Best Practices for Handling CSV Exports

Maxio exports structured CSV files that can be used for reporting, analysis, or integration with external tools. Follow these practices when parsing exported files, and understand how Maxio sanitizes sensitive string values to protect against spreadsheet-based execution risks.

How Maxio sanitizes exported data

To protect your data when opened in spreadsheet tools, Maxio modifies any string value that begins with one of the following characters:

• + (plus sign)
• - (minus sign)
• = (equals sign)
• @ (at sign)

This is a precaution to prevent formula injection or malicious code execution. The change applies only to the exported CSV file, your underlying data in Maxio remains untouched.

Parsing exported CSV files

We recommend identifying fields by their column headers (e.g., customer_email) rather than by position (for example, "column E"). Column order may vary depending on your export settings or if new fields are introduced.

Some exports, especially for Subscriptions, include optional fields such as:

• Custom fields
• Component data
• Estimated renewal amounts
• Last invoice totals

Customizing export fields

You can control which optional fields are included in Subscription exports under Config > Settings > CSV Exports. This applies to data such as component data and estimated renewals. On sites using the newer Products catalog terminology, this same setting is labeled Products instead of Components.

Custom fields are controlled separately: each custom field has its own Display Field Data on CSV Export option, set on that field's own edit page under Setup > Custom Fields, rather than in the CSV Exports settings above.

To review every available field across export types, see Billing Export Fields Reference, Product and Tax Export Fields Reference, Component Export Fields Reference, and Cross-Site Export Fields Reference.

Related information

To learn how to initiate a data export in the first place, see Understand Data Export.