Catenda Hub provides flexible export methods tailored to various project needs, ranging from day-to-day downloads to automated enterprise archiving.

Depending on specific project requirements, it is possible to synchronize large folder structures using Desktop Connector, generate custom document delivery checklists and PDF/A archives via the Reports Page, or document project access permissions for audit trails.

For organizations requiring continuous cloud-to-cloud backups, Catenda Data Export provides automated transfers directly to AWS S3 or Azure Blob storage.

The following topics are described in this article:

Project owners and project participants often need to maintain local copies of project documentation during and after a project's lifecycle.

The following topics are described in this section:

Project data may be needed at various project milestones:

Phase changes

Transitioning between planning, design, and construction often requires extracting data snapshots, especially if projects are put on hold or handed off to new parties.

Government inquiries

Formal submittals to authorities are frequently required during or upon completion of a project.

Tendering

Preparing document submittal packages for tenders.

Exporting is not limited to project completion.

Project members who do not own the main project data often require their own copies to ensure continuous access to their work.

Project members are not always informed in advance when project access will end, and access can sometimes be revoked earlier than expected. Because access can be lost without warning, configuring scheduled, repeating exports, such as with Catenda Data Export or the Catenda Desktop Connector, is critical.

These recurring tools ensure project members retain a local or cloud backup up to the last scheduled run prior to losing access.

Regulations and industry standards frequently mandate that responsible parties store project records for long periods, often spanning years or decades.

System documentation, product records, and compliance files may need to be stored on company servers or designated repositories.

When an active project finishes or a license period ends, Catenda ensures project data remains stored safely.

Even if project access ends, data remains recoverable on Catenda servers for up to three years.

An archiving option allows projects to remain accessible as frozen, read-only repositories for selected members.

These built-in export tools are available directly within the standard interface for all authorized project participants.

The following topics are described in this section:

Because every model in Catenda is linked to a document in the documents section, standard document export capabilities also apply to models.

In addition, dedicated export options are available specifically for models:

Selected model download

Select one or more models on the models page and use the download action to extract their latest revisions.

Individual revision download

Select a model on the models page and use the download button next to each revision in the right information panel.

This provides an efficient way to download specific revisions directly without needing to load the full model contents page.

Alternatively, individual revisions can also be downloaded directly from the content page of a model.

Advanced model export

Access the model export page to package selected revisions across multiple models into a single downloadable ZIP file.

This method includes advanced options to enhance the exported model files by baking in tags, user-defined properties, or library information.

Topic data can be extracted using three primary formats via exchange topics, depending on how the information will be viewed, analyzed, or stored:

BCF (BIM Collaboration Format)

An open standard designed to capture and transfer topic information that conforms strictly to the official BCF specification, including individual topic creation timestamps.

This format guarantees broad cross-platform interoperability, making it ideal for reopening, editing, or exchanging topic data seamlessly with other BCF-compatible software.

For general long-term document repositories where direct file previews are needed, PDF or Excel formats are typically preferred.

Excel

Exports topic parameters into a spreadsheet format for filtering, sorting, and data manipulation.

This format provides structured rows and columns that are ideal for selecting and copying data, and Excel files can be easily previewed within most archiving platforms.

For archiving purposes, the PDF export is generally preferred over Excel because it includes more information.

PDF

Generates a clean, readable summary report in standard PDF format (v1.4) accessible without specialized software (see exporting topics to PDF).

Standard PDF exports include a consolidated download timestamp for formal authority reporting and archiving, providing more information than an Excel export.

While the base export generates a standard PDF (v1.4) file, which many archiving systems automatically convert to PDF/A upon upload for long-term previewing, projects with the opt-in reports page enabled can also export topics in archiving formats, as described in Exporting project data with reports (report editor customers only).

Batch & folder downloads

Select individual folders, specific document batches, or all visible table items at once to generate a downloadable ZIP archive. Downloading in manageable batches by selecting specific subfolders or targeted file groups is recommended for smooth transfers when working with large datasets.

Individual revision download

Select a document on the documents page and click the download button next to each revision listed in the right information menu.

This is an easier way to download individual or historical revisions because the document preview page does not have to be loaded, allowing you to select another document in the table and download its revisions in the right menu without needing to open a new preview page.

Public collections

Use collections to create public links for selected document subsets, allowing external parties to download files without requiring a Catenda account. Note that only published revisions can be added to collections.

Deleted files

Search for "deleted" in the documents search bar to locate and export previously deleted documents.

Keep in mind that this filter is language-specific and will correspond to the term for "deleted" in your current language settings.

The Catenda Desktop Connector enables background synchronization to periodically download new document revisions directly to a local drive.

Unlike batch web exports, downloaded documents arrive directly on your system as raw, unzipped files without requiring manual archive extraction.

Scheduled & instant backups

Tasks can be scheduled to run automatically at regular intervals or executed on demand, ensuring project members preserve an up-to-date local copy of documents even if project access is unexpectedly revoked.

Direct API transfers

Transfers large datasets significantly faster than web browser downloads by leveraging direct API connections without browser limitations or overhead.

Hierarchy options

Downloads select folder structures with their complete hierarchy intact, or extracts individually selected files directly as a flat list into the designated local folder.

Topic boards

Document board access permissions using two available views:

Document & Model access

Export the access overview to record permissions for members and teams.

Access required: Project administrator.

Because every model is linked to a document in the documents section, access permissions for models are governed by the underlying document permissions and are recorded using the same document access overview or permission menus.

Document & Model revision access

View permissions from the right menu of a document revision and capture screenshots as needed.

Project-wide action permissions

Document project-wide permissions on the project settings page (such as creating topic boards, inviting new members, configuring document statuses, and creating or removing models) using two available views:

User profiles & member details

Information regarding project members and teams is available to extract or document, including:

Capture notification pages via screenshots from the project notification page, using the limit filter to maximize visible items per page.

Configure a dedicated administrative account with project specific notification settings enabled for email summaries to maintain searchable notification logs.

The reports page is an opt-in feature that can be requested for ongoing projects.

Projects that have it enabled can also export document and topic data as formatted reports, including formats for long-term archiving.

Template-based management

When it is enabled, project administrators use the report templates page to set up report templates of their own, and generate formatted exports for selected documents or topics.

What can be exported, and in which file formats, is described in Exporting project data with reports (report editor customers only).

Catenda Data Export is sold separately from Catenda Hub.

Unlike the downloads above, it copies project data automatically, straight from Catenda Hub to an organization's own cloud storage in Amazon S3 or Azure Blob storage.

It suits organizations that want a backup that keeps up with their projects, or project records kept in their own storage.

It is not only for project owners.

A project owner can export a full backup of its projects, and a project participant can export what it has access to in the projects it takes part in.

More about it is in About Catenda Data Export (for readers who are not signed in) and Introduction to Catenda Data Export (signed-in customers only).

Customers who have it find the setup in Catenda Data Export (Data Export customers only).