What to export from your gym software before you switch

#Why export first

Access to your data often ends when the subscription ends. Some vendors keep an export open for a period after cancellation, some do not, and some say nothing. You cannot ask for a file after the login stops working.

So export before you tell anyone you are leaving. It also tells you honestly how portable your data is. If the export is poor, you want to know that while you still have leverage.

#The checklist

Tick each one. For every file, note the date you pulled it and the row count.

#Members

• Full name, phone, email, date of birth if held
• Join date and current status (active, expired, frozen)
• Current plan, start date, end date
• Assigned trainer
• Emergency contact and health notes, if you collect them
• Fingerprint or card ID from the device

#Plans and pricing

• Your list of plans, durations and prices
• Any discounts or offers applied to a member
• Freeze and transfer history

#Payments

• Every payment: date, member, amount, mode (cash, UPI, card), reference
• Part-payments and the balance after each
• Refunds and adjustments
• Current dues per member

#Invoices

• Every invoice as a file you can open, with number, date, GSTIN, rate and tax split
• The invoice numbering series, so the new system can continue it
• Credit notes, if any

Your CA will ask for these. The rules on what an invoice must show are in GST on gym membership.

#Attendance

• Check-in date and time per member, for at least the last 12 months
• Source of each punch (device, QR, desk), if available

#Leads

• Name, phone, source, date, status and notes for every enquiry
• Follow-up history

#Staff and trainers

• Trainer list and which members they handle
• Session logs, if you pay per session
• Commission or payroll reports for the period

#Settings worth saving

• Message templates you have used
• Branch details and GSTIN per branch
• Opening hours, class timetable and capacity rules

#Check the files, do not just save them

An export you have not opened is a hope, not a backup. For each file:

1. Open it in Excel or Google Sheets.
2. Count the rows and compare to the screen. Members, payments and invoices should match.
3. Spot-check five members end to end: plan, dates, dues, payments.
4. Look for blank columns. If phone numbers are empty, the export is useless.
5. Check the date format and whether money is stored as numbers.

Write the counts on a single page. These are your control totals for the new system.

#Where exports go wrong

• Only the current month. Some exports default to a recent date range. Set the range wide.
• PDF instead of data. A report you can print is not a file you can import.
• Missing IDs. Without member IDs, payments cannot be joined back to members.
• Invoices as a single image. Ask for individual files.
• Hidden plan limits. Export may exist only on a higher plan. Ask before you assume.

If a table is missing, say so to the vendor in writing and ask for it. Keep the email.

#Store it properly

Save the export in two places, in a folder named with the date. Treat it as personal data: your members' phone numbers and health notes should not sit on a shared device or in a group chat. Keep it for as long as your CA or your own record policy needs, and delete what you no longer need.

#Questions for any vendor

Ask the new vendor the same thing in reverse: can I export everything, at any time, and how long does that stay available if I cancel? Get the answer in writing. The wider list is in 22 questions to ask every gym software vendor, and the full move is in how to switch gym software.

#Where Helmr fits

Helmr, gym management software for India, is in early access. Migration is a commitment: free, assisted and included, and the plan is that you can export your data yourself. Export is planned to stay available for 30 days after cancellation, as set out on the pricing page.

Want help planning your own export? Message us on WhatsApp.