Excel export for Data analysts

By the Mail → Excel team · Updated 2026-10-20

Email metadata is an underused dataset: response times, senders, topics. A clean export is the first step. This page lists the exact columns, an example row and the command that produces it.

Columns to keep

Column	Why it matters
`date`	Message date in ISO 8601; sortable and unambiguous across time zones.
`sender`	Who wrote in; used for triage and routing.
`subject`	Message subject, MIME-decoded.
`thread`	Thread id; the only reliable dedupe key for conversations.
`attachments`	Number of attachments; a cheap filter for «has documents».

Example row

One real-shaped row from this role’s export:

date	sender	subject	thread	attachments
2026-10-14	ops@data.io	Weekly export	23	2

Export it in one command

python mail_to_excel.py \
  --host imap.example.com --user you@example.com \
  --days 31 --fields date,sender,subject,thread,attachments \
  --out data-analyst.xlsx

The --fields option is what turns a raw dump into a report your role can use.

Provider notes

Gmail shows label copies; export one label to avoid counting the same message twice.

Two pitfalls that ruin the file

Thread ids are missing — Export Message-ID and In-Reply-To headers; threading cannot be reconstructed reliably afterwards.
Character encoding breaks analysis — Decode MIME headers and keep the file in UTF-8 from the start.

Next step

Step-by-step: export data analyst email to Excel · all roles · ready script ($3)

FAQ

What format should I use?

CSV with ISO dates and lowercase emails; Excel is for reading, CSV for pipelines.

Can I get message bodies?

Yes, but bodies are heavy and noisy; start with metadata and add bodies only for the analysis you need.

Is there a ready script for this?

Yes — the Python script exports any IMAP mailbox with the fields listed above; it costs $3 and runs locally.

Related guides

Export data analyst email to ExcelStep-by-step with the same columns and command.
All roles20 professions, one export method.