---
title: "Account slugs and aliases in pipeline exports"
slug: "account-slugs-and-aliases-in-pipeline-exports"
updated: 2026-08-18T17:39:30Z
published: 2026-08-18T17:39:30Z
canonical: "help.quickbase.com/account-slugs-and-aliases-in-pipeline-exports"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.quickbase.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Account slugs and aliases in