Export limits

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Export Limits

    The platform includes a default upper limit on data exports to prevent performance issues when handling large tables. Users are advised to break up large exports into manageable chunks to ensure optimal system performance.

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    Export Limit Properties

    The number of records for export can be adjusted using the sysparmrecordcount URL parameter. The platform evaluates both format-specific and general export limit properties to determine the applicable limits:

    • If a format-specific limit is set, that value is used; otherwise, the general limit is applied.
    • If neither limit is specified, the system enforces the default export limit.

    To modify these properties, navigate to System Properties > Import Export.

    Default Export Limits

    Default limits vary by format, as detailed below:

    • XML, CSV, EXCEL (XLSX), EXCEL (XLS): Default limit is 10,000 records.
    • EXCEL (XLSX) and EXCEL (XLS): Maximum cells allowed is 500,000.
    • PDF: Default max rows is 1,000, with a maximum of 5,000 rows.
    • JSON: Default limit is 10,000 records.

    Warning Threshold

    A warning threshold property, glide.ui.export.warn.threshold, triggers a dialog when the export exceeds the set threshold, allowing users to wait for completion or receive the export via email (subject to email size limits).

    Export Limit Examples

    Examples illustrate how export limits apply:

    • For CSV: If the limit is set to 20,000 but the default is 10,000, exporting 30,000 records results in 20,000 being returned.
    • For Excel (XLSX): Exporting 30,000 records returns the default limit of 10,000.
    • For PDF: Exporting 5,000 records returns only 1,000 due to the set limit.

    Excel Export Threshold

    Excel exports should ideally be less than 500,000 cells. Exceeding this threshold stops the export process with a notification. Adjusting this threshold may lead to memory issues, so it is set conservatively to prevent resource problems.

    The platform provides a default upper limit for data exports.

    The purpose of the upper limit is to avoid creating performance issues when a table is excessively large. If you must export more records than the threshold permits, Break up a large export into separate manageable chunks.

    Export limit properties

    You can set the number of records to return during an export using the sysparm_record_count URL parameter.

    However, the system analyzes the following settings to determine whether an export limit should be applied.
    1. First, the platform checks the property that defines the format-specific export limit. Each format can have a different limit. Although this property can be set to any value, exceeding the default export limit can impact system performance. You may want to set the property at or below the default limit and have users Break up a large export to export large amounts of data.
    2. If the format-specific property is not set, the system checks the property for the general export limit. This property can also be set to any value, but exceeding the default export limit can impact system performance.
    3. If both the format-specific export limit and the general export limit property aren't set, the system enforces the default export limit.
    Important:
    To set these properties, navigate to System Properties > Import Export.
    Table 1. Default export limit
    Format Format-specific export limit General export limit Default export limit
    XML glide.xml.export.limit glide.ui.export.limit 10,000
    CSV glide.csv.export.limit glide.ui.export.limit 10,000
    EXCEL (XLSX) glide.xlsx.export.limit glide.ui.export.limit 10,000
    EXCEL (XLS) glide.excel.export.limit glide.ui.export.limit 10,000
    EXCEL (XLSX) glide.xlsx.max_cells N/A 500,000
    EXCEL (XLS) glide.excel.max_cells N/A 500,000
    PDF glide.pdf.max_detail_pages
    Note:
    The number of rows can be set from 0 to 250. If no value is specified, the default is 250. If a value greater than 250 is specified, the default value of 250 is used.
    		 250 250
    PDF glide.pdf.max_rows
    Note:
    The number of rows can be set from 0 to 5,000. If no value is specified, the default is 1,000. If a value greater than 5,000 is specified, the default value of 1,000 is used.
    		 N/A 1,000
    PDF glide.pdf.max_columns
    Note:
    Only 25 header labels fit on a page.
    		 N/A 25
    JSON glide.json.export.limit glide.ui.export.limit 10,000

    A warning threshold property called glide.ui.export.warn.threshold controls how the records are exported. When you export enough records from a list to exceed the threshold, a choice dialog appears. You can choose to wait for the export to complete or email the exported records as an attachment. The warning threshold can be changed in the system property. The email attachment must not exceed the maximum Email size limits.

    Table 2. Export limit examples
    Example Property Breaking export limits
    Exporting to CSV
    • glide.csv.export.limit = 20,000
    • glide.ui.export.limit = 10,000
    • com.glide.processors.XMLProcessor.max_record_count = 20,000
    • Default export limit for CSV = 10,000
    		 If you export 30,000 records, the number of records returned from the database is 20,000. The number of records specified for export exceeds the value set in the glide.csv.export.limit property.
    Exporting to Excel (XLSX)
    • glide.xlsx.export.limit = no entry
    • glide.ui.export.limit = no entry
    • Default export limit for Excel (XLSX) = 10,000
    		 If you export 30,000 records, the number of records returned from the database is 10,000. The number of records specified for export exceeds the default export limit for Excel.
    Exporting to PDF
    • glide.pdf.max_rows = 1,000
    • Default export limit for PDF = 1,000
    • Maximum export limit for PDF = 5,000
    		 If you export 5,000 records, the number of records returned from the database is 1,000. The number of records returned is limited because the number of records specified for export exceeds the default value in the glide.pdf.max_rows property.

    Excel export threshold

    Excel exports are intended for relatively small exports with fewer than 500,000 cells. CSV can handle larger exports.

    If an exported spreadsheet has more than 500,000 cells, the export process stops. You receive the Excel file at that point. The following message displays in the bottom row: Export stopped due to excessive size. Use CSV for a complete export.

    The Excel export cell threshold is customizable using the glide.xlsx.max_cells integer property (or glide.excel.max_cells if using XLS).
    Note:
    Increasing this threshold may cause a memory issue in your instance. The threshold is set at an appropriate level to prevent resource issues.

    The export puts the information into the Excel document with 32,000 rows per spreadsheet.