Shopify’s Data Exporter only exports data from January 1, 2019 onwards. Historical records before that date? Gone when you export. WooCommerce? Full database access to every order, customer, and event you’ve ever recorded—no date restrictions, no format limits, no artificial boundaries.

This isn’t a minor feature gap. It’s the difference between owning your data and renting access to it.

Shopify’s Export Reality

On paper, Shopify offers data export. In practice, the limitations stack up fast:

• Time restriction: Data Exporter only pulls records from January 1, 2019 onwards
• File size cap: Exported CSV files limited to 15MB
• Format lock-in: CSV only—no JSON, no direct database dumps, no streaming
• Partial metafields: Not all metafield types export cleanly to CSV
• Missing behavioral data: Customer journeys, abandoned carts, analytics history don’t come with you

Industry analysts put it bluntly: “Native Shopify exporting features are basic and of limited use.” For stores needing comprehensive data access, third-party apps become mandatory—and they charge monthly fees for access to your own data.

What WooCommerce Actually Gives You

WooCommerce stores everything in MySQL tables you control completely. Here’s what that means:

Full historical access: Every order from day one. Every customer interaction. Every product change. No date cutoffs.

Any export format: SQL dumps, CSV, JSON, direct database connections, real-time streaming. Whatever your tools require.

No file size limits: Export your entire database at once or query specific segments. Your server, your rules.

Direct BI integration: Connect Looker, Tableau, Power BI, or any analytics tool directly to your database. No middleware, no API rate limits, no third-party dependencies.

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The Data You Can’t Get From Shopify

Some data simply doesn’t survive Shopify’s export process:

Analytics history: Shopify tracks what customers order and spend—but that analytics history stays in Shopify’s dashboard. Export an order, lose the behavioral context.

Cross-store data: If a customer shopped at another Shopify store, you’ll never see that context. Each store is an island.

Abandoned cart journeys: Cart abandonment data exists in Shopify’s system but isn’t included in standard exports. The recovery emails reference data you can’t fully access.

Customer journey sequences: Page views, product interactions, session paths—the behavioral breadcrumbs that explain WHY customers buy don’t export with order data.

Why Raw Data Access Matters Now

Data access was always important. In 2026, it’s existential.

AI training requires raw data. Machine learning models don’t train on CSV exports—they need structured, queryable datasets with complete historical context. Shopify’s export limitations mean training AI on partial data.

Data warehouses need streaming. BigQuery, Snowflake, and modern analytics stacks expect real-time data pipelines. Shopify requires third-party connectors at $100-500/month. WooCommerce can stream directly.

Migration gets harder over time. Every month on Shopify is another month of data that may not transfer cleanly. The 2019 cutoff means stores operating before then have already lost access to their oldest records.

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The BigQuery Comparison

BigQuery integration reveals the starkest difference.

WooCommerce to BigQuery:

• Direct MySQL export via Cloud SQL Federation
• Real-time streaming via server-side tracking
• Custom webhooks to BigQuery Streaming API
• No third-party apps required
• Cost: Infrastructure only

Shopify to BigQuery:

• Requires Shopify Plus ($2,000+/month) for native access OR
• Third-party connectors (Windsor.ai, CData, MovingLake) at $100-500/month
• API rate limits slow large exports
• Historical data still subject to export restrictions

Same destination. Dramatically different paths.

Server-Side Tracking Changes the Equation

The data export conversation shifts entirely with server-side tracking.

Instead of exporting historical data retroactively, server-side architecture captures events in real-time and routes them wherever you need—including your own data warehouse.

Transmute Engine™ handles this for WooCommerce stores. The inPIPE plugin captures events from WooCommerce hooks, batches them, and sends via API to your first-party Transmute Engine server running on your subdomain. From there, events route simultaneously to GA4, Facebook CAPI, Google Ads, and BigQuery.

No export required. Data flows continuously. You own every record from the moment it’s captured.

Key Takeaways

• Shopify Data Exporter only exports from January 2019 onwards—older data is inaccessible
• Shopify CSV exports cap at 15MB and don’t support all metafield types
• WooCommerce provides complete MySQL database access with no restrictions on format, size, or date range
• BigQuery integration requires Shopify Plus ($2,000+/mo) or third-party apps; WooCommerce streams directly
• Server-side tracking eliminates export dependency by capturing data in real-time to your own infrastructure

Your data access architecture determines your analytical capabilities. Before committing to a platform, understand exactly what you can—and can’t—extract. Learn how Transmute Engine streams WooCommerce data directly to BigQuery.