[Feature Request] Support Data Table Import/Export via Common File Formats

Feature Requests
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1

The idea is:

Add the ability to import and export data in Data Table nodes using common file formats (such as CSV, XLSX, and JSON). This would make it easy for users to transfer table data between external sources and n8n, and vice versa.

My use case:

  • Importing large datasets from spreadsheets or databases into Data Table nodes.
  • Exporting table data from n8n for backup, reporting, or further processing in other tools.
  • Bulk updating or correcting data in the Data Table by importing files instead of manual edits.

I think it would be beneficial to add this because:

The current Data Table node does not support file import or export, making it challenging to migrate or reuse structured data. Introducing this feature will make workflows much more flexible and encourage broader usage of Data Table for business processes.

Any resources to support this?

  • Popular automation platforms like Zapier and Make offer similar features and users find file/table management extremely practical.
  • Open-source JS/TS libraries for handling file formats: papaparse (CSV), xlsx (Excel), jsonfile (JSON).

Are you willing to work on this?

Yes, I am happy to help with requirements, design discussions, and testing.
Nguyen Thieu Toan, n8n Creator — nguyenthieutoan | n8n Creator

4

We definitely need to have something like that. I use the data table, I like it but I need import and export 100%

5

Great suggestion! Adding native import/export capabilities would make Data Tables much more usable for daily tasks. Upvoted!

I believe these features go hand-in-hand with better automation and data structure support. Since we are discussing Data Table improvements, I’ve just opened two related requests that would complement this perfectly:

  1. Public API support for Data Tables
    Why: This would allow programmatic access (CRUD) to tables. While file import is great for manual work, an API allows for automated backups, migrations, and syncing data from external scripts without opening the UI.

  2. Add JSON (Object) and Array data types
    Why: Currently, we are limited to flat types (String/Number/Boolean/Datetime). Adding native JSON support would eliminate the need to JSON.stringify complex objects or API responses before storing them.

It feels like Data Tables need this “bundle” of features (File IO + API + Complex Types) to become a truly powerful tool in n8n. If these sound useful for your use cases, I’d appreciate your support on them as well!

1 Like
6

Btw, I’ve updated to v1.123.5 and I see:

Data Table export to CSV

image
image402Ă—173 5.01 KB

Data Table import from CSV

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image583Ă—587 21.1 KB

I’ve tested both features and it works! @nguyenthieutoan

1 Like
7

Thanks for the update — I’ve tested this new feature and it’s really great! However, when trying the import function I ran into a few issues and had to adjust the data before it could be imported successfully, so I think it’s good already but still has room for improvement.

1 Like
8

Yeah, when exporting and then importing the same table from CSV, it would be great to be able to mark certain fields so that they are not imported. Otherwise, there is a conflict with the system fields: createdAt and updatedAt.

9

While it nice having this!

I would like a way for one field complex query … or I am not aware of this lol…