Reports, exports and scheduled delivery

What you will learn #

Use this chapter to choose a useful reporting period, keep a copy of a report, download visitor or activity rows, and understand the difference between dashboard notifications and scheduled email summaries. For traffic-source or visitor-report interpretation, see Dashboard, real-time and visitor reports and Traffic and attribution. For saved/custom report setup, see Segments and custom reports.

Before you begin #

Sign in and open a website you are authorized to view. Use the site's own account/role permissions; the source routes require an authenticated dashboard session. A guest session cannot download a focused-report export.
Confirm tracking is installed and that the selected dates contain data. An empty report may be correct if the site had no recorded activity during that period.
Use a report surface that is enabled for your site. The newer Reports workspace is separately feature-gated/canary-controlled in the dashboard; do not assume every account sees it. The available plan and role rules must be checked in the live account before this manual is published.
Use a secure device and storage location for exports. Visitor/activity CSVs and RSS feeds can expose names, email addresses, IP addresses, URLs, referral data, browser details and other identifying information. Share only with people who are authorized to see those records, and remove fields you do not need before onward sharing.

Step by step #

Choose a reporting period

The dashboard date picker controls the date range for many reports. The shared date helper accepts explicit start and end dates and can retain a chosen picker range for later report visits. Some report pages have their own date controls or defaults, so check the date shown on the report before exporting.

Open the signed-in dashboard for the correct website.
Open the report you need and inspect its displayed period before reading the numbers.
Choose a preset or enter the available start and end dates. The exact preset names and picker layout vary by report and require English UI confirmation.
Apply or save the range using the on-screen control, if shown. Do not assume a temporary drill-down changed your saved dashboard range.
Recheck the report heading/date range. When comparing two periods, use equivalent lengths and the same site timezone where the report offers that choice.

Safe example: for a weekly review, choose the same seven complete calendar days for each week, then compare the displayed totals. The example is a method, not a claim about a particular account's data or preset availability.

Period and metric notes

A report's date range defines which recorded activity is included; it does not create missing tracking data.
Some views group by day or month. Read the report's own labels and timezone before comparing a daily total with a monthly total.
The report source can use account-timezone date boundaries. The exact visible timezone label and whether it is editable on a given view need live verification.
This chapter does not redefine visits, unique visitors, page views, bounce rate, or other metrics. Use the definitions in the relevant report or Dashboard, real-time and visitor reports.

Export a report

PDF or page-style export

For a report with an export/print control, first set the report and date range you want to preserve, then use that report's PDF or print/export action. The legacy export handler renders an authenticated report page to a PDF or image file and returns a download; if the renderer is temporarily unavailable, the route can return an error instead. Available buttons, supported report types and any restrictions must be confirmed in the current UI.

Open the report and select the intended site, filters and period.
Review the report on screen, including its title and selected dates.
Choose the report's PDF or print/export control if it is present.
Wait for the file to download. Open it locally and confirm that its period, charts and tables match the on-screen report.
Store it with a clear filename and access controls. Before sharing, check for visitor-level fields or other sensitive details.

Use a print action only when it is offered on the report you are viewing.

Do not use a public or guessed export URL. Export requests are authenticated and must stay tied to the report that is open.

CSV from a focused report

When the Reports workspace is available, its results table has an Export visible CSV control. It exports the currently rendered results table, including visible column headings and rows, as a CSV download. If the result is marked as limited/truncated, narrow the report and review the displayed limit before treating the file as complete.

Open Reports for the site if that workspace appears in your account.
Run or open the report and confirm the breakdown, metrics, filters and period.
Check the results table and any notice that the configured row limit has been reached.
Select Export visible CSV.
Open the downloaded CSV in a spreadsheet or text viewer and confirm its column headings, row count and period.

This is an export of visible results. It is not a guarantee that every matching record is included when the on-screen result says more rows are available. Reports v2 and custom reports are gated/being verified; treat the controls as unavailable if your account does not show them.

Visitor and activity log CSVs

The legacy visitor-report flow links to CSV downloads for selected visitor/activity views. Visitor and activity exports have separate layouts. These can include personal or device-level data such as email, IP, page URL, referral, browser, location, visit time and duration.

Open the visitor report for the site and period you need.
Use its CSV/download action, if shown. Check that the download matches the displayed start and end dates.
Open the file and check the header row before importing or sharing it. Choose a safe spreadsheet import mode if your application asks.
Store only the columns you need and apply your organization's retention and access rules.

The delimiter and available columns depend on the export. Inspect the header and choose the matching spreadsheet import settings. Do not assume all exports are anonymous.

Expected result

A successful export downloads a file for the currently selected report/view. A missing download, an access error, an empty file or a file with the wrong dates is a reason to return to the report, verify site/period/access and retry once from its visible control. Do not share a partial or mismatched export as a complete report.

Automated email reports and digests

Scheduled statistical email reports are configured in the selected website settings, separately from manual exports, value digests and dashboard notifications. You need permission to edit site settings and a verified account email. If a disabled-feature message asks for verification, finish that first.

From My Sites, select the website, open Settings, and find Send your statistical reports via email in the site settings form.
Choose Every day, Every week, Every month or Disabled. These are the offered reporting cadences, not a guarantee of immediate delivery.
Set the time under When should we send the email report? using the displayed hour/minute control. The setting uses the account timezone; check it before saving.
In Send email to:, enter authorized recipient addresses. Separate multiple addresses with a comma. Check every address and obtain permission before adding a colleague who will receive site information.
Select Save changes only if you are authorized. Reopen the settings to confirm cadence, time and recipients were retained. To stop future scheduled reports, select Disabled and save.

