Export ServiceNow Report to Excel: How To Guide [2025]

Looking for the best method for exporting a ServiceNow report to Excel? You’re not alone.

Despite offering its own reporting and analytics capabilities, many ServiceNow users prefer, or even need to export ServiceNow reports to Excel.

ServiceNow also recognizes, and provides a number of native capabilities for exporting ServiceNow data to Excel.

However, such capabilities are not always fit for purpose, and Excel isn’t always the best destination for your ServiceNow data.

In this guide, you will learn about the available methods for exporting ServiceNow reports to Excel, the use cases where each method excels, and the Excel-alternatives that help organizations extract more value from ServiceNow data.

Don’t have time to read the entire article? No worries, we’ve got you covered:

TL;DR: Export ServiceNow Report to Excel Overview

Export Report to Excel from ServiceNow Reporting: ServiceNow’s built-in export capabilities can be accessed directly within ServiceNow Reporting.
Navigate to Reports → View/Run and select the report you want to export.
Click the Share icon, then click Schedule → Type → Excel (.xlsx).
Other options for exporting reports and report data: Users can also export ServiceNow data for reporting via ServiceNow platform lists and via data replication and integration solutions.
Limitations: ServiceNow’s native export methods lack automation, have a 10,000-record limit, can degrade platform performance with large datasets, and often lose context (attachments, relationships, comments).
When to use native export methods: For smaller datasets (i.e. fewer than 1000 records) and one-off exports.
When to choose other export methods: For larger datasets, real-time data, or complex transformations, use data replication tools like Perspectium, which offer automated exports and advanced integrations.
For a more in-depth guide, explore the full article.

How to Export ServiceNow Reports to Excel: Native Export Capabilities

ServiceNow provides native export capabilities for exporting ServiceNow reports, and/or reporting data to Excel.

The primary method is to export from a ServiceNow report itself—which can be done in just a few clicks. Users can also export ServiceNow reporting data from platform lists, or using ServiceNow’s and/or third-party data replication and integration solutions.

Method 1: Export a ServiceNow Report from ServiceNow Reporting

The most common approach to exporting a ServiceNow report to Excel. Here’s the step-by-step process:

Log in to your ServiceNow instance and navigate to Reports.
Go to View/Run and select the report you want to export into a spreadsheet.
Click on the Sharing icon (square with arrow), and then select Schedule.
Click Type and select Excel (.xlsx) from the dropdown menu.

Exported reports are shared via email. Users can enter recipients details, as well as add a message to share along with the report.

Method 2: Export ServiceNow Data from a Platform List

Sometimes, you only need specific records for basic analysis or sharing with colleagues. In such cases, method 2 is an ideal and simple option:

Navigate to the list you want to export.
Right-click the three dots (⋮) to the right of a column header.
Click “Export” → Excel (.xlsx).

While most of the limitations are consistent across exporting ServiceNow Reports to Excel, and exporting ServiceNow data from lists to Excel, they key difference is the flexibility provided to configure the contents of the export.

The conditional formatting available within ServiceNow lists makes it the more appropriate option for exporting data that meets select conditions.

In contrast, ServiceNow reports provide a quick and easy way to export all of the data in a pre-configured, reusable report.

Limitations of ServiceNow’s Native Export Capabilities

While ServiceNow’s native export methods are widely used, they come with certain limitations:

Export Limits

The default export limit in ServiceNow for most file types (including .csv .xlsx, and .xls) is 10,000 records. Breaking large datasets into smaller chunks is one possible workaround, but this is inefficient and time-consuming, especially when dealing with hundreds of thousands of records.

It can create operational bottlenecks, particularly if you’re archiving data or conducting big data analysis. Another workaround is to increase the export limit. However, this is not recommended as the limits are in place to avoid overloading the platform.

Performance Issues

Exporting large datasets can degrade ServiceNow’s performance, affecting query speeds and platform responsiveness. Organizations that experience poor performance when exporting data should consider purpose-built integration and data replication solutions.

Such solutions are better able to facilitate significant throughput (thousands of records per day), or even enterprise-scale throughput (hundreds of thousands of records per day) without overburdening ServiceNow performance.

Lack of Error Handling

While ServiceNow’s native export capabilities are simple enough to operate, there isn’t always a simple solution when things go wrong. Incompatible formats, corrupted files and even human error can lead to issues such as incomplete data sets, and incorrect data in the exported file, among other issues.

When such issues arise, working out exactly what went wrong, what is missing, and retrying the export are all manual processes.

Purpose-built ServiceNow integration and data replication solutions avoid this by providing monitoring and integration error handling mechanisms such as status receipts and “reshare” capabilities.

