Ask HN: What's your favorite exit strategy from a webapp

#1

Post by zarroba » Wed, Mar 21, 2012, 5:44 PM UTC

I'm implementing the exit strategy for a web app so a user can export all his data from the service and move on.

I've seen some apps provide a way to do this via an API, a XML file.. even a dump from the DB.

If you were to export your data from a web app what would you prefer?

note: the app is an enterprise-level CRM solution.

Re: Ask HN: What's your favorite exit strategy from a webapp

#2

Post by amarcus » Wed, Mar 21, 2012, 11:09 PM UTC

Why not all the above?

You can hack up a quick library (or find one online) that will take the output of a query and output in the selected format.

Not sure what framework/language you are using but, something like this can be very easily done using PHPs inbuilt functions (ie: get from db and store in array..then output array as XML or JSON etc...).

Re: Ask HN: What's your favorite exit strategy from a webapp

#3

Post by dexcs » Fri, Mar 23, 2012, 10:06 AM UTC

Open Source as many parts as possible and provide private data to your customers. I think the data format is less important than good documentation of how to use it again.

Re: Ask HN: What's your favorite exit strategy from a webapp

#4

Post by zarroba » Fri, Mar 23, 2012, 5:26 PM UTC

dexcs wrote: post #3

Open Source as many parts as possible and provide private data to your customers. I think the data format is less important than good documentation of how to use it again.

Thanks for your reply. Haven't thought about providing documentation about that, just adding an option to do it. I don't mind to write tutorials on how to export the client's data to competing services...