Asana Export to CSV: 2 Easy Steps to Export your Data

This blog describes how to perform an Asana Export and extract projects as a CSV file for custom reporting using the Asana console. Custom reporting is something several teams such as Sales and Marketing, Customer Support, etc. use to track progress and increase their efficiency. Apart from projects, you can also export search views or tasks from your workspaces.

Asana supports exporting data in CSV and JSON data formats. This blog will first explain what Asana is, its use cases, and some of its core features. Afterward, it will focus on the steps required to perform an Asana Export and extract your data in the CSV format. Read along to learn these steps thoroughly.

Table of Contents

• Prerequisites
• Introduction to Asana
• Introduction to CSV Files
• Use Cases to Perform an Asana Export to CSV
• Asana Export using the Web-based Dashboard
  • Step 1: Selecting the Desired Task for Asana Export
  • Step 2: Using the Project Actions Menu for Asana Export
• Conclusion

Prerequisites

• Working knowledge of Asana.
• An Asana account.
• A general idea of working with text-based files.

Introduction to Asana

Organizations typically have a dozen teams like Marketing, Design, HR, IT, etc. that handle diverse projects such as Work Requests, Marketing Campaigns, Product Launches, etc. by collaborating amongst themselves. Organizations across all industries use Asana to collaborate on projects, tasks, etc. Teams can create projects, assign work, specify deadlines, and communicate directly using Asana. Asana integrates well with multiple applications such as email, calendars, etc.

Asana houses a simple & fluid interface and provides users with a search facility. It allows them to create custom reports, track task priority, prepare a custom task list, and a lot more.

The core features of Asana such as list, board, and calendar views, setting up due dates, being able to collaborate with nearly 15 team members, etc. allow users to manage their projects and tasks in an ultra-simple manner.

For further information on Asana, you can check the official website here.

Introduction to CSV Files

CSV stands for Comma Separated Values. In layman terms, it is a plain text file containing a list of values. These files are typically used as a medium of exchanging data between multiple applications. They are also known as Character Separated Values or Comma Delimited Files.  

CSV files can be used with a majority of spreadsheet applications such as Google Spreadsheets or Microsoft Excel. One feature that sets the CSV files apart from normal sheets, is that it doesn’t allow saving formulas, and only one sheet is allowed per file with restrictions on saving rows, columns, etc.

Complex data is usually taken from an application, which is then converted into the CSV format and loaded onto any other application.

To learn more about CSV files, visit here.

Use Cases to Perform an Asana Export to CSV

Performing an Asana Export, allows users to export data in the form of a CSV file and perform various tasks such as:

• Creating an external record of completed tasks that you can share with your compliance and keep track of your work.
• You can use CSV files for creating compelling business reports by visualizing data using graphs, pivot tables, and aggregates in various spreadsheet applications such as Excel, Sheets, etc.
• Using the CSV files, you can create a data backup for your Asana data on your system. It allows you to keep track of tasks, maintain momentum, and remain focused by highlighting success and milestones.

Asana Export using the Web-based Dashboard

Asana’s web-based dashboard allows users to export data as a CSV file by selecting the desired project, and then export data in their desired format such as CSV using the in-built data export option.

Use the following steps to export your data:

• Step 1: Selecting the Desired Task for Asana Export
• Step 2: Using the Project Actions Menu for Asana Export

Step 1: Selecting the Desired Task for Asana Export

Login to your Asana account using your credentials, such as username and password. Once you’ve logged in, your Asana dashboard will now open up as shown in the below image.

Select your desired project, whose data you want to export. You can, either select multiple tasks from your project and export data related to them or export the entire project using the in-built export option in CSV or JSON format. This is shown in the below image.

This is how you can select multiple tasks or an entire project from your Asana Dashboard to start exporting your data.

Step 2: Using the Project Actions Menu for Asana Export

To export the entire project, go to the project actions menu, adjacent to your project name. Click on the drop-down arrow and locate the export/print option as visible in the below image.

Click on the export/print option, a list of all supported formats such as JSON, CSV, etc. will now open up. Select CSV from the list of options.

A spreadsheet containing the fields such as task ID, creation date, completion date, last modified date, name, assignee, due date, etc. will now start downloading. This CSV file contains the complete information of your Asana project. You can use a spreadsheet application such as Excel to access your data and start analyzing it using various visualizations such as charts, graphs, etc., and pivot tables.

This is how you can perform an Asana Export and extract your Asana data as a CSV file from your dashboard.

Limitation of this method

• The in-built Asana Export option allows users to export a maximum of 2000 tasks at once. You need to export data in batches/chunks if you want to extract more data.
• Seasoned project professionals love to use Asana, but for new users, its graphical interface can be intimidating. If they are not trained by referrals, they will have to spend more time learning the app. Because of the steep learning curve, new users won. Some even complain about decision fatigue due to too many options.
• In Asana, a project can be viewed from different angles. However, when you set up a new project, you must select either List View or Table View. Once selected, you cannot switch from one View to another.
• Sometimes for performance reasons some tasks may get truncated from the data involved in your Asana Export. However, workarounds for this can be found here.

Conclusion

This article teaches you how to set up an Asana Export to CSV. It also provides in-depth knowledge about the concepts behind every step to help you understand and implement them efficiently. These methods, however, can be challenging especially for a beginner & this is where Hevo saves the day.

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Tell us about your experience of exporting your Asana data! Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.