Create a Data Extract File

Use the Automation Studio Data Extract activity to create a file that you can use outside of Marketing Cloud Engagement. This activity can also be used to transform an XML file to a comma-delimited, tab-delimited, or pipe-delimited file for import into your account.

1. In Automation Studio, click Create Activity.
2. Select Data Extract.
3. Add a name, external key, and description for the activity.
4. Enter a file naming pattern so that the activity knows what to name the file it creates.
   

   Note Ensure that the file name patterns match in the Data Extract Activity and the File Transfer Activity. To make sure the file names match, don’t use %%Minute%% or %%Second%% variables in the file name pattern.
   1. Use when you’ve set up a workflow to drop a file whose auto-generated filename matches a pattern into the file location.
   2. Enter a static name or include placeholders for the date, keeping in mind that they’re case-sensitive. If a filename includes personalization strings that are capitalized, capitalize them in the file naming pattern.
   3. Include a .zip extension for tracking extract or .csv for a data extension extract. For more information, see Data Extension Extract in Automation Studio.
5. To determine the web analytics tools used to interpret the extracted file, select an extract type. The value you select determines the data you can include in the file.
   

   Note Extract types must be provisioned for your account. Contact Salesforce Support for more information.
6. To determine the date range for information to include in the extract file, select an extract range.
7. Select a type of file encoding to use.
8. Configure the extract by choosing the fields that appear in the data extract file.
   1. Select a field name to include it in the data extract file.
   2. If the data extract you choose includes the columnDelimiter field, insert the character you wish to use as a delimiter within the data extract. You can use comma (,), tab, or pipe (|) characters as delimiters.
   To use a local time zone in your tracking extract output file, select Use Local TZ in Query and then select a time zone from the dropdown. If you don’t select this option, the output file defaults to Central Standard Time and doesn’t observe daylight savings time. This option isn’t available for data extension extracts.