---
title: "Building a Document Export Query"
slug: "creating-a-document-export-query-with-configurable-joins"
updated: 2026-04-03T22:17:48Z
published: 2026-04-03T22:17:48Z
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://knowledge.technolutions.net/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Building a Document Export Query

To [export documents](/v1/docs/getting-started-with-document-exports) from Slate, you’ll create a query that returns one row per document. You can use filters to limit the documents that are returned by this query.

> [!NOTE]
> 💼 Don’t want to start from scratch?
> 
> Copy this [Suitcase](/docs/suitcase-import) ID and paste it in **Database → Suitcase Import**to import a pre-made example document export query.
> 
> ```SuitcaseID
> 97b20e37-b617-4b79-95d9-999503cf24e7:slate-examples
> ```
> 
> Optionally, continue to [adding metadata](/v1/docs/creating-a-document-export-query-with-configurable-joins#adding-metadata) and [customizing file names](/v1/docs/creating-a-document-export-query-with-configurable-joins#customizing-file-names).
> 
> When satisfied with the query, proceed to [Scheduling Document Exports](/v1/docs/scheduling-document-exports).

## Creating the query

1. Go to **Queries / Reports.**
2. Select **New Query.**
3. Configure the following settings:
  - **Name:**Enter a name for the query.
  - **Folder:** Select an existing folder, or select *Other*to create a new one.
  - **Type**: Configurable Joins
  - **Category**: Related
  - **Base**: Document [![Configure_New_Query_Settings.png](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/configure_new_query_settings.png)](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/configure_new_query_settings.png)
4. Select **Save.**
5. Select **Edit Properties.**
6. Configure the following settings:
  - **Limit Rows**: There is a strict limit of 5,000 documents per query execution, so this must be a value of 5,000 or less.
  - **Execution Options**: Retrieve only the new records since the query was last run
    - 📖 [More on query execution options](/v1/docs/data-export#the-different-ways-queries-can-return-records)
  - **Fetch Behavior**: Preserve where clause on fetch if required by one or more filters.
  - **Queue**: None (default)
    - [Queues](/v1/docs/query-settings#queue) can’t be used with a document export.
    - Do not adjust this setting.
  - **Secondary Key**: Paste the following:

```plaintext
doc__JID_.[stream]
```

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/Edit Properties Settings - Secondary Key.png)
7. Select **Save.**

## Adding required exports

To create a document export query, you must include the direct exports `pdf:xml` and `pdf:file`:

- `pdf:xml`**:** Specifies the file data to export
- `pdf:file`: Determines the filename

To add these exports to the query:

1. Select **Export.**
2. Select `pdf:file` and `pdf:xml`. [![Exports_-_pdf-xml__pdf-file.png](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/exports_-_pdf-xml__pdf-file.png)](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/exports_-_pdf-xml__pdf-file.png)
3. Select **Continue.**
4. Select **Rename Exports**.
5. For both exports, remove the preceding `Document `. The exports must be named `pdf:file` and `pdf:xml`. [![Rename_Exports.png](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/rename_exports.png)](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/rename_exports.png)
6. Select **Save**.

## Adding metadata

You can add metadata to your exported documents by recreating the `pdf:xml` direct export as a subquery export.

📖 [Adding a Header or Footer to Documents in a Document Export Query](/v1/docs/adding-a-header-or-footer-to-documents-in-a-document-export-query)

## Customizing file names

Slate generates unique file names for exported documents using the `pdf:file` direct export.

You can customize the file name scheme by recreating `pdf:file` as a subquery export.

📖 [Customizing the document file name in a document export query](/v1/docs/customizing-the-document-file-name-in-a-document-export-query)

## ➡️ Next up: Scheduling the document export

Your next step is to configure the query’s **schedule export settings**, which****define the format of the exported files.

> [!NOTE]
> ➡️ [Scheduling document exports](/v1/docs/scheduling-document-exports)