{"id":134,"slug":"rule-require-database-export-day-one","title":"RULE: Require a working database export on Day 1 of any engagement. Test it. Re-test quarterly.","kind":"rule","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","claude-code","candid-team"],"topics":["agency-methodology","data-portability"],"reference_body":"**Rule:** Every Candid client engagement must have a **working, tested database export** procedure documented within the first week. The export runs end-to-end at least once during onboarding. The procedure is **re-tested quarterly** as part of the maintenance retainer.\n\n**Why:** A database export that has never been run is theoretical. Doctorow's \"right of exit\" ([[doctorow-right-of-exit-interoperability]]) requires interoperability, not licensing. The empirical test of platform ownership is: **can you produce a clean export today?** If not, the client doesn't own that layer. See also [[wix-no-export-by-design]] and [[squarespace-7-1-no-xml-export]] for cases where this test fails by design.\n\n**How to apply:**\n- Day 1: identify the source-of-truth database (or content store) for client content\n- Week 1: run the export, store the artifact in a business-controlled location (S3 bucket with business keys, or similar)\n- Document: command/procedure, expected size, format, what it includes and excludes\n- Quarterly: re-run; diff against prior export; verify schema hasn't changed under us\n- For SaaS-platform clients (Wix, Squarespace 7.1, etc.) where export is impossible: explicitly flag in the engagement contract that **portability is not achievable** on the current platform.","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[{"slug":"doctorow-right-of-exit-interoperability","title":"Doctorow's prescription: \"right of exit\" requires interoperability, not just open source","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"wix-no-export-by-design","title":"Wix officially: \"no export is possible\" — confirmed in writing as a structural property","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"squarespace-7-1-no-xml-export","title":"Squarespace 7.1: no XML export at all. 7.0 export omits images, products, custom CSS, video, audio, drafts, non-blog pages","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"webflow-export-limitations-cms-not-included","title":"Webflow code export: CMS / accounts / e-commerce / localized content NOT included; forms and search don't work","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"rule-cite-with-named-source-and-url","title":"RULE: Every non-trivial claim carries a named source with author/institution + date + URL. Confidence flag honest.","kind":"rule","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-owning-your-stack","title":"Research brief: Owning your stack — why agency-managed platforms cost more than they save (piece 4 of 15)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}]},"created_at":"2026-05-22T19:17:26.882Z","updated_at":"2026-05-22T19:17:26.882Z"}