Enhancing Data Export in IBM OpenPages 9.1.1: More Control, Flexibility, and Usability
With the introduction of the Data Export utility in IBM OpenPages 9.1, organizations gained a powerful new way to extract and utilize their GRC data. This feature enabled direct export of OpenPages data as CSV files to external storage destinations such as AWS S3, IBM Cloud Object Storage (COS), or SFTP servers—streamlining integration with downstream analytics and reporting tools.
In the latest 9.1.1 release, IBM has taken this capability a step further, delivering a suite of enhancements that significantly improve usability, flexibility, and control over exported data. These updates are designed to meet the evolving needs of enterprise users who rely on timely, accurate, and customizable data exports for compliance, risk analysis, and strategic decision-making.
Key Enhancements in OpenPages 9.1.1
1. Job Cancellation Support
One serviceability improvement is the ability to cancel a running export job. Whether triggered by an incorrect configuration or a change in data requirements, administrators can now stop an export in progress without waiting for it to complete. In case of troubleshooting or errors this saves time and system resources, especially when dealing with large datasets.
2. Exporting Tags
Tags are a powerful way to categorize and filter data within OpenPages. With 9.1.1, if an object type has tagging enabled, those tags are now included in the exported CSV files. This enhancement ensures that metadata used for classification and reporting is preserved and accessible in external systems.
3. Support for Multiple Reporting Periods
Data exports are now more context-aware with support for multiple reporting periods. Users can specify which reporting period to export using the new configuration path: "/Applications/Common/Data Export/Reporting Period Names".
The default is to export Current Reporting Period. Additionally, the exported CSV now includes a “Reporting Period Id” column to every CSV file including for tags and associations, making it easier to track and analyze data across different timeframes.
4. Customizable Date and Time Formats
To better align with regional and organizational standards, OpenPages 9.1.1 introduces more control over date and time stamp formats in the CSV output. Use the new setting "/Applications/Common/Data Export/Timestamp Format" to manage the timestamp that is exported for any timestamp field such as Created On or Last Modified on. This ensures consistency with other systems and simplifies parsing and analysis in tools that expect specific timestamp formats such as WatsonX.Data.
5. Improved Stability for Large Datasets
Behind the scenes, IBM has implemented various stability improvements to ensure that exports involving large volumes of data are more reliable and performant. These enhancements reduce the risk of timeouts or memory issues, providing a smoother experience for users handling enterprise-scale data.