Well Data Export Workflow Guide

What This Guide Covers

Exporting well data is the bridge between research and revenue. This guide walks through a six-step workflow for taking Alberta well data from a research platform and getting it into your CRM, outreach campaigns, territory plans, and sales tracking systems in a format that works.

Each step includes practical instructions, field mapping tables, and examples using common Alberta oilfield data fields. Adapt the workflow to your specific CRM and team processes.

Workflow Overview

The export workflow follows six steps. Each step builds on the previous one, so work through them in order the first time. Once your workflow is established, you can skip steps that are already configured.

Step 1: Define Your Research Criteria

Before searching or exporting anything, define exactly what you are looking for. Exporting without clear criteria produces files that are too broad to act on or too narrow to be useful.

• Target operator type: What kind of operators are you looking for? Small independent, mid-size producer, large E&P, or licence holder?
• Geographic focus: Which Alberta basins or field centres? Montney, Duvernay, Cardium, Viking, or specific townships?
• Well status: Active wells, inactive wells, suspended wells, or recently drilled? Different statuses signal different opportunities.
• Well type: Oil, gas, oil sands, or stratigraphic? Your service or product determines which well types matter.
• Activity window: Wells drilled or licences issued within a specific timeframe? Last 6 months, 12 months, or 24 months?
• Export purpose: Is this for CRM import, email campaign, territory mapping, or team review? The purpose determines which fields to include.

Document your criteria before proceeding. A clear target profile prevents wasted exports and ensures the data you pull is actually usable.

Step 2: Search and Filter Wells

With your criteria defined, search and filter the well data to produce a focused dataset. The goal is a list of wells and operators that match your target profile — not every well in Alberta.

• Apply geographic filters for your target basins or field centres
• Filter by well status to match your outreach goal
• Filter by well type (oil, gas, oil sands)
• Apply date filters for licence issue date or well spud date
• Filter by operator if you have specific targets in mind
• Review the result set to confirm it matches your criteria

If using FracturingHub, configure your search filters and review the results before exporting. If using raw AER data, apply filters in your spreadsheet or database tool.

For guidance on search strategies, see the research checklist.

Step 3: Select and Export Data Fields

Choose which fields to include in your export. Include only the fields relevant to your export purpose. Too many columns make the file harder to work with; too few make it incomplete.

Core Fields for Any Export

Additional Fields by Export Purpose

Step 4: Clean and Format for Your CRM

Raw exports often need formatting adjustments before CRM import. This step prevents import errors and ensures data lands cleanly in the right fields.

Standard Cleanup Tasks

• Remove duplicate rows: Check for duplicate operator names or well identifiers
• Standardize operator names: Ensure "Pembina" and "Pembina Pipeline Corp." are spelled consistently
• Format phone numbers: Use a consistent format (e.g., 780-555-1234)
• Format dates: Use YYYY-MM-DD or MM/DD/YYYY consistently
• Trim whitespace: Remove leading/trailing spaces from text fields
• Check encoding: Ensure special characters display correctly in the target system
• Validate email formats: Remove or flag rows with invalid email addresses

CRM-Specific Formatting

Different CRMs have different import requirements. Common considerations:

Recommended Field Mappings

Step 5: Import and Organize

With a clean, formatted file ready, import it into your CRM and organize the records for your team.

• Run a test import: Import 5 to 10 records first to verify mapping and formatting
• Check for duplicates: Run duplicate detection before completing the full import
• Assign owners: Route records to the correct sales rep, BDC team member, or territory owner
• Set lead source: Tag all imported records with the source (e.g., "AER ST37 Research" or "FracturingHub Export")
• Apply tags or categories: Use CRM tags to categorize by basin, service fit, priority tier, or campaign
• Verify data accuracy: Spot-check 5 to 10 records to confirm fields mapped correctly
• Log the import: Record the date, file name, record count, and import purpose for your records

Step 6: Set Up Follow-Up Sequences

Imported records without follow-up actions are just data. The final step is to activate the records through outreach sequences and tracking.

• Assign immediate actions: Each record should have a next action (call, email, research, archive)
• Build call lists: Group records by territory or priority for daily or weekly outreach blocks
• Set reminder dates: Schedule follow-up dates in the CRM so nothing falls through the cracks
• Track activity: Log every call, email, and meeting against the imported record
• Measure results: Track response rates, meetings booked, and opportunities created from each export batch
• Refine criteria: Use results data to improve your search criteria for the next export cycle

For a structured approach to outreach preparation, see the sales call planning template. For ongoing research workflows, see the public record research workflow.

Choosing Which Fields to Export

A useful export is a focused one. For most CRM workflows, ten to fifteen columns are enough: operator name, licence number, UWI, well status, formation, field centre, spud date, latest production, and a status-change flag. Drop the technical fields you will not act on. If your goal is territory planning rather than direct outreach, weight the export toward location and status counts instead of contact-oriented fields. Decide the field set from the outcome you want, using the well research checklist to confirm each field maps to a real decision, and the well status interpretation guide to confirm you are exporting the statuses that signal demand for your service line.

Segmenting Exports by Priority Before Import

Rather than exporting one large file, segment by priority so the CRM reflects your outreach order. Score operators first with the account qualification framework, then export Tier 1 accounts as one batch, Tier 2 as another, and monitoring-only accounts as a watchlist. This keeps your call lists clean and lets you assign the strongest reps to the highest tier. Where you need to compare operators before segmenting, use the operator comparison matrix to rank them, then export in that order.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Exporting without criteria: Pulling all data without a target profile produces unusable files
• Including too many fields: A 30-column export is harder to work with than a focused 10-column file
• Skip cleanup: Importing raw exports creates duplicates, formatting errors, and data quality issues in the CRM
• Importing without assigning: Records without an owner sit untouched in the CRM
• No follow-up plan: Importing data without a follow-up sequence wastes the research effort
• Not saving export logs: Without a record of what was exported and when, you risk duplicate outreach

Additional Resources

For a complete research workflow, see Public Record Research Workflow. For research checklists, see the opportunity research checklist. For guidance on what the data means, see the AER ST37 well data guide.

Explore FracturingHub features for export capabilities, check pricing and plans, or visit the how it works page. Browse the resources page for more templates and guides.