Help Center

Requesting a Takeaway File of Your Actionstep Data

The documents and data you upload to Actionstep Practice Management are your property. In some situations (such as canceling your subscription or participating in a regulatory or legal audit), you can request a takeaway copy of your data and documents. 

Caution: Because takeaway data cannot be used to restore a Practice Management system without a full reimplementation, takeaways are not an effective means of backing up your data. Actionstep takes the security of your data very seriously. It employs a multi-layered security and data protection strategy designed to ensure your data is guarded against loss, corruption, or site-wide disasters. As such, in most situations, you shouldn't need to back up your data by requesting these takeaways. To learn more about our security and data protection protocol, see About Actionstep Security and Data Protection (Admin) and Actionstep Trust Center.

 

Requesting a Takeaway File

NOTE:  Your documents and data are replicated across multiple server locations in the same region. This eliminates the risk of an isolated storage system failure.


To request a takeaway file:

 

Note the following about your request:

  • You will be required to provide your orgkey, which you can find by clicking the Actionstep icon in the top-left corner of the page.image.png
  • To process your request, the Actionstep Support team must verify that you have the necessary authority within your organization to receive the backup. You will need to be an Admin with Authority to receive it.
  • A single copy of the takeaway file will be shared with the admin with authority who requested the file. It will be sent to their email address only (not an alias). Once received, the files can be shared with others in your firm.
  • Most takeaway requests will be completed within 1-2 business days of receiving the request; however, if you have a particularly large data set, this might be slightly longer. When the takeaway has been completed, you will be sent an email with your download links. You will be emailed separately to provide you with a password to decrypt the backup. (For security purposes, the password and the download link are never sent in the same email message.)

 

Working with Your Takeaway File

The email you receive will contain links to download one or more password-protected zip files. (For large takeaways, data may be saved across several zip files to make it easier to download. One of these files is a manifest file, which provides an index or content listing for the other files in the takeaway.) The first zip file will contain your database data and possibly some documents. Subsequent zip files (if any) will contain the rest of your documents. 

Once you receive the zip file:

  • You will need to use 7-Zip (Windows) or The Unarchiver (macOS) to extract the contents of the zip file(s). This is because the standard built-in unzip tools on Windows and Mac cannot read the level of encryption our takeaway files use.
  • Use the password provided by Actionstep Support to access the contents.
  • Full download instructions will be available in the email you receive. If you have questions, contact Actionstep Support for assistance.
  • The download links to your files will be valid for 45 days from receipt. This period cannot be extended—if it passes, you must request a new takeaway, which will contain all data as of the new request date and may include additional data beyond what was in the original request. The password provided per takeaway is valid for that takeaway only.

CAUTION:  While Actionstep suggests using 7-Zip or The Unarchiver to extract the files in your takeaway file, you are responsible for evaluating and selecting the appropriate tools for your needs. Actionstep is not liable for any issues arising from the use of these tools, including security breaches, data loss, or inaccuracies. The functionality and availability of these tools may change over time. Always refer to the tool vendor's documentation for the most up-to-date information.

 

Backing Up Emails

Depending on the email service your firm uses, Actionstep stores either a full email message file, a JSON file containing email information, or a dynamic reference header that retrieves content from the mail server, in your database.

Please note: Actionstep does not recommend deleting emails after they have been assigned to Actionstep. Use your mail tenant as the complete and full record of emails — Actionstep is not responsible for emails deleted from your mail tenant after assignment, as not all emails are available in a takeaway, for the reasons outlined below.

With the reference header option, Actionstep does not store email files in the database. Instead, it displays email content by pulling (or referencing) it from the third-party mail service (such as Microsoft or Google). This means that when performing an Actionstep takeaway or export, email content may appear "incomplete" due to this difference in storage location. When this happens, it's recommended you either download the content from your relevant mail service or reassign the emails in your new system.

This setup should not present risks to statutory retention periods, since the data remains within the firm's control and access — just not within the Actionstep platform, based on the integration and data storage methods described above.

 

Working with Documents

Other than the "data" folder, all other folders contain copies of all documents you have uploaded to Actionstep in their original format. The documents are arranged in a folder by functional area. In many cases, the file name of the document is prefixed with the corresponding database key. For example, 7865_some_file_name in the "documents" folder will relate to action ID 7865.