Lack of Context

In most cases, attachments, comments, and relationships between records are not captured by a ServiceNow-to-Excel export. This lack of context can result in insufficient context and incomplete datasets, reducing the value of the exported data.

Additionally, ServiceNow-to-Excel exports do not capture referential integrity and relationships between tables (e.g., child records), making it challenging to perform comprehensive analysis across related records.

Scalability Challenges

As well as the platform’s default export limits, the manual effort required to export ServiceNow data to Excel makes the process essentially impossible to scale. Even for occasional use cases such as quarterly and monthly reporting, the lack of scalability presents a significant operational bottleneck that causes delays downstream.

Exported Data is Static

Once data is exported using ServiceNow’s native export capabilities, it becomes static, and there is no way to automatically synchronize the data set with the source. This means data is essentially out of date the moment it leaves the platform.

Organizations that want to work with up-to-date, real-time data need to consider purpose-built solutions to extract data, and a more modern reporting solution to work with the data once extracted. Solutions such as Tableau, Power BI and Yellowfin can be integrated with ServiceNow so they always reflect accurate, up to date ServiceNow datasets.

Troubleshooting Common Issues with ServiceNow Exports

When using ServiceNow’s native export capabilities, a number of issues can arise. Some of which are made more likely and/or problematic because of the limitations to ServiceNow’s export capabilities listed above.

Issue 1: Data in export does not match the data in platform

This is a common, but typically not too serious, issue. Inconsistencies between data in an export and what is shown in a platform list can often be explained when a table has access controls specific to a user’s current session. A list export cannot access user session data and so session-specific data is not captured.

If user session data is not the issue, then the lack of integration error handling and monitoring can make it difficult to narrow down the cause. However, organizations can also check the report, list or export’s configuration to rule those out next.

Issue 2: Failed exports

Exports can fail for a number of different reasons. Again, the lack of ServiceNow integration error handling and monitoring present a further challenge here. One way to work with regular export failures is to export data in smaller batches.

This can make it easier to establish whether a particular dataset, or a particular corrupted file is the issue. This is of course, not ideal. But aside from investing in a purpose-built replication solution, organizations have little choice.

Another top tip for working with export failures, is to back up your data before export. While ServiceNow users lack the ability to control, or create on-demand backups with ServiceNow-provided capabilities, organizations can instead explore purpose-built backup solutions for ServiceNow.

Export ServiceNow Report to Excel: Purpose-built Solutions

While native ServiceNow export capabilities can serve basic and one-off use cases, they fall short when organizations need scalable, automated, and real-time access to ServiceNow data. In these cases, purpose-built integration and replication solutions are the better option.

These solutions are designed with scalability and automation in mind—helping organizations eliminate manual overhead and reduce the operational risk of relying on static exports. Instead of downloading and distributing spreadsheets manually, purpose-built tools can automatically sync ServiceNow data to Excel or to other reporting environments, such as Power BI, Tableau, or a data warehouse.

Unlike static exports, this approach allows Excel files or dashboards to stay in sync with the source ServiceNow data, enabling users to always work from the most up-to-date version. This is critical for operational reporting, real-time analytics, and audit or compliance scenarios where data freshness matters.

It’s important to note, however, that not all solutions are created equal. Purpose-built integrations fall into two main categories:

API-based integrations: These are better suited for real-time or near-real-time use cases involving small to medium-sized datasets, and high-frequency transactions. They’re ideal for dashboards, live reporting, or event-driven automations but can struggle with throughput when volumes scale into the hundreds of thousands of records.
ETL-based (Extract, Transform, Load) solutions: These are better for large-scale data exports, as they are built to move bulk data on a scheduled basis, such as hourly, daily, or weekly. They’re ideal for offloading large datasets into data lakes, warehouses, or BI platforms for complex analysis and historical trend tracking.

While both options provide more throughput and automation than manual exports, many generic integration platforms still struggle to operate efficiently at scale within ServiceNow’s architectural limits. For example, when export volumes reach hundreds of thousands of records per day, most off-the-shelf connectors can degrade platform performance or even fail to move the required data within acceptable timeframes.

To address this, some solutions are specifically optimized for ServiceNow’s data model and performance constraints. One such example is Perspectium, which offers ServiceNow-native integration and data replication capabilities built to handle enterprise-scale volumes—without impacting ServiceNow performance.

Unlike traditional integrations, Perspectium does not rely on ETL, or on the ServiceNow API to initiate data transfers, allowing it to bypass many of the throughput and performance limitations associated with ETL and API-based solutions.

