Importing and Exporting Data

10-15 minutes

Tutorial 12.4: Importing and Exporting Data

Introduction

Whether you're migrating from another system, backing up your data, or preparing reports for your accountant, understanding how to get data in and out of Luminate is essential. This guide covers exporting reports to CSV and PDF formats, understanding what data can be exported, and the bulk import process for migrating to Luminate.

Who this is for: Salon owners and administrators who need to export data for accounting, analysis, or backup purposes.

What you'll learn:

Exporting reports to CSV and PDF formats
Understanding which reports can be exported
Downloading transaction invoices and receipts
Overview of the data import process for new salons

Time to complete: 10-15 minutes

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

Owner or Admin role (export requires the export-reports permission)
Access to the Reports section
A web browser that can download files

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Access the Reports Page

All exportable reports are accessed through the Reports section:

Click Reports in the sidebar
You'll see reports organised by category:
- Financial Reports - Daily Revenue, Accounts Receivable, Gift Vouchers, VAT Report
- Customer Reports - Top Customers
- Staff Reports - Staff Performance, Hours Worked, Payroll, Leave Report
- Messaging Reports - SMS Usage

Step 2: Export a Report

Each report follows the same export process:

Click on the report you want to export (e.g., Daily Revenue)
Set the date range for your report using the date selector
Review the data displayed to ensure it's what you need
Click the Export button (usually found near the data table heading)
Choose your format:
- Export as CSV - Comma-separated values, opens in Excel/Google Sheets
- Export as PDF - Formatted document for printing or sharing
The file downloads to your browser's default download location

File naming: Export files are automatically named with the report type and date range:

daily-revenue-2025-12-01-to-2025-12-31.csv
staff-performance-2025-12-01-to-2025-12-31.pdf

Step 3: Available Report Exports

Report	Data Included	Formats
Daily Revenue	Date, transactions, subtotal, tax, discounts, revenue, tips	CSV, PDF
Staff Performance	Staff name, role, transactions, service revenue, product revenue, tips, commission	CSV, PDF
Hours Worked	Staff name, role, shift count, scheduled hours, working hours, break hours	CSV, PDF
Top Customers	Customer name, email, phone, total spend, visit count, average spend, last/first visit	CSV, PDF
Accounts Receivable	Customer name, contact, unpaid transactions, outstanding balance, oldest invoice, days overdue	CSV, PDF
Gift Vouchers	Code, status, initial value, current balance, customer, recipient, dates	CSV, PDF
VAT Report	Period, transactions, net sales, VAT amount, gross sales (daily/monthly/quarterly grouping)	CSV, PDF
SMS Usage	Date, type, reason, amount, balance, customer (individual or daily summary)	CSV, PDF
Leave Report	Staff member, role, allowance, used days, pending days, remaining	CSV
Payroll	Staff, compensation type, hours, revenue, base pay, commission, tips, adjustments	CSV

Step 4: Download Transaction Documents

Individual transactions can be exported as PDFs in two formats:

Invoice (A4 format):

Go to POS in the sidebar
Find the transaction you want
Click to open the transaction details
Click the Invoice tab at the top of the page
Click the Download button
An A4 invoice PDF downloads

Receipt (thermal printer format):

Open the transaction as above
Click the Receipt tab at the top of the page
Click the Download button
A narrow receipt-format PDF downloads (80mm width)

You can also Print directly from either tab using the Print button next to the Download button.

These documents include:

Salon details (name, address, contact)
Customer information
Transaction items with prices
Payment breakdown
Linked appointments (if applicable)

Step 5: Understand Export Permissions

Exporting data requires specific permissions:

Role	Can Export?
Owner	Yes - all reports
Admin	Yes - all reports
Manager	No - can view but not export
Staff	No
Receptionist	No

Managers can view reports on screen but the Export button is not available to them.

Step 6: CSV File Format

CSV exports are formatted for easy use in spreadsheet applications:

Opening in Excel:

Download the CSV file
Open Excel
Go to File > Open and select the CSV
Excel automatically formats columns

Opening in Google Sheets:

Go to Google Sheets
Click File > Import
Select the CSV file
Choose import settings and click Import data

Character encoding: CSV files include a UTF-8 BOM (byte order mark) for proper handling of special characters like currency symbols (£, €, $).

Step 7: Bulk Data Import (Migration)

If you're migrating to Luminate from another system, bulk data import is available via command line. This is typically handled by the Luminate support team or a technical administrator.

What can be imported:

Staff profiles
Customer records (including preferences and badges)
Tags
Services
Products
Appointments
Transactions (with items and payments)
Shifts/roster data

Import process overview:

Prepare data in JSON format following Luminate's schema
Package files into a ZIP archive with a manifest
Run the import command (dry-run first to validate)
Review validation results
Execute the actual import

Important notes:

Imports require an empty salon (no existing data except the owner)
All imports are atomic - they succeed completely or roll back entirely
The process validates all data before making changes

To request a data migration: Contact support at hello@luminate.salon with details about your current system and data volume. The team will guide you through the migration process.

Common Pitfalls

"I don't see the Export button"

You need Owner or Admin role to export data. If you're a Manager or Staff member, the export option isn't available. Ask an Owner or Admin to generate the export for you.

"The CSV looks jumbled in Excel"

This can happen if Excel doesn't recognise the delimiter. Try:

Open Excel first (don't double-click the CSV)
Go to Data > From Text/CSV
Select the file and set the delimiter to "Comma"

"Numbers are formatted as text"

Excel sometimes treats numbers as text. Select the column, right-click, choose Format Cells, and select Number or Currency as appropriate.

"The date range is wrong in my export"

Double-check the date range settings before exporting. The export uses exactly the dates displayed in the report - use the date picker to select the correct period.

Tips and Best Practices

Export monthly - Create a routine to export key reports (revenue, payroll) at the end of each month for your records
Use date presets - The report pages have quick presets like "This Month", "Last Month", "This Year" for common date ranges
PDF for sharing - Use PDF exports when sharing with accountants or stakeholders who don't need to manipulate the data
CSV for analysis - Use CSV exports when you want to create your own charts, pivot tables, or combine with other data
Name files consistently - If saving exports locally, add the salon name to avoid confusion across multiple locations

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I export customer data directly?

Customer data is included in the Top Customers report export. There isn't a separate "all customers" export - the Top Customers report shows customers ranked by spend, which you can filter by date range to capture all customers with transactions.

Can I export appointment data?

Appointment data isn't directly exportable through the UI. For appointment exports, contact support who can assist with custom data extracts.

Can I schedule automatic exports?

Automatic scheduled exports aren't currently available. You need to manually generate and download exports as needed.

What about GDPR data export requests?

If a customer requests their data under GDPR, you can view their complete profile including appointment history and transactions from their customer page. For a formal data export, contact support who can generate a complete data package.

Can I import customers from a spreadsheet?

The bulk import system uses JSON format rather than spreadsheets. If you have customer data in a spreadsheet, contact support who can help convert it to the required format for import.

Is there a limit to how much data I can export?

No practical limit. Reports export all data within the selected date range. Very large exports (years of data) may take longer to generate.

Can I export from multiple salons at once?

No - exports are salon-specific. You need to switch to each salon and generate exports separately. To combine data across salons, export from each and merge the files in Excel.

Last Updated: January 2026