 

What Data is Available

This reference lists the tables included in your Actionstep data takeaway and the columns contained in each one. Each table is provided as a separate file inside the Data folder of your takeaway.

How to read these tables. Most tables have one column that acts as its unique record ID, known as its primary key. It is marked in the Primary key column, and every row has a different value there, so it identifies one specific record. Other columns ending in _id are references: they hold the primary key of a related record in another table, which is how you link files together. For example, action_id in time_entries points to the matching record in actions.

Some tables (typically ones that link other records together) have no single primary key. These are marked with an asterisk (*), and a row in them is identified by a combination of columns rather than one.

Important things to note:

  • Your documents are separate. The files stored in your Actionstep matters and contacts are delivered in their own archives, alongside the data tables described here.
  • A missing file means no records. If your account has no records of a particular type, that table is not included in your takeaway. A missing file means you have no data of that kind, not that something went wrong.
  • Restricted matters are included. Matters with restricted access are exported in full. 
  • Deleted records are not included. Matters and other records that have been deleted in Actionstep are left out of the takeaway.
  • Some tables depend on your setup. Tables and columns marked (if enabled for your account), and the custom data collection tables, only appear if your account uses those features.

Available Tables

 

Custom data collections

NOTE: Each organization-defined data collection produces its own output table (named dc_<action_type_id>_<collection_name>), with one additional column per custom field defined on that collection. The columns below (record_id, action_id) are the only ones present on every such table.

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID) *
record_id int
action_id int

* No single primary key: records in this table are identified by a combination of columns.

action_data_collections_flattened

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID) *
action_id int
action_type_id int
data_collection_id int
data_collection_name string
data_collection_record_id int
data_field_name string
data_type string
string_value string

* No single primary key: records in this table are identified by a combination of columns.

action_folder

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID)
folder_id int Yes
action_id int
folder_name string
template_folder_id int
parent_folder_id int

action_participant_custom_data_values

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID) *
action_id int
division_id int
action_name string
participant_id int
is_company char(1)
display_name string
participant_type_id int
participant_type_name string
field_name string
field_value string

* No single primary key: records in this table are identified by a combination of columns.

action_participants

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID) *
action_id int
division_id int
action_name string
participant_type_id int
participant_type_name string
participant_number int
participant_id int
display_name string

* No single primary key: records in this table are identified by a combination of columns.

action_types

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID)
action_type_id int Yes
action_type_name string
description string
disabled boolean
is_billable boolean

actions

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID)
action_id int Yes
division_id int
action_name string
action_type_id int
action_type_name string
action_status string
action_closed_timestamp string
file_reference string
date_created date
current_step string
current_step_duration string
last_activity timestamptz
assigned_to_participant_id int
assigned_to_participant_name string
probability int
expected_sale_date date
expected_sale_amount money
currency_code string
sale_status string
actual_sale_date date
actual_sale_amount money
marketing_medium_id int
marketing_event_id int
quoted_amount money
quote_is_for string

applied_payments

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID)
payment_id int Yes
sale_purchase_id int
amount_applied money
credit_id int
credit_applied_date date
write_off_amount money

chart_of_accounts

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID)
ac_account_id int Yes
account_number string
account_name string
account_type_id int
account_type_name string
currency_code string
active char(1)
header char(1)
parent_account_id int
cashflow_section string
gst_code_id int
action_entries_only char(1)
income_account_id int
onbilling_income_account_id int
onbilling_gst_code_id int
disbursement_tax_behavior string

check_series

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID)
check_series_id int Yes
division_id int
bank_account_id int
status string
series_name string
sort_order int
first_check_number int
last_check_number int
template_filename string
template_directory string
allow_electronic_printing char(1)
is_single_record_template char(1)

client_billing_invoice_allocations

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID)
gl_allocation_id int Yes
ac_account_id int
sale_purchase_id int
division_id int
entry_type string
participant_id int
display_name string
action_id int
action_name string
amount money
source string
payment_id int
payment_date date
payment_type string
notes string