Among other benefits, this allows Perspectium to provide both the dynamic, real-time data movement associated with API ServiceNow connectors, and the large volume data distribution in bulk, associated with ETL.

This architectural advantage enables faster, more reliable data movement, even at very high volumes.

For organizations with significant reporting or data warehousing needs, or those looking to build real-time dashboards without overburdening their instance, investing in a purpose-built ServiceNow integration solution can make a substantial difference in performance, reliability, and operational efficiency.

Should Organizations Export ServiceNow Data to Excel?

Now that we’ve established how to export a ServiceNow report to Excel, it’s time to consider whether you should …

Whether or not an organization should export ServiceNow data to Excel largely depends on the specific requirements, such as data volume, frequency of data movement, and the purpose for which the data will be used.

When You Should Export ServiceNow Data to Excel

Small, One-Off Data Exports

Excel is a widely accessible tool for non-technical users. So, use it if you:

Have smaller datasets
Want to perform basic analysis
Need simple reporting and data visualization
Do not require real-time or complex data handling

Ad-Hoc Analysis or Temporary Needs

For ad-hoc analysis or when you need to pull one-time data snapshots from ServiceNow, exporting data to Excel might be the easiest way to get a manageable dataset quickly.

When to Choose Other Data Targets Over Excel

While Excel is widely used and familiar, it’s not always the best destination for ServiceNow data—especially as data needs grow in complexity, scale, or timeliness.

Organizations looking to extract more value from their ServiceNow data should consider modern alternatives such as data warehouses, business intelligence (BI) platforms, and data lakes, which offer superior scalability, automation, and analytical capability.

Here are key scenarios where it’s worth moving beyond Excel:

Enterprise-Scale and Real-Time Data Needs

Excel was never designed to handle tens or hundreds of thousands of records in real-time. If your organization requires constant access to up-to-date ServiceNow data, or needs to manage large volumes of data across departments, Excel quickly becomes inefficient and brittle.

Data warehouses and BI solutions such as Snowflake, Power BI and Tableau, offer better performance for high-volume, high-frequency data environments.
These platforms can ingest real-time or near-real-time data via purpose-built integrations, enabling operational decisions based on the most current information.

Enhanced Reporting and Analytics

Integrating ServiceNow with BI solutions and analytics platforms provides much more control and capabilities than static spreadsheets:

They support interactive dashboards, drill-down views, predictive analytics, and data blending across multiple systems (e.g., combining ServiceNow data with Salesforce, Jira, or ERP data).
Analysts can use drag-and-drop interfaces or custom SQL queries to explore trends and anomalies, visualize ITSM KPIs, and build executive dashboards—all without manually manipulating raw data in spreadsheets.
Tools like Power BI, Tableau, and Yellowfin are built for data storytelling at scale, whereas Excel is better suited to individual ad hoc analysis.

For Better Data Quality and Reduced Manual Effort

Exporting data to Excel introduces manual steps that can easily lead to:

Human error, such as deleted rows, incorrect formulas, or stale data.
Version control issues, especially when multiple stakeholders work from different copies of the same file.
Data integrity risks, as referential relationships, attachments, and comments are not preserved during export.

Purpose-built integration tools help maintain data fidelity and reduce risk by automating data movement, preserving relationships, and enforcing validations during the transfer process. Additionally, centralized data governance becomes easier when data is stored and analyzed in unified systems, rather than fragmented across individual spreadsheets.

For More Complex Data Transformations

Excel is limited in how it can handle large-scale data transformation logic, especially when processing:

Nested or related records
Conditional logic across multiple datasets
Historical tracking or audit trails
Data cleansing or enrichment

For Regulatory Compliance and Audit Requirements

Certain industries (e.g., finance, healthcare, government) require strict controls over how data is accessed, stored, and audited.

BI platforms and cloud-based data storage options typically offer role-based access controls, audit logs, and compliance certifications that help organizations meet regulatory standards.
Exporting sensitive data into spreadsheets can create compliance risks, especially when those files are emailed, shared, or stored in unsecured locations.

For Cross-System Visibility and Integration

If you’re trying to understand the full picture of a business process—like incident resolution, asset management, or customer onboarding—you’ll need to combine ServiceNow data with data from other systems.

Excel makes it difficult to merge, filter, or normalize data from different sources in a scalable way.
Cloud data platforms and BI tools are built to ingest and model data from multiple systems, enabling integrated insights across your entire ecosystem.

