Import & Export

Import and Export

Import and export tools help you move collection data into and out of DeepGrooves. Use them for backups, spreadsheets, cleanup, insurance prep, migration, and outside review.

DeepGrooves has two broad import paths:

Discogs import, for pulling collection and wantlist records from your connected Discogs account.
File import, for bringing in CSV or other supported files.

Exports are the reverse: they create files you can download, archive, inspect, or share privately.

Import and export area showing format options

When to Export

Export your data when you want:

a personal backup,
a spreadsheet for cleanup,
a handoff to insurance or an appraiser,
a list for selling or trading,
a record of purchase notes and values,
or a way to inspect fields in bulk.

Exports are especially useful before a big cleanup session or after a large import.

Export Formats

The available formats may vary by app version, but common options are:

Format	Best for
CSV	Spreadsheets, insurance review, portability
XLSX or Excel	Spreadsheet users who want richer workbook handling
JSON	Technical backup, support, or developer review

CSV is usually the safest general-purpose export because almost every spreadsheet tool can open it.

Export Your Collection

Open the export action from Collection, Settings, Insurance, or another supported surface.
Choose the scope, such as full Collection, selected records, Wishlist, folder, or report area where supported.
Choose the format.
Review included fields.
Start the export.
Confirm your browser downloaded the file.

Export options with format and field selection

What a Good Collection Export Includes

For data portability, a collection export should include enough information to identify both the album and the owned copy.

Useful fields include:

artist,
title,
album or release name,
format,
year,
label,
catalog number,
country,
Discogs release ID,
Discogs master ID,
copy ID or ownership identity,
media condition,
sleeve condition,
rating,
notes,
folder or tag data,
favorite and collectibility flags,
purchase price,
purchase source,
purchase date,
storage or Vault location,
estimated value,
manual value,
value source,
value freshness or confidence,
artwork URL or artwork reference,
saved runout documented state, sides, text, recognized mastering engineer hints, and recognized plant codes,
created date,
and updated date.

If a field matters to ownership, insurance, or future migration, it belongs in the full export.

Condition fields should be readable when you open the file. DeepGrooves stores condition internally as a consistent Goldmine grading enum, but collection CSV and Excel exports write the familiar short grades, such as M, NM, VG+, VG, G+, G, F, and P, instead of raw numbers.

Export a Filtered or Selected Set

Some exports may support selected records or the current filtered view.

Before exporting, check:

whether you are exporting all records or only selected records,
whether search or filters are active,
whether you are in Collection, Wishlist, folder, Favorites, or Smart Collection scope,
and whether the downloaded file row count matches what you expected.

If the export is for insurance or backup, use the full scope unless you deliberately need a smaller slice.

Insurance Exports

Insurance-friendly exports should preserve identifying and ownership-grade data.

Insurance export options showing identifying fields and value data

Good insurance exports include condition, value source, storage location, artwork references, Discogs IDs, and purchase details where available.

Treat insurance exports as private. They can include values, home storage locations, purchase history, and personal notes.

Import From CSV

CSV import is useful when you have data from another app, a spreadsheet, or a custom catalog.

Open import.
Choose CSV or file import.
Select the file.
Map columns to DeepGrooves fields.
Preview the import.
Fix warnings or unmapped required fields.
Start the import.

CSV import with column mapping interface

CSV Column Mapping

Column mapping tells DeepGrooves what each spreadsheet column means.

Common fields include:

Field	Why it matters
Artist	Required for useful identification
Title	Required for useful identification
Label	Helps identify pressing
Catalog number	Helps match exact release
Year	Helps distinguish versions
Format	LP, 7-inch, CD, cassette, box set, and similar
Media condition	Affects value and insurance readiness
Sleeve condition	Affects value and insurance readiness
Notes	Preserves your personal context
Purchase price/date/source	Useful for provenance and insurance
Location	Can map into Vault or storage notes where supported
Value	Can become manual value where supported

Unmapped columns may be ignored. If you need a field preserved, map it before importing.

Import Preview

Always review the preview before committing.

Look for:

missing artist or title,
suspicious year values,
condition grades that do not match expected labels,
catalog numbers split into the wrong field,
duplicate-looking rows,
rows that will be skipped,
and rows that will be created as Wishlist instead of owned Collection items.

If the preview looks wrong, cancel and fix the spreadsheet or column mapping.

Duplicate Handling

Imports should try to avoid accidental duplicates, but duplicate detection can never be perfect.

Records may look similar because they share artist and title while representing different pressings. They may also look different because metadata is inconsistent.

Before importing a large file:

Import a small sample first.
Check Collection and Health.
Confirm duplicate handling behaves the way you expect.
Then import the larger file.

Partial Failures

An import can partially succeed.

For example:

some rows may import,
some may be skipped as duplicates,
and some may fail because required fields are missing.

The completion screen should explain what happened and give you a practical next step. Do not assume a failed row deleted anything; inspect the summary and retry only after understanding the failure.

Backups

Use export as your routine backup path.

A useful backup should include all owned records and user-owned data such as notes, conditions, values, folders, storage, purchase details, runouts, and timestamps.

Store backups somewhere safe. If the file includes value or storage details, do not post it publicly.

Privacy

Exports can contain sensitive collector data:

collection value,
home storage locations,
purchase sources,
notes,
rare items,
and personal organization.

Only share exports with people who should see that information.

Troubleshooting

My export downloaded but looks empty

Check whether you exported a filtered or selected scope. Clear filters and try a full collection export.

A field is missing from the export

Confirm the field is saved on the record first. If it is saved but missing from the full export, note the field and export type for QA or support.

My spreadsheet shows strange characters

Open the CSV with UTF-8 encoding if your spreadsheet app asks. Artist names, symbols, and international text need Unicode support.

CSV import created bad records

Stop importing more rows. Delete or fix the test records, correct the column mapping or source spreadsheet, and run a small sample before importing again.

Import says rows were skipped

Skipped rows are usually duplicates, unsupported rows, or rows missing required data. Review the completion details before retrying.

I need a formal insurance document

Use insurance exports and snapshots, then confirm requirements with your insurer. They may require photos, receipts, appraisals, scheduled item coverage, or specific report formats.