client_billing_invoices

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID)
sale_purchase_id int Yes
division_id int
our_reference string
sale_purchase_date date
payment_due_date date
action_id int
action_name string
invoice_status string
approval_status string
currency_code string
total_inclusive money
total_exclusive money
fee_discount_type string
fee_discount_percentage decimal6
fee_discount_amount money
consolidation_id int

client_draft_invoices

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID)
sale_purchase_id int Yes
division_id int
our_reference string
sale_purchase_date date
payment_due_date date
action_id int
action_name string
invoice_status string
approval_status string
currency_code string
total_inclusive money
total_exclusive money
fee_discount_type string
fee_discount_percentage decimal6
fee_discount_amount money

contacts

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID) *
participant_id int
is_company char(1)
division_id int
salutation string
first_name string
last_name string
company_name string
display_name string
occupation string
address_line_1 string
address_line_2 string
county string
city string
state_province string
post_code string
country_id string
e_mail string
tax_number string
mailing_address_line_1 string
mailing_address_line_2 string
mailing_county string
mailing_city string
mailing_state_province string
mailing_post_code string
mailing_country_id string
phone_1 string
phone_2 string
phone_3 string
phone_4 string
country_subdivision_id string
date_of_birth string
country_id_of_birth string
gender char(1)
gender_type_name string
is_deceased char(1)

* No single primary key: records in this table are identified by a combination of columns.

Note: Each phone column (phone_1 to phone_4) holds the country code, area code and number combined into a single value.

Note: Some account configurations (for example, community legal / CLASS setups) include additional demographic fields on the contacts table.

dc_appointments

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID) *
appointment_id int
title text
start_timestamp timestamp
end_timestamp timestamp
appointment_status text
description text
location text
attendees text
matter_numbers string
calendar_name text
organiser text
is_private boolean

* No single primary key: records in this table are identified by a combination of columns.

disbursement_entries

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID)
disbursement_id int Yes
template_id int
template_description string
action_id int
disbursement_date date
description string
quantity decimal6
uom_id int
uom_description string
unit_price money
unit_price_includes_tax char(1)
gst_code_id int
gst_percentage decimal2
gst_description string
sale_purchase_id int
sale_invoice_line_item_id int
entered_by_participant_id int
entered_timestamp timestamptz
utbms_expense_code string
is_written_off (if enabled for your account) boolean
write_off_metadata (if enabled for your account) jsonb

divisions

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID) *
division_id int
division_name string
parent_division_id int
department_of_division_id int
participant_id int
is_active char(1)
gst_months_in_period int
gst_accounting_method string
invoice_accounting_method string
cash_accounting_method_natural_allocation_order string

* No single primary key: records in this table are identified by a combination of columns.

document_log

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID)
log_id int Yes
action_id int
document_name string
participant_id int
log_timestamp timestamptz
document_status string
template_id int
file_name string
folder_id int
netdocuments_folder_id int
netdocuments_document_type_key string
keywords text
summary text
checked_out_by_participant_id int
checked_out_timestamp timestamptz
checked_out_to string
checked_out_remote_identifier string
checked_out_eta_timestamp timestamptz
file_type string
tag_id int

email

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID)
email_id int Yes
direction char(1)
status string
unique_message_id string
subject string
display_name string
body_text text
created_by_participant_id int
created_timestamp timestamptz
priority string
sensitivity string
sent_timestamp timestamptz
received_timestamp timestamptz
read_confirmed_timestamp timestamptz
delivery_confirmed_timestamp timestamptz
flag int
parent_email_id int
denormalized_attachment_count int
denormalized_total_email_size_bytes int
denormalized_recipients string
email_to string

email_association

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID)
association_id int Yes
email_id int
participant_id int
sale_purchase_id int
action_id int
employee_id int
payroll_id int
alert_id int
appointment_id int
prospect_id int
event_id int
campaign_id int
file_reference string
folder_id int

email_attachment

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID)
attachment_id int Yes
email_id int
content_disposition string
mime_content_id string
attachment_display_filename string
directory string
filename string
attachment_size_bytes int

file_note_tags

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID) *
note_id int
tag_id int
tag_name string

* No single primary key: records in this table are identified by a combination of columns.