How To Export ServiceNow Data to Data Warehouses and Purpose-Built Reporting/BI Solutions

If you’re exporting ServiceNow data to a data warehouse or reporting/BI solution, ServiceNow’s manual export options are unlikely to be fit for purpose. These destinations demand scalable, automated, and often near-real-time data transfers that go far beyond what native exports or Excel-based workflows can support.

To meet these requirements, purpose-built integration and replication solutions are essential. They enable consistent, high-volume, and reliable data movement—preserving data relationships, handling errors, and minimizing impact on platform performance. Whether you’re feeding dashboards in Power BI or populating a centralized data lake, these solutions form the backbone of any serious ServiceNow data strategy.

Now that you know what kind of solution you need, the next question is:

What Considerations Should I Make When Selecting a Replication/Integration Solution?

Selecting the right data replication and integration solution for ServiceNow is critical. With so many options on the market, how do you determine which one best fits your organization’s goals, scale, and technical requirements?

Here are the key factors to evaluate:

Performance

Begin by assessing how the solution will impact your ServiceNow environment. Many integration tools rely on API-based or ETL methods, which can be resource-intensive and degrade performance—especially during large exports or peak usage periods.

When throughput requirements exceed 100,000 records per day, evaluate solutions that use efficient replication technologies, such as a publish/subscribe (pub/sub) model. These approaches can enable high-throughput data movement while preserving the responsiveness and stability of your ServiceNow instance.

Real-Time Data Delivery

If your business relies on timely, accurate information, real-time data delivery should be a priority. Choose a solution that can export and synchronize data the moment records are created or updated—without creating performance bottlenecks.

This is especially important for organizations with real-time dashboards, time-sensitive workflows, or data-driven operations.

Resource Requirements

Some integration tools are lightweight and easy to manage. Others—particularly API-based options—can require considerable effort to maintain. These may need ongoing customizations, frequent fixes, and hands-on monitoring.

If your organization lacks dedicated IT resources for integration management, consider solutions that are designed to be low-maintenance and automated. Even better, look for vendors that offer a fully managed service with 24/7/365 support.

Scalability

Your integration solution should scale alongside your business. Some tools work well for small or occasional exports but struggle to handle large volumes or high-frequency data transfers.

Modern solutions built for enterprise-scale replication can manage millions of records per day without performance trade-offs. If your ServiceNow data volumes are growing, or you plan to expand your use of the platform, choose a solution that supports long-term scalability.

One-to-Many Replication

Many organizations need to distribute ServiceNow data to multiple systems, departments, or external tools—without giving each destination direct access to the platform.

Solutions with one-to-many replication capabilities allow you to share data with various consumers efficiently, securely, and without overloading ServiceNow. This is especially useful for organizations with multiple business units or reporting requirements that extend beyond a single tool.

For more help on choosing the right data replication and integration vendor, check out this whitepaper.

Why Perspectium is the Enterprise Choice for ServiceNow Data Integration

When it comes to replicating or integrating ServiceNow data at scale, not all solutions are created equal. Enterprise organizations require a platform that can deliver data quickly, reliably, and without compromising ServiceNow’s performance. Perspectium is purpose-built to meet these needs—and more.

Minimized Impact on ServiceNow Performance

Unlike traditional API-based integrations that can strain ServiceNow’s resources, Perspectium uses native push technology to send data directly from within the ServiceNow instance to a Message Broker System (MBS). This approach:

Runs natively in ServiceNow, requiring no external polling or added system load.
Reduces reliance on costly API calls and heavy ETL pipelines.
Maintains peak platform performance—even during high-frequency or high-volume exports.

Real-Time, High-Volume Data Delivery

Perspectium is designed to handle large-scale, high-throughput data movement with low latency, making it ideal for real-time dashboards, centralized analytics platforms, and time-sensitive workflows. Your data arrives when it’s needed—without delays or bottlenecks.

Automated and Intelligent Data Sharing

With Perspectium’s Dynamic Share feature, data exports are triggered automatically based on real-time conditions—such as record creation, updates, or specific business rules. This eliminates the need for manual intervention and ensures continuous data availability for downstream systems.

One-to-Many Data Distribution

Perspectium supports one-to-many replication, allowing ServiceNow data to be distributed to multiple destinations simultaneously. By decoupling the replication process from ServiceNow itself, the solution enables secure and scalable sharing across departments, business units, or analytics tools—without compromising system stability.

Fully Managed as a Service

Perhaps most importantly, Perspectium is delivered as a fully managed service. The platform, including the MBS, is implemented and maintained by Perspectium’s experts—reducing the burden on your internal IT teams. This ensures:

Ongoing support and optimization
Faster time to value
Seamless alignment with ServiceNow’s release cycle, minimizing disruption during upgrades