# How to Export WooCommerce Orders Without a Plugin
Exporting your WooCommerce orders is a crucial task for accounting, reporting, and various other business needs. While numerous plugins simplify this process, you can also export your WooCommerce order data directly using native WordPress functionality and a bit of SQL. This method offers a degree of control and avoids the reliance on third-party extensions. This article will guide you through the process.
Understanding the Data and Method
Before we dive into the technical details, it’s essential to understand where your WooCommerce order data resides. WooCommerce stores order information within your WordPress database. We’ll leverage SQL queries to extract this data and then export it to a format like CSV (Comma Separated Values) suitable for spreadsheets. This approach requires basic understanding of SQL and access to your WordPress database.
Accessing Your Database
To access your database, you’ll need:
- Your database hostname (often `localhost`)
- Your database username
- Your database password
- Your database name
This information is usually found in your `wp-config.php` file (located in your WordPress root directory). Never share this information publicly!
Exporting WooCommerce Orders with SQL
This method uses phpMyAdmin or a similar database management tool. Here’s how to export your WooCommerce orders:
1. Connect to your database: Use your database credentials to connect to your MySQL database using phpMyAdmin or a similar tool.
2. Execute the SQL query: The following query selects crucial order information. You can customize it to include additional fields as needed. Remember to replace `your_database_name` with the actual name of your database.
SELECT p.post_title AS order_id, p.post_date AS order_date, pm.meta_value AS order_total, CONCAT(u.user_firstname, ' ', u.user_lastname) AS customer_name, u.user_email AS customer_email, oim.meta_value AS billing_address, oim2.meta_value AS shipping_address FROM wp_posts p JOIN wp_postmeta pm ON p.ID = pm.post_id JOIN wp_users u ON p.post_author = u.ID LEFT JOIN wp_postmeta oim ON p.ID = oim.post_id AND oim.meta_key = '_billing_address' LEFT JOIN wp_postmeta oim2 ON p.ID = oim2.post_id AND oim2.meta_key = '_shipping_address' WHERE p.post_type = 'shop_order' AND pm.meta_key = '_order_total' FROM `your_database_name`.`wp_posts`;
3. Export the results: Once the query executes, most database tools provide options to export the results. Select CSV as the export format. This will create a file containing your WooCommerce order data.
4. Import into a spreadsheet: Open the exported CSV file in a spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or LibreOffice Calc to analyze and work with your data.
Customizing the SQL Query
The provided SQL query includes basic order information. You can modify it to include other fields by adding columns from the `wp_postmeta` table. Refer to your WooCommerce database schema for available fields and their corresponding `meta_key` values. For example, to include order status, you would add:
p.post_status AS order_status,
Conclusion
Exporting WooCommerce orders without plugins is achievable with a bit of SQL knowledge and database access. This method gives you direct control over the exported data and reduces reliance on third-party extensions. Remember to back up your database before making any changes and exercise caution when executing SQL queries. While this method offers flexibility, utilizing a dedicated plugin might be more user-friendly for those without SQL experience. Choose the method that best suits your technical skills and comfort level.