file_notes

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID)
note_id int Yes
action_id int
entered_time_stamp timestamptz
note_text text
participant_id int
entered_by string
source string
note_time_stamp timestamptz
tag_id int
document_log_id int
system_change_type string
import_external_reference string
note_rich_text text

general_ledger_transactions

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID)
entry_id int Yes
transaction_id int
transaction_date date
entry_timestamp timestamptz
journal_id int
division_id int
journal_memo text
gst_direction char(1)
system_user_participant_id int
associated_participant_id int
associated_participant_other string
reversal_transaction_id int
reversal_reason string
reversal_of_transaction_id int
ac_account_id int
account_number string
account_name string
action_id int
amount money
debit_credit char(1)
currency_code string
exchange_rate decimal6
fx_amount_exposed money
gst_code_id int
gst_amount money
memo text
sale_purchase_line_item_id int
general_journal_line_item_id int
reconciliation_id int
reversal_of_entry_id int

last_update

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID) *
date string

* No single primary key: records in this table are identified by a combination of columns.

participant_custom_data

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID) *
participant_id int
participant_type_data_field_id int
participant_type_data_field_name string
data_type string
description string
label string
string_value text

* No single primary key: records in this table are identified by a combination of columns.

participant_custom_data_values

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID) *
participant_id int
is_company char(1)
display_name string
participant_type_id int
participant_type_name string
field_name string
field_value string

* No single primary key: records in this table are identified by a combination of columns.

participant_document

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID)
document_id int Yes
participant_id int
folder_id int
document_name string
file_name string
directory string
document_status string
keywords string
summary string
template_id int
created_timestamp timestamptz
created_by_participant_id int
last_changed_timestamp timestamptz
last_changed_by_participant_id int
checked_out_by_participant_id int
checked_out_timestamp timestamptz
file_type string
file_size int

participant_kpis

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID) *
participant_id int
last_name string
first_name string
year string
month string
actual_hours decimal2
billable_hours decimal2
total_sales money

* No single primary key: records in this table are identified by a combination of columns.

participant_relationships

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID) *
from_participant_id int
from_name string
to_participant_id int
to_name string
relationship string

* No single primary key: records in this table are identified by a combination of columns.

participant_types

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID)
participant_type_id int Yes
participant_type_name string
description string
company_flag_value boolean
tax_number_alias string

primary_participant_types

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID) *
action_type_id int
action_type_name string
participant_type_id int
participant_type_name string
required char(1)
primary_participant_type char(1)
sort_order int
client_portal_alias string
limit_to_system_users char(1)
limit_to_participant_default_types char(1)

* No single primary key: records in this table are identified by a combination of columns.

rate_sheets

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID)
rate_id int Yes
rate_name string
rate decimal2
default_income_account_id int
default_expense_account_id int
gst_code_id int
default_expense_gst_code_id int
is_active char(1)
is_fixed_fee char(1)
is_custom_rate char(1)
import_external_reference string

receipt

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID)
receipt_id int Yes
transaction_id int
template_id int
receipt_number string
receipt_issued_by text
receipt_date timestamptz
amount money
received_from text
beneficiary text
description text
first_printed_timestamp timestamptz
last_printed_timestamp timestamptz
payment_method text
division_id int
auto_number int
receipt_type string
payment_date timestamptz
receipt_accounting_document_id int
deleted_by_participant_id int
deleted_timestamp timestamptz
deleted_reason string
deleted_transaction_id int

related_actions

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID) *
action_id int
related_action_id int
created_by_participant_id int
created_timestamp timestamptz

* No single primary key: records in this table are identified by a combination of columns.

sale_purchase_line_items

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID)
line_item_id int Yes
sale_purchase_id int
heading_id int
line_number int
line_title string
line_description string
line_date date
backorder_eta_date date
quantity decimal6
uom_id int
income_account_id int
expense_account_id int
action_id int
task_id int
supplier_participant_id int
supplier_item_code string
inventory_item_id int
income_gst_code_id int
expense_gst_code_id int
actual_shipped_timestamp timestamptz
module_id int
related_line_item_id int

supplier_invoices

Supplier invoices entered in your account. The full column list for this table will be added shortly. Each invoice's line items are in sale_purchase_line_items, linked by sale_purchase_id.

