.dnm format

.dnm stands for Donum Narrative Manifest. It is the native file format of Donum — analogous to .fig for Figma, .pbix for Power BI, or .sketch for Sketch.

Every report created in Donum can be exported as a .dnm file and imported back — on any account, any workspace, any device — with pixel-perfect fidelity. The format is lossless, self-contained, and inspectable without proprietary tooling.

File variants

A single .dnm extension covers three distinct use cases, distinguished by flags inside manifest.json:

Full report

format_variant: "full"

The default. Contains everything: layout, data schema, cached snapshots, design system, version history, audit log, permissions, and assets.

Template

is_template: true

Layout and design system intact, live data stripped and replaced with placeholders. Variables let recipients fill in their own data sources on import.

Style patch

is_override_only: true

Contains only overrides.json and design-system.json. Apply to an existing report to update its visual style without modifying content or data.

What's inside

A .dnm file is a structured ZIP archive containing your report's layout, theme, data schema, permissions, and history — all in one portable file. Self-contained and lossless. Credentials are never stored.

Schema reference

Field-by-field reference for every file in the archive. All JSON examples are valid, complete, and copy-pasteable.

manifest.json

The identity card for the archive. Metadata, format flags, integrity seal.

{
  "dnm_version": "2.0.0",
  "format_variant": "full",
  "is_template": false,
  "report_id": "rpt_4Xk9mN2pQr7vLwE1",
  "report_name": "Q1 2026 Investor Update",
  "page_count": 3,
  "tile_count": 24,
  "has_live_data": true,
  "data_sources": ["stripe", "hubspot", "google_analytics"],
  "design_system_id": "ds_brand_acme_v3",
  "checksum": "e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855"
}

dnm_versionRequired

string

Format version of this archive.

format_variantRequired

enum

"full" | "template" | "override_only".

report_idRequired

string

Source report identifier.

report_nameRequired

string

Report display name.

page_countRequired

number

Number of pages in the report.

has_live_dataRequired

boolean

Whether the report has data connector bindings.

data_sources

string[]

List of connector types used. Never contains credentials.

checksumRequired

string

Integrity seal for tamper detection.

report.json

The full layout definition. Tabs, tiles, grid positions, data bindings, and display configuration.

{
  "id": "rpt_4Xk9mN2pQr7vLwE1",
  "name": "Q1 2026 Investor Update",
  "tabs": [{
    "id": "tab_overview",
    "label": "Overview",
    "tiles": [{
      "id": "tile_mrr",
      "type": "kpi",
      "grid": { "col_start": 1, "col_span": 4, "row_start": 1, "row_span": 2 },
      "data_binding": { "source": "stripe", "metric": "mrr", "period": "current_month" },
      "display": { "label": "MRR", "format": "currency", "currency": "USD" }
    }]
  }]
}

design-system.json

The complete theme contract. Color tokens, typography scale, spacing, shadows, chart palettes. Every tile derives its appearance from here.

permissions.json

Viewer access control and row-level security configuration. Present only when access restrictions are configured.

Import and export

Export from the report editor (⋯ menu → Export → .dnm) or via the API. Import via Reports → Import → Upload .dnm.

GET /api/v1/reports/{report_id}/export?format=dnm
  &include_history=true
  &embed_assets=true

Content-Type: application/octet-stream
Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="q1-report.dnm"

Security model

The .dnm format is designed so credentials are never written into the archive, regardless of what connectors the report uses.

Versioning

.dnm files include version history, allowing any prior state of the report to be restored. Snapshots are optional on export.

Format changelog