Exports are not restores. HubSpot exports give you one‑off files for reporting or migration. backHUB is designed to back up HubSpot data, assets and settings with rapid point‑in‑time restore. Use exports for snapshots or analysis, and use restores when you need to recover safely and quickly after change or error.
What is the difference between a HubSpot export and a restore?
A HubSpot export creates files you can analyse or move elsewhere. A restore returns your HubSpot environment to a prior known good state, including the relationships between records and the configuration that drives automations, reporting and permissions. A sound restore path is measured against Recovery Point Objective, RPO, which is how much data you can afford to lose, and Recovery Time Objective, RTO, which is how fast you must be back. Exports help with snapshots; governed backup and restore protects business continuity.
Who is this article for and what will you gain?
If you lead growth, operations or technology, you will see why exports do not protect continuity and how a practical restore approach reduces risk. Growth Gabby will gain a board‑ready view of continuity and a path to reduce downtime. Steady Steve will see how to achieve predictable recovery with an audit trail and clear roles. Functional Frank will learn how to fix operational mistakes fast without long manual rework.
Which definitions do you need before you decide?
A backup is a governed copy of data, assets and settings kept so you can recover. A restore is the act of returning systems or records to a prior known good state. HubSpot exports are files generated from objects or tools for offline use. Software as a Service, SaaS, means the provider runs the platform while you control your data and configuration. Customer Relationship Management, CRM, is the customer data and processes you manage in HubSpot. An Application Programming Interface, API, gives scripted access that can extract or load data and configuration. Role based access control, RBAC, defines who can back up, restore and approve changes. Write Once Read Many, WORM, is an immutability control that helps prevent tampering with retained copies. The General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR, and the Data Processing Agreement, DPA, shape retention, erasure, portability and processor duties. backHUB provides robust backup and rapid point‑in‑time restore for HubSpot data, assets and settings with change tracking and access control, and it is designed to minimise downtime and data loss when AI or system changes affect your portal.
How do HubSpot exports work and when do they help?
HubSpot exports allow you to pull data from core objects such as contacts, companies, deals and tickets, along with selected properties and some activity data. Certain assets can also be downloaded from individual tools or via the API. These exports are helpful for offline reporting, one‑time audit checks and orderly migration steps. They are built into the platform, are easy to trigger and are convenient for moving data into spreadsheets or warehouses for analysis. When you only need a snapshot for review, exports fit well.
Why are exports not the same as restores?
An export does not return your environment to a prior state. Re‑importing files is manual and slow, and as scope grows the time to validate and correct errors grows too. Relationships between records and the settings that drive behaviour are often incomplete in flat files, so links break and automations or reports behave unexpectedly. Re‑imports can also introduce duplicates and inconsistent values. There is no portal‑wide rollback to a specific date and time using native exports alone, and coverage for assets and configuration is limited. For continuity, you need a restore path that recreates a coherent system state.
What does a point‑in‑time restore change in practice?
A point‑in‑time restore returns your data, assets and settings to a precise moment so processes, reporting and permissions work as they did before the incident. With backHUB you can see who changed what and when, which supports recovery decisions and audits. You can restore at record level for precise fixes, at object level for larger corrections, or across the portal when a wider rollback is required. You set roles, access and retention to match your governance policy, then plan and test restores so you know your RPO and RTO targets are realistic and achievable.
How do the outcomes and trade‑offs compare in real life?
Coverage is broader with a restore because you bring back data, assets and settings together with their relationships, while exports mainly deliver object rows and selected fields with limited assets and configuration. Speed to recover is shorter with a restore because the process returns a consistent state rather than relying on manual re‑imports and checks. Integrity of relationships is stronger with a restore because linked items are preserved, whereas exports can lose or mis‑align links. Risk and effort are lower with a governed restore because approvals, logs and controlled steps reduce manual correction work, while export‑based recovery demands more human effort and carries a higher chance of duplication or inconsistent values. For audit and governance, restores produce change tracking and evidence packs; exports leave you with scattered files and limited traceability.
When are exports enough and when are restores required?
Exports are enough when you need a one‑off snapshot for analysis, when your portal changes infrequently and when you have no formal recovery time commitments. Restores are required when you have defined RPO and RTO targets, when multiple teams or tools make frequent changes, when you must evidence recovery controls for governance or compliance and when integrations or AI can change records at scale. If in doubt, assume that any scenario that affects relationships, configuration or large volumes of records will need a restore.
How do common recovery scenarios play out with each approach?
If a bulk property update overwrites thousands of records, an export path requires you to find the latest files, reconcile changes, re‑import and then validate, which risks duplication and inconsistent values. A restore path returns the affected records to the moment before the change and then verifies counts, associations and reports. If a workflow is deleted or automation is misconfigured, exports offer little for logic or settings and you must rebuild by hand. A restore recovers workflow definitions, enrolment rules and dependencies so behaviour returns to normal. If an integration loop corrupts data, an export path demands time‑window analysis, filtering and careful re‑imports with heavy checking. A restore path pauses the integration, restores the affected objects and related records to pre‑incident time, then restarts with reconciliation. If a content or portal setting change has unintended impact, exports provide limited coverage for assets and settings, while a restore brings back both with a clear trace of changes.
What governance, audit and compliance controls should you apply?