systemusers

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID) *
participant_id int
is_company char(1)
first_name string
last_name string
company_name string
display_name string
occupation string
city string
state_province string
post_code string
country_id string
system_role_id int
system_role_name string
description string

* No single primary key: records in this table are identified by a combination of columns.

tasks

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID)
task_id int Yes
action_id int
task_name string
current_status string
priority string
due_date timestamptz
created_time_stamp timestamptz
started_time_stamp timestamptz
completed_time_stamp timestamptz
assigned_to_participant_id int
assigned_by string
complete_before_end_of_step_number int
complete_before_start_of_step_number int
linked_document_template_id int
linked_data_collection_id int
default_task_id int

time_entries

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID)
time_entry_id int Yes
timekeeper_participant_id int
timekeeper string
division_id int
timesheet_date date
action_id int
action_name string
action_type_id int
action_type_name string
is_billable boolean
actual_hours decimal2
billable_hours decimal2
utbms_activity_code string
utbms_task_code string
utbms_timekeeper_code string
rate_id int
rate_name string
rate_unit_price money
rate_source string
billable_amount money
sale_purchase_id int
description string
billing_behavior string
quick_code string
quick_code_description string
is_written_off (if enabled for your account) boolean
write_off_metadata (if enabled for your account) jsonb

transaction_reference

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID)
transaction_reference_id int Yes
transaction_id int
reference_type string
reference_value text
general_journal_line_item_id int

trust_entry_references

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID) *
entry_number int
entry_type string
reference_number int
reference_type string
reference_name string
reference_string_value string

* No single primary key: records in this table are identified by a combination of columns.

trust_payments

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID) *
entry_number string
trust_account_number string
trust_account_name string
action_id int
action_memo string
associated_participant_id int
associated_participant_other string
action_amount money
total_amount money
transaction_id int
transaction_date date
entered_by_participant_id int
entered_by_timestamp timestamptz
banked_date date
payment_method string
journal_memo string
requested_by_participant_id int
authorized_by_participant_id int

* No single primary key: records in this table are identified by a combination of columns.

trust_receipts

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID) *
entry_number string
trust_account_number string
trust_account_name string
action_id int
action_memo string
associated_participant_id int
associated_participant_other string
action_amount money
total_amount money
transaction_id int
transaction_date date
entered_by_participant_id int
entered_by_timestamp timestamptz
payment_received_date date
received_from_address string
banked_date date
payment_method string
journal_memo string

* No single primary key: records in this table are identified by a combination of columns.

trust_receive_interests

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID) *
entry_number int
trust_account_number string
trust_account_name string
action_id int
action_memo string
associated_participant_id int
associated_participant_other string
action_amount money
total_amount money
transaction_id int
transaction_date date
entered_by_participant_id int
entered_by_timestamp timestamptz
banked_date date
net_amount money
tax_deduction money
administration_fee money

* No single primary key: records in this table are identified by a combination of columns.

trust_transactions

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID) *
division_id int
ac_account_id int
entry_type string
entry_number int
audit_number int
transfer_to_ac_account_id int
associated_participant_id int
associated_participant_other string
entry_timestamp timestamptz
date_on_bank_entry date
date_on_payment date
date_funds_available date
amount money
transaction_id int
bank_entry_id int
entry_memo string
payment_method string
import_external_reference string
deposit_slip_id int
external_receipt_number string
authorized_by_login_id int
authorized_by_participant_id int
reversed_by_entry_number int
receipt_accounting_document_id int

* No single primary key: records in this table are identified by a combination of columns.

trust_transfers

Column Data Type Primary key (unique ID) *
division_id int
ac_account_id int
from_account_name string
entry_type string
entry_number int
audit_number int
transfer_to_ac_account_id int
to_account_name string
entry_timestamp timestamptz
date_on_bank_entry date
date_funds_available date
amount money
transaction_id int
entry_memo string
payment_method string
authorized_by_participant_id int
reversed_by_entry_number int

* No single primary key: records in this table are identified by a combination of columns.

 

Updated