Data Portability and Switching
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This page explains how customers can get their data out of Zefort or move it to another service. It covers the available options, what the export contains, how the files are organised and the time allowed for a switch.
Request an export or switch
A Zefort account administrator can request an export or start a switch by emailing support@zefort.com. Tell us which account the request concerns, whether you want a complete export or a switch, your preferred date and where you want the data sent.
Zefort checks that the requester is authorised and agrees a secure delivery method with the customer. It then confirms what will be transferred, when it will happen and roughly how much data is involved. Zefort also explains how the customer can check the transfer and any known risk of interruption.
Ways to move data
- Complete export: Zefort prepares and checks a copy of the account data as it exists at an agreed time.
- Transfer to another location: where suitable, Zefort can send the export to secure storage controlled by the customer or to another agreed destination.
- Access during a move: if helpful, the customer may also use Zefort’s available APIs, arrange more than one transfer or use another supported connection.
The best option depends on the account, the amount of data and the destination. An export moves customer data, files and settings. It does not move the Zefort application or automatically recreate Zefort’s features in another service.
What the export includes
A complete export includes the customer data, files and customer-created settings that Zefort holds when the export is made. Depending on how the customer uses Zefort, this may include:
- documents and messages: contracts, source documents, attachments, messages and other files submitted to or created through Zefort;
- details and relationships: extracted text, information about the content, parties, classifications, folders and links between records;
- records and results: notes, submitted information, history, supporting evidence and other records or results available to the customer, including stored AI-assisted work;
- customer-created settings: fields, templates, criteria, agent instructions or skills and other settings that may be useful outside Zefort, excluding passwords, keys and other secrets; and
- information needed to understand the data: relevant details about the account, its users, record statuses, history and access rights.
Information that has already been deleted or permanently anonymised cannot be exported.
Some settings, such as permissions, workflows, reminders, policies, agent skills, tool definitions and automations, control how Zefort works and may have no equivalent in another service. These settings often cannot be transferred in a useful form. The export may name or describe them when that helps someone understand the exported records, but it will not turn them into settings that can be imported into another service.
What the export does not include
The export does not include:
- Zefort’s software and other internal technology;
- internal operational data, such as search indexes, temporary copies, security logs and infrastructure measurements, unless needed to understand customer records;
- passwords, encryption keys, session tokens and other secrets that would be unsafe to transfer; and
- information belonging to another customer or material that Zefort is not legally allowed to transfer.
How the export is organised
Each complete export uses a documented format with a version number. It contains:
- a manifest, which is a summary file showing the format version, account, export time, included data and whether the export completed successfully;
- structured records with identifiers and references that preserve important links between records;
- source documents and other files in their stored formats; and
- a guide explaining the record structure and fields.
Folder names and record structures may change as Zefort develops. The export or its accompanying guide shows the version, folder structure, file locations and any information provided to check that the export is complete and unchanged.
File formats
| Content | Format |
|---|---|
| Structured records and manifest | JSON files using UTF-8 text encoding. Large collections may use newline-delimited JSON, with one JSON record on each line. The manifest identifies the format used for each file. |
| Field descriptions | A schema or plain-language field guide that explains the fields and record structure and includes a version number. |
| Dates and times | ISO 8601 / RFC 3339, including the time-zone offset when a time is given. |
| Documents and generated files | The original stored file type, such as PDF, DOCX or an image. The export also includes the standard MIME type, which tells software what kind of file it is. |
| Messages and extracted text | Messages are provided in their stored file format or another commonly used portable format and linked to the related record. Extracted text is provided as UTF-8 text or structured data. |
| Checks that files are unchanged | When digital fingerprints called checksums are provided, the manifest identifies the method used to create them. |
Zefort’s API documentation explains how software can retrieve data that the API currently makes available. There is no widely used open standard for moving all the data in a contract management service. The receiving service may therefore need to convert some records and match Zefort’s fields and relationships to its own structure.
Secure delivery
Zefort and the customer agree on a secure electronic delivery method. This may include secure cloud storage controlled by the customer or another suitable destination. Connections are encrypted, and access to the destination is limited to what is needed for the transfer. Temporary passwords, links or other access details should be changed or removed when the transfer is complete.
Large exports may be prepared in the background or in smaller parts. Zefort and the customer may agree that users will stop changing data before the final copy is made.
Limits to consider
- The receiving service may not support every exported field or relationship. Some data may need to be converted or matched to the corresponding fields by hand.
- Zefort-specific settings may help explain the data, but they do not recreate the same permissions, workflows, reminders, policies, agent behaviour or automation elsewhere.
- The time needed for a large account depends on the amount of data, the speed of the destination and any agreed period when changes are paused.
Timing and deletion
The customer contract may require the customer to give notice before a switch begins, but the notice period cannot be longer than two months. Once the notice period ends, Zefort has no more than 30 calendar days to complete the switch. During this time, Zefort helps with the move, continues to provide the service securely and tells the customer about known risks of interruption.
If it is technically impossible to finish the switch within 30 calendar days, Zefort tells the customer within 14 working days of the switching request. Zefort explains why and provides a new timetable of no more than seven months.
The customer may extend the transition once for a period that better suits its needs.
After the switch, the customer has at least 30 calendar days to retrieve and check the data. Data already transferred to storage controlled by the customer remains under the customer’s control.
Once the transfer has succeeded and the agreed access period has ended, Zefort deletes the customer’s exportable data and related files that remain in the service. Zefort keeps them only if the customer agrees or the law requires it. Remaining backup copies are removed under Zefort’s backup schedule and are not restored for normal use.
When personal data is returned or deleted, Zefort also follows the General Data Protection Regulation and any Data Processing Agreement agreed separately with the customer.
Charges
Zefort does not charge for the standard export or the help needed to complete a switch. A customer may ask Zefort to do extra work, such as custom data conversion or work in the receiving service. Zefort and the customer agree any charge for that work in advance, subject to applicable law.
For related information, see Security and compliance, AI information, the Privacy Statement and the General Terms and Conditions.