Recurring Data Exports give you a scheduled, complete copy of your ShipHero data so you can analyze it, report on it, and connect it to your own systems. Use them when your reporting needs outgrow a quick, one-time pull and you want your full history in one place.
Ready to set up your exports? See How to Request Recurring Data Exports in ShipHero for the request and retrieval steps, and How to Give Users Access to Recurring Data Exports to grant permission to the user who will pull your files.
Table of Contents
- What Recurring Data Exports Are
- Why Use Recurring Data Exports
- Recurring Data Exports Setup Decisions
- Choosing a Recurring Data Exports Format
- Full vs. Delta Recurring Data Exports
What Recurring Data Exports Are
Recurring Data Exports deliver your ShipHero data as a set of files on a schedule you choose, instead of pulling one record at a time through the API. Each export is a collection of files, one per table. If you request the orders and inventory modules, for example, you get a separate file for each table within them. Files can be large depending on your volume, and they run on the schedule you set, up to four times a day.
Recurring Data Exports are a paid add-on. Your CSM (Customer Success Manager) can walk you through pricing and setup for your account.
Why Use Recurring Data Exports
Built-in reports and the live API each have their place. Recurring Data Exports earn their place when your questions outgrow a quick report, when you want your full history in one location, or when you need to feed your data into a database, a data warehouse, or a reporting tool like Power BI, Tableau, or Snowflake.
When to Use Recurring Data Exports
Choose Recurring Data Exports when you want to analyze large amounts of data over time, keep a running history, or connect your ShipHero data to your own systems. For quick, current questions about a single order or a live inventory count, the live API is the better fit.
Recurring Data Exports Setup Decisions
Before ShipHero can set up your Recurring Data Exports, you will make a few choices. Having these ready makes provisioning fast.
- Who will pull the data: The email address of the user who will retrieve the exports, and whether that person is a regular ShipHero user or a developer user.
- Template type: Which set of tables fits your account, for example 3PL, 3PL client, brand, or hybrid.
- How often exports run: Anywhere from one to four times per day.
- Which data modules you want: For example orders, inventory, products, shipments, or returns. Request only what you will use.
- Format: Parquet, CSV, or JSON.
- Export type: Full, delta, or both.
Choosing a Recurring Data Exports Format
Recurring Data Exports support three file formats. Each fits a different way of working with your data.
| Format | Best for | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|
| Parquet | Loading into a database or analytics tool, such as Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks, Spark, Power BI, or Tableau. | Recommended format. Compresses your data to a fraction of the size of CSV and is faster to query. |
| CSV | Opening by hand in a spreadsheet program for a quick look. | The most familiar format, but larger and slower to work with at volume. |
| JSON | Feeding data into a system that expects JSON. | Useful for integrations, less practical for manual review. |
Pro Tip
If you plan to load your data into a database or analytics tool, choose parquet. If you mainly want to open files by hand in a spreadsheet, CSV may be easier to start with.
Full vs. Delta Recurring Data Exports
Recurring Data Exports can run as full exports, delta exports, or both.
| Export type | Contains | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Full | Your complete history. | Your first export, smaller datasets, catching records that were deleted, or any time you want the complete picture. |
| Delta | Only what changed recently. | Staying current, tracking change over time, and staying efficient once your dataset is large. |
A common approach is to run a full export once at setup to establish your baseline, then run delta exports to stay current. You can request both if you need them, but request only what you will use. Requesting everything can create unnecessary load.