Use CCH Axcess's Document File Export Utility to download your firm's files in batches for migration to Canopy.
Required: CCH Axcess Document license + access as Default Administrator.
Why it matters: CCH exports can be large and take time to process. Exporting in batches prevents timeouts and ensures all your files download successfully before the migration.
Table of Contents
Before You Start
You must have a current CCH Axcess Document license.
Log in as your firm's CCH Axcess Default Administrator user to access the export tool.
📝 Note: These instructions are based on the most recent version of CCH Axcess. If steps have changed, refer to CCH's documentation for the most up-to-date information.
Create Your Export Job
Open CCH Axcess Dashboard.
Navigate to Application Links > Firm > Utilities > Document > File Export > New.
(Optional) Schedule the export for a specific time/date if you prefer it to run outside business hours.
Enter the following information:
Export file name — Give this export job a descriptive name (e.g., "Batch 1 Clients A-M").
Firm, Office, Business Unit, Client, Non-Client, Staff fields — Set these to specify which files you want to export.
Adjust these fields based on how you want to organize your batches.
Click Create, then Close, then OK.
You should now see your new export task listed with a status of In Progress.
Monitor Progress and Download Files
Step 1 — Wait for export to complete:
The CCH Axcess Document File Export Utility will search the database and compress your selected files into ZIP files.
Export time varies depending on the amount and size of your files. This may take several days — there's no way to predict exactly how long.
You can check back periodically to see if the status has changed to Completed.
Step 2 — Download your files:
When the status shows Completed, look for a plus-sign toggle icon to the left of your export job entry.
Click the icon to expand the entry.
You'll see one or more sequentially-numbered ZIP files (e.g., Batch1.zip, Batch1_001.zip, Batch1_002.zip, etc.).
Click each ZIP file to download it.
Run Multiple Batches
To export all your files successfully, you'll need to run multiple export jobs in batches.
Best practices:
Export in batches of roughly 50 clients and adjust the batch size based on your internet speed. Smaller batches download faster and are less likely to fail.
Download all batches to the same folder on your computer, external hard drive, or network drive so they're consolidated in one location.
Do not unzip the downloaded files — leave them in their original ZIP format. The migration tool will handle decompression.
Repeat this process for each batch until all your files are downloaded.
Summary
This article walked you through creating an export job in CCH Axcess, monitoring export progress, and downloading your files in batches. Once all batches are downloaded to a single location, you're ready to provide them to your Data Migration Specialist for import into Canopy.
Need help?
Contact Support or ask Penny, our AI Support Bot, for assistance.