many rows the grid has loaded. Line-item fields are included by default, so a document with line items produces one CSV row per line item — the row count can exceed the document count.

*[Screenshot: With results on screen (and not in Smart Search mode), the search-actions menu offers **Export CSV**. Under 500 results it downloads at once; 500 or more queues the export and messages you a link.]*

## Date-range or recurring metadata exports: report templates

Report templates are the supported path when your scope includes a date range, or the export should repeat on a schedule.

1. Go to **Administration** > **Report Templates** and create a template.
2. Set the filters: catalog, document type, field criteria, and a date range (a fixed range, previous days/weeks/months, this quarter, last year, and similar options).
3. Under **Report Output**, set the **Filename:** and **Write mode:** (`Append`, `Replace`, or `KeepAll`), and build the **Output Columns** list with **Add Output Column**. Output is CSV or XLS.
4. Reports are generated by a scheduled **Generate Report** workflow action. After a report has run, its row on the **Report Templates** page shows a **Download Report** button.

## Files plus a metadata CSV: workflow export

Use this path when you want files and metadata written out automatically as workflow runs, for example to feed another system. It needs access to the Content Central server for the one-time setup. It takes two workflow actions on the same trigger, because no single action produces both:

- **Content - Export** writes each document's file to a file-system path.
- **Export Data** writes metadata rows (fields, system fields, static text) to a flat file such as CSV.

### One-time setup

1. On the Content Central server, open the **Configuration Manager** and define a path in its **Export Data** section. This is the destination folder — the Content Central service account must be able to write to it.
2. In the web client, go to **Administration** > **Workflow** > **Export Templates** and create a template (the editor dialog is titled **Export-Data Template Details**). Give it a name and select the **Export Data Path:**.
   
   **What you should see:** the path from step 1 in the dropdown. If you instead see `Please configure at least one export data path in the Configuration Manager.`, go back to step 1.

3. Scope the template to the **catalog** and **document type** you're exporting, add the field and system-field columns you need, and leave **Include Header** on — you'll want the header row for validation.

### Run the export

1. In workflow administration, add both actions to the same trigger, scoped to the catalog and document type you're exporting:
   - **Content - Export**, pointed at your destination. Its **XML Schema:** option is `None` or `CapturePoint XmlImportSchema 1.0` — the latter writes an XML metadata descriptor alongside each file.
   - **Export Data**, with your template selected under **Export Data Template:**.
2. Let the workflow fire for the documents in scope, then check the destination folder.
   
   **What you should see:** the document files, plus a metadata flat file (and a per-file XML descriptor, if you chose that schema).

## Validate the export

Never hand off an export you haven't spot-checked. Include system-field columns built for this — document ID, catalog name, document type name, original filename, folder path, creation date, and version number are all available.

- [ ] **Counts match.** Compare the exported file count and CSV row count against the source (search result count or report scope). Remember: the header row adds one, and line items add a row per line item.
- [ ] **Not truncated.** A count landing at exactly `50,000` almost certainly means truncation — narrow the scope and re-run in batches.
- [ ] **Sample of 10.** Pick ten documents spread across the scope. Confirm each exported file opens and matches the document in Content Central, and that its CSV row's field values match the document's fields.
- [ ] **Destination secured.** The export folder now holds your documents outside Content Central's security — restrict its permissions, and move a deliverable export off the production server.

## What an export does NOT do

- **It is not a disaster-recovery backup.** An export gives you files and metadata — not the database, configuration, security settings, or search indexes needed to restore Content Central. For that, see [Back up your Content Central database](/content-central/administration/back-up-your-content-central-database).
- **Search's Export CSV never includes files.** It exports metadata only. To get the files for the same results, select them and choose **Download**.
- **It won't exceed the cap.** Exports stop at `50,000` documents, which is why count validation is not optional.

## Still stuck?

If an export won't run, comes back empty, or fails validation repeatedly, contact Ademero support with: which export path you used (search Export CSV, report template, or workflow), the catalog and document type in scope, the expected count versus what you actually got, any on-screen message (exact wording), and the date and time of the attempt.

## What's next

- [Export all your documents from Content Central](https://help.ademero.com/content-central/administration/export-all-your-documents)
- [Backup, export, or audit trail?](https://help.ademero.com/content-central/administration/backup-export-or-audit-trail)
- [Back up your Content Central database](https://help.ademero.com/content-central/administration/back-up-your-content-central-database)