You should restrict who can run backups and restores using RBAC, and you should require dual approval for production restores. You should capture who changed what and when, and you should keep approvals for restore actions so you can evidence control. Your retention schedules and handling rules should align with policy and GDPR, and you should document DPA references. You should encrypt data in transit and at rest, and you should store backups in approved regions that match your residency rules. These controls help you prove custody, maintain accountability and pass audits with confidence.
What should you implement this quarter to reduce risk?
You should set RPO and RTO with business owners and record them in your continuity plan. You should confirm that your backup scope includes data, assets, settings and relationships. You should assign clear roles for requester, executor, validator and approver, and you should run a sandbox restore drill that validates associations, configuration, automations and dashboards. You should keep an evidence pack with logs, approvals and results. If you still use exports for analysis, you should index them with dates, scope and owner and store them securely. You should review change tracking and recovery records after each exercise and improve procedures where needed.
Is a HubSpot export a backup or a restore?
No. An export creates files for analysis or migration. A backup supports a point‑in‑time restore to a known good state, including relationships and configuration. If continuity matters, you need a restore‑capable backup, not just a folder of files.
Can HubSpot roll back my portal to a specific date?
Not natively. Some items can be recovered for limited periods depending on edition and feature. Full portal rollback across data, assets and settings requires a dedicated backup and restore solution that supports point‑in‑time recovery.
When should I use exports?
Use exports for snapshots, offline reporting and early migration tasks where there are no recovery time commitments. Treat them as analysis tools, not as your primary safety net for continuity.
When do I need restore capability?
You need restore capability when you have RPO and RTO targets, when your teams change data and configuration frequently, when auditors expect evidence of recovery controls or when integrations and AI can make high‑volume changes that need a rapid, safe rollback.
Can I restore a single record without affecting others?
Yes. Targeted restores allow you to fix only what is broken, which reduces disruption and shortens validation. This is useful for high‑value records and small but sensitive mistakes.
How does this align with GDPR and audit requirements?
You should keep retention schedules, access controls and storage locations aligned with policy and document the legal basis for processing. You should maintain change tracking and recovery records so you can show what happened and when, and you should be able to respond to audit requests with a clear evidence pack.
What legal note should you bear in mind?
This article is for information only and is not legal advice. You should check your contracts, the DPA and privacy obligations for your jurisdictions and you should seek legal counsel where required.
What should you do next?
Get your backup coverage assessment. We will review your current approach against recovery, governance and compliance needs and provide a clear plan to achieve fast, safe, point‑in‑time restore.
FAQs
Is a HubSpot export a backup or a restore?
No. An export creates files you can analyse or migrate. A backup exists to support a point in time restore to a known good state, including relationships between records and the configuration that drives automations and reports. If continuity matters, you need a restore‑capable backup rather than a folder of files.
Can HubSpot roll back my portal to a specific date?
Not natively. Some items can be recovered for limited periods depending on edition and feature, however a full portal rollback across data, assets and settings requires a dedicated backup and restore capability that supports point in time recovery.
When should I use exports rather than a restore?
Use exports for snapshots, offline reporting and early migration tasks where you do not have recovery time commitments. Exports are convenient for analysis, however they do not recreate system state. If you need the environment to behave as it did before an incident, you need a restore.
When do I need a point in time restore?
You need restore capability when you have Recovery Point Objective and Recovery Time Objective targets to meet, when several teams and tools change records and configuration frequently, when auditors expect evidence of recovery controls, or when integrations and AI can update large volumes of data quickly.
Can I restore a single record without affecting others?
Yes. Selective restores let you fix a specific record or a defined set of records without changing unaffected areas. This limits disruption for live users and reduces the amount of validation required after recovery.
Will a restore interrupt live users?
Targeted restores can be performed with minimal impact because they focus on specific records or configurations. For broader rollbacks, schedule a short change freeze, communicate the window and validate results before you return teams to normal use. Clear roles and approvals keep the process predictable.
How often should backups run to meet typical RPO targets?
Set cadence from business need, not guesswork. If your Recovery Point Objective is four hours, your backup schedule must be at least that frequent and your monitoring must confirm success. Increase frequency when change volume rises or when the cost of re‑work grows.
How do I test a restore safely without risking production?
Use a sandbox where possible, or constrain the scope tightly if you must use production. Define objectives and success criteria, perform the point in time restore, and validate data parity, associations, configuration, automations and dashboards. Keep a complete evidence pack with logs, approvals, screenshots and timings.
Does a sandbox clone count as a backup?
No. A sandbox is useful for testing changes and practising restores, however it is not a recoverable point in time copy of production. Use sandboxes for safe drills, and use an independent backup to capture data, assets and settings so you can restore system state when needed.
How does this approach align with GDPR and audit requirements?
Keep retention schedules, access controls and storage locations aligned with policy and the Data Processing Agreement. Maintain change tracking and recovery records so you can evidence what happened and when. Plan a controlled re‑deletion step after any restore so erased records are not reintroduced.
Where should backups be stored and how are they secured?
Store backups in approved regions that align with your data residency policy, for example the United Kingdom or the European Union. Encrypt data in transit and at rest, manage keys through a Key Management Service or Hardware Security Module where policy requires it, and enable immutability for retention classes that need tamper resistance.
How do I prevent erased records from reappearing after a restore?
Maintain an erasure log that records identifiers, scope, dates and legal basis. After a restore, compare the restored dataset to the log and run a controlled re‑deletion so erased records do not return. Keep approvals and timestamps as audit evidence and test this step in your regular restore drill.