Expected result: the chosen schedule and recipients remain visible. Saving is not proof of delivery. Check the destination inbox and spam folder after the scheduled run; contact support if a verified, saved schedule does not deliver. A value digest is a separate product email and is not configured by these controls. This guide does not send a test email or promise inbox placement.

RSS feeds

Where available, the RSS area in site Settings offers feeds for Summary, Online Visitors, Recent Searches and Recent Links. These are report feeds, separate from email reports and dashboard notification preferences. Anyone with an RSS link can view the report details it exposes. Treat each feed link like a private access link: copy it only into an RSS reader you control, do not post it publicly or include it in a support screenshot, and follow your organization's access rules. Use only the feeds offered in your site Settings; ask support if an expected feed is absent.

Notification preferences and channels

The notification preferences page is a separate dashboard feature; its controls are not the scheduled email-report settings.

Signed-in route: /stats/notification-settings.php. Open the dashboard's notification settings from the bell/settings entry if it is visible, or use the route within the signed-in session. Use the notification settings link offered by your dashboard.

Available control groups include:

Notification types: per-event on/off switches.
Delivery methods: browser push (when supported and permission is granted), dashboard alerts, sound on/off, and a sound selector with a preview button.
Enable all / Disable all: bulk controls for notification preferences; enabling all also requests browser-push setup. Browser permissions and browser support can prevent push from being enabled.
Mark all as read / Clear all: actions for existing dashboard notifications. Clearing removes notifications from the list; it is not a report export.

Individual notification toggles and sound preferences save automatically through the dashboard endpoint. After changing a preference, wait for the success or error message. For browser push, allow the browser permission prompt only if you want that channel; if the browser says unavailable or permission is blocked, check its site notification permission settings. Do not expect browser push when the browser or operating system blocks it.

Available events and delivery channels depend on the account and browser; use the options shown in your notification settings. These controls do not demonstrate that scheduled email reports are enabled.

Set up browser push for this signed-in browser

Open Notification settings at /stats/notification-settings.php. Under Notification types, enable only the events you want to receive.
Under Delivery methods, inspect Browser push. If it says Unavailable or the switch is disabled, use dashboard alerts or another supported browser; do not assume a subscription exists.
Turn on Browser push only if you want notifications on this device. Accept the browser notification permission prompt if offered. If permission is denied, review the browser site permissions yourself before trying again.
Wait for the success or error message and check that the push status reads Enabled. A browser permission of Allowed alone does not confirm that the service saved a subscription.
To stop the channel, turn off Browser push. Disable all also disables event preferences. Read the result before leaving; account-wide notification choices can affect other notification subscriptions.

Expected result: the page confirms a saved subscription or explains why setup failed. No test notification or delivery is implied. The operator must remain eligible, the event must occur, and browser/OS delivery must be allowed. The dashboard bell, alerts and sound are separate channels; enabling them does not grant push permission.

Worked example #

Imagine a store called your-store.example with test traffic on two completed weeks. Open its visitor overview, set the first week, note the displayed total and export the CSV using the visible download link. Repeat for the second week. Compare like-for-like dates and use only aggregate totals in a presentation. If you need visitor-level rows, keep the file restricted and remove names, email and IP columns before sharing. The sample is illustrative; no real account or customer data was used.

Controls and metrics #

Controls and metric definitions
Control	Meaning
Reporting period	The dates included in the report; check the account timezone and whether today is partial.
CSV	A supported table export, limited to the report’s available data and selection.
PDF	A printable report where the product offers that action.
RSS feed	A private report subscription URL; protect it like an access link.
Notification preference	A choice of supported alerts or channels; saving a preference does not prove delivery.

Problems and fixes #

Problems and remedies
What you see	What to check
No rows or zero totals	Confirm the correct site and dates, that tracking is installed, and that the report has processed data for that period.
Report shows different dates from the export	Return to the report, set the period again and start the download from that report's visible control.
Export button or Reports page is missing	The view may not be enabled for this site/account or role. Ask the account owner to confirm access; do not use a guessed URL to bypass a gate.
CSV seems incomplete	Check for a row-limit/truncation notice and whether the control exports visible rows. Narrow filters or split the period if the report allows it.
PDF/export fails	Reload the report, confirm you are still signed in, and try once more. If it still fails, contact support with the report name, approximate time and sanitized screenshot; never attach a raw visitor export.
Browser push is unavailable	Confirm the browser supports notifications and that permission is not blocked for the site. Dashboard alerts and sound are separate settings.
Email report preference appears saved but no email arrives	Recheck the visible address and setting, then ask support to confirm whether that report/cadence is currently enabled. A saved preference is not delivery proof.

Access, privacy and limits #

Exports may contain visitor personal data, depending on report type. Treat each file as a data export: minimize columns, restrict access, store securely and delete it when your own retention policy allows.
The source's visitor/activity CSV headers include identifying fields, and its RSS response warns that anyone with the feed link can view visitor details and reports. This chapter therefore does not describe those outputs as anonymous or public.
Export and notification routes require an authenticated dashboard context. The focused-report download route rejects unauthenticated/guest access and checks that the report belongs to the active account or user context.
Reports workspace, saved/custom reports and export controls may be separately gated. Use the access message and available controls for your account and website; a plan allowance alone does not establish access.
Confirm that the scheduling control is available for your account and that a report has actually arrived before relying on scheduled delivery.
No export retention period, download-link lifetime, per-plan export quota or report-sampling percentage is established by the inspected sources. Do not promise one.

Last checked #

Checked 8 November 2026 using product documentation and source, with public pages and safe sample screens where available. Account-specific access, provider controls and effective limits can differ; use the current message shown for your website. Examples are illustrative.