How to filter an Apify dataset and export it to CSV or Excel

Updated 2026-11-13 · Data and API builders · by CyberMax

Copy-paste code

Python (pip install apify-client)

Copyimport os
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient(os.environ["APIFY_TOKEN"])
run = client.actor("cybermax/dataset-filter-transform").call(run_input={
    "datasetIds": ["YOUR_DATASET_ID"],
    "filters": [{"field": "rating", "op": "gte", "value": 4}],
    "fields": ["title as name", "phone", "website"],
    "exportFormats": ["xlsx"],
})
for row in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(row)

Chain after any scraper (Apify Integrations -> Run Actor)

Copy{
  "datasetIds": ["{{resource.defaultDatasetId}}"],
  "filters": [{"field": "rating", "op": "gte", "value": 4}],
  "monitor": true,
  "monitorKey": "good-leads"
}

No code: n8n, Make or Zapier

Copyn8n: HTTP Request node (or the Apify node, action "Run an Actor and get dataset")
Method:  POST
URL:     https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/cybermax~dataset-filter-transform/run-sync-get-dataset-items
Auth:    Header Auth  ->  Authorization: Bearer <your Apify token>
Body:    JSON  {"datasetIds": ["ID"], "filters": [{"field": "rating", "op": "gte", "value": 4}]}

Make:    Apify app -> "Run an Actor" (Actor: cybermax/dataset-filter-transform, wait for finish = yes) -> "Get Dataset Items"
Zapier:  Apify app -> action "Run Actor" (cybermax/dataset-filter-transform) -> "Fetch Dataset Items" -> your app
Runs longer than 5 minutes: start with POST /v2/acts/cybermax~dataset-filter-transform/runs and read the dataset when the run finishes.

From an AI agent (MCP)

Copy# Any MCP client (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code): Apify's hosted MCP server
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dataset-filter-transform": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=cybermax/dataset-filter-transform",
               "--header", "Authorization: Bearer ${APIFY_TOKEN}"],
      "env": { "APIFY_TOKEN": "<your Apify token>" }
    }
  }
}
# The agent sees one tool, cybermax--dataset-filter-transform, with the Actor's input schema.

Source: Rowmold (Apify Actor cybermax/dataset-filter-transform) README, real Apify run on 10 Nov 2026

Filter on numbers and dates, not text

Scrapers often store numbers as text ("4.5", "1,250"). Rowmold compares numbers and ISO dates as numbers and dates, so rating >= 4 and postedAt >= 2026-11-01 work as you expect.

Nested JSON into spreadsheet columns

flatten turns {"address": {"city": "Austin"}} into an address.city column; joinArrays turns ["a", "b"] into "a, b". That is what makes a clean Excel file.

Only new matching rows on a schedule

With monitor on, each run passes on only rows it has never sent before, so a daily scraper plus Rowmold becomes an alert feed you pay for only when something new matches.

Good to know

Sorting and file exports hold rows in memory: about 145,000 rows at the default 512 MB.

To merge several runs and remove duplicates first, use Rowmeld, then Rowmold.

Cartlark: Every product, price and stock level

$0.0008 per product, no start fee

Filtering product data? Cartlark scrapes every product, price and stock level of any Shopify or WooCommerce store at $0.0008 per product.

Get CartlarkSee what's insideTry free on Apify

Runs on your own Apify account, pay per result; failed results are not charged.

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