Configuring Meta Exports

Learn how to set up and customize data exports from your Meta (Facebook) advertising accounts to Google Sheets.

Overview

After connecting your Meta account, you can configure exports to send your advertising data to Google Sheets. This allows you to analyze campaign performance, track ad metrics, monitor audience insights, and create custom reports based on your Meta advertising data.

Prerequisites

Before configuring Meta exports, make sure you have:

Connected your Meta account (see Connecting Your Meta Account)
Connected at least one Google Sheet or BigQuery destination (see Configuring Google Sheets or Configuring Google BigQuery)
Verified that your Meta connection is active and working properly
Active campaigns, ad sets, or ads in your Meta ad accounts

Creating a Meta Export

Follow these steps to create a new Meta export:

Navigate to the Export Builder
From your dashboard, go to "Export Builder" and click "Create New Export".
Select Meta as the Data Source
Choose "Meta" from the list of available data sources.
Select Your Meta Ad Account
If you have multiple ad accounts connected, select the ad account you want to export data from.
Choose a Google Sheet
Select the Google Sheet where you want to export your Meta data.
Configure Export Settings
Set up the export configuration as described in the sections below.

The Meta export configuration screen
Save Your Export
Click "Create Export" to save your configuration and create the export.

Export Configuration Options

When configuring a Meta export, you have several options to customize what data is exported and how it's organized:

Data Tabs

Meta exports are organized by data types, with each type creating a separate tab in your Google Sheet:

The tab interface for configuring different data types

Available data tabs include:

Campaigns: Information about your advertising campaigns
Ad Sets: Details about your ad sets within campaigns
Ads: Information about individual ads
Insights: Performance metrics and analytics data (grouped by campaign/adset/ad)
Date: Daily performance metrics with one row per day for each campaign/adset/ad combination.
Audiences: Information about your custom audiences

For each data tab, you can select which columns (fields) to include in your export.

Column Selection

For each data tab, you can select which columns (fields) to include in your export:

The column selection interface for a data tab

Each data tab has its own set of available columns. Some common columns include:

Data Tab	Example Columns
Campaigns	ID, Name, Status, Objective, Budget, Start Time, End Time, Spend, Results
Ad Sets	ID, Name, Campaign ID, Status, Budget, Targeting, Optimization Goal, Bid Strategy
Ads	ID, Name, Ad Set ID, Status, Creative, Preview URL, Impressions, Clicks, CTR
Insights	Date Start, Date Stop, Campaign ID, Ad Set ID, Ad ID, Account ID, Impressions, Reach, Frequency, Clicks, CTR, CPC, Spend, Conversions, Purchases (1d Click), Purchases (7d Click), Purchases (1d View), Purchases (7d View)
Date	Date Start, Date Stop, Campaign ID, Campaign Name, Ad Set ID, Ad Set Name, Ad ID, Ad Name, Account ID, Impressions, Reach, Frequency, Clicks, CTR, CPC, Spend, Conversions, Purchases (1d Click), Purchases (7d Click), Purchases (1d View), Purchases (7d View). Note: Creates one row per day for each campaign/adset/ad combination, filling in missing dates with blank rows.
Audiences	ID, Name, Description, Size, Type, Creation Time, Rule

You can use the "Select All" and "Deselect All" buttons to quickly manage your column selections.

Date Range Options

You can specify the date range for which you want to export data using Meta's preset date ranges:

Today: Data from the current day
Yesterday: Data from the previous day
Last 3 days: Data from the previous 3 days
Last 7 days: Data from the previous week
Last 14 days: Data from the previous two weeks
Last 28 days: Data from the previous four weeks
Last 30 days: Data from the previous month
Last 90 days: Data from the previous three months
This month: Data from the current month
Last month: Data from the previous month
This quarter: Data from the current quarter
Maximum: Maximum available data range

These date presets are used by the Meta API to filter data for all data types, including Campaigns, Ad Sets, Ads, and Insights.

Data Handling

For each data tab, you can choose how to handle the exported data:

Replace (default): Each export run will clear existing data and replace it with new data. For the Date tab, this exports the full date range specified by your date preset.
Append: Each export run will add new data rows without removing existing data. For the Date tab, when append mode is enabled, the system automatically uses incremental exports - it only fetches data from the day after your last export date to today, making it efficient for building historical datasets.

The append option is particularly useful for building historical datasets over time, especially for Insights and Date data. When enabled, new data will be added to existing rows rather than replacing them.

Date Tab - Daily Breakdown

The Date tab provides a daily breakdown of your performance metrics, with one row per day for each campaign/adset/ad combination. This is particularly useful for time-series analysis and identifying daily trends.

Complete Date Coverage

The Date tab automatically fills in missing dates with blank rows. If a campaign had no impressions on a particular day, you'll still see a row for that date with the campaign information and date, but with empty metrics. This ensures you have complete date coverage for all entities that had activity during your selected date range.

How it works with multiple campaigns/ads:

Each unique combination of campaign, ad set, and ad gets its own set of daily rows
If Campaign A had activity on Day 1 and Campaign B had activity on Day 2, both campaigns will have rows for all days in your date range
Days with no activity will show blank metrics but still include the entity information and date
This makes it easy to track daily performance trends across all your campaigns and ads

Append Mode Behavior:

When append mode is enabled, the Date tab uses incremental exports - it only fetches new data from the day after your last export
This makes it efficient for daily scheduled exports, as it only processes new days rather than re-exporting the entire date range
When replace mode is used, it exports the full date range specified by your date preset

Account ID Field

Each data tab includes an Account ID field that can be used to identify which Meta Ad Account the data belongs to. This is especially useful if you're exporting data from multiple ad accounts.

Best Practices

Focus on Key Metrics: Select only the columns you actually need for your analysis to keep your sheets manageable
Use Multiple Exports: Create separate exports for different purposes (e.g., one for campaign management, another for performance analysis)
Combine with Other Data: Use Google Sheets to combine your Meta data with data from other sources like Google Analytics or Google Ads
Regular Scheduling: Set up daily or weekly exports to track performance trends over time
Append for Historical Data: Use the append option for Insights and Date data to build a historical dataset beyond Meta's standard reporting periods. The Date tab is especially efficient with append mode, as it only exports new days incrementally.
Replace for Current State: Use the replace option for Campaigns, Ad Sets, and Ads to always have the current state of your advertising structure
Use Date Tab for Daily Analysis: The Date tab is ideal for daily performance tracking, trend analysis, and creating time-series visualizations in Google Sheets
Complete Date Coverage: The Date tab ensures you have rows for every day in your date range, even when there was no activity, making it easier to identify gaps in your advertising performance

Troubleshooting

Missing Data

If your export is missing expected data:

Verify that you've selected the appropriate columns for each data tab
Check if the date range is appropriate for the data you're looking for
Ensure that your campaigns, ad sets, or ads were active during the selected period
Verify that you have the necessary permissions to access that data

Export Errors

If your export fails with errors:

Check the export logs for specific error messages (see Viewing Export Logs)
Verify that your Meta connection is still active and the token hasn't expired
Check if your Google Sheet is accessible and has not been deleted
Be aware of Meta's API rate limits, which might affect large exports

Data Discrepancies

If you notice differences between exported data and Meta Ads Manager reports:

Be aware that Meta's attribution models and reporting windows can affect metrics
Check that the date ranges match exactly
Understand that Meta may have slight delays in reporting data
Consider time zone differences between your Meta account and the export