Reporting & PDF/CSV Exports from Grafana

For DevOps engineers and SREs, Reporting & PDF/CSV exports from Grafana are essential for sharing insights, automating stakeholder updates, and archiving performance data without manual screenshots or complex scripting. Grafana provides built-in tools for quick exports alongside advanced scheduling options, enabling you to generate PDF snapshots of entire dashboards or CSV files from individual panels and queries.

Why Reporting & PDF/CSV Exports Matter for DevOps and SRE Teams

In high-stakes environments, dashboards visualize metrics from Prometheus, Loki, or databases, but executives and on-call teams often need static reports. Reporting & PDF/CSV exports from Grafana bridge this gap: PDFs capture visual layouts for presentations, while CSVs enable offline analysis in Excel or Google Sheets. Use cases include weekly uptime summaries, incident post-mortems, and compliance audits. Native features work in Grafana OSS and Cloud, with plugins like Skedler extending automation for open-source users.[1][2][4]

Exporting Individual Panels to CSV: Step-by-Step

Grafana treats all visualizations as data frames, making CSV exports universal across panels, dashboards, and Explore views. This works for any data source, from relational databases to Prometheus.[2]

1. Open a dashboard panel, such as a time series showing server requests.
2. Click the triple-dot menu (⋮) at the top-right of the panel.
3. Select Inspect > Data. A tray slides out with a table view of the data frame.
4. Click Download CSV for a basic export, or expand Data options for more control.

In Data options, Grafana lists frames (e.g., separate series for web_server_01, _02). Select specific frames, toggle Download for Excel for headers, then download. Files name automatically, like server_requests-data-as-joinbyfield-2024-05-06_13_45_39.csv, preserving context.[2]

Time,web_server_01_requests,web_server_02_requests
2024-05-06T13:45:39Z,150,200
2024-05-06T13:46:39Z,160,210

Import into Excel or Sheets for pivots, charts, or regressions—perfect for ad-hoc SRE analysis.

CSV Exports from Grafana Explore

For queries without dashboards, use Explore:

1. Run a query, e.g., PromQL aws_ec2_cpuutilization_average.
2. Click Query inspector > Data tab.
3. Export frames as CSV, identical to panels.[2]

This empowers quick data pulls during incidents, bypassing dashboard limits.

PDF Exports for Full Dashboards

Single-panel CSVs don't scale to multi-panel dashboards. For Reporting & PDF/CSV exports from Grafana, use the Share menu for snapshots.

Manual PDF Generation

1. Open your dashboard.
2. Click Share (📤 icon) > PDF tab.
3. Choose layout: Landscape, Portrait, or Custom (specify pages).
4. Adjust Time range and Variables, then Save as PDF.[6]

In Azure Managed Grafana, this integrates seamlessly via the portal.[6] Results are print-ready, with panels rendered as images.

Limitations of Manual Exports

Manual PDFs work for one-offs but fail for recurring needs. Community discussions highlight the gap: no native way to export all panels to one PDF/CSV without plugins or Enterprise features.[3]

Scheduled Reporting & PDF/CSV Exports from Grafana

Grafana Enterprise and Cloud offer native scheduling; OSS users turn to plugins like Skedler for automation.[1][4][5]

Native Scheduled Reports (Enterprise/Cloud)

In Grafana 10+, access via Dashboards > Reporting:

1. Select dashboard(s), time range, and layout.
2. Configure attachments: PDF, Separate table PDFs, or CSV per table panel
3. Set schedule (daily/weekly), recipients, and options like Combine PDFs or Include table appendix.
4. Preview PDF/CSV, then Schedule report or Save draft

Emails deliver automatically, with public previews for validation.[5]

OSS Automation with Skedler

For open-source Grafana, Skedler plugin enables Reporting & PDF/CSV exports from Grafana with scheduling and delivery (email/Slack).[1][4]

1. Install Skedler datasource.
2. Configure: Select dashboard, format (PDF/PNG/CSV), schedule (cron-like).
3. Test delivery: Emails include attachments for DevOps use cases like IT alerts.[1]

Video demos show setup in minutes, ideal for SREs avoiding Enterprise costs.[4]

Advanced Tips for DevOps and SRE Workflows

• Batch All Panels: No native OSS support; script via Grafana API: curl -X POST /api/dashboards/uid/{uid}/export for JSON, then puppeteer for PDF. Combine with cron for CSV aggregation.[3]
• SEO for Reports: Embed watermarks or headers via templates in Enterprise.
• Compliance: CSVs retain timestamps for audits; PDFs for visuals.
• Troubleshooting: If frames split unexpectedly, check query transformations in Inspect.[2]

Actionable Next Steps

Start today: Export a panel CSV via Inspect for your next retro. For production, evaluate Enterprise scheduling or Skedler trial. Monitor Grafana Labs docs for OSS improvements. Master Reporting & PDF/CSV exports from Grafana to streamline your observability stack—reducing MTTR and impressing stakeholders with polished deliverables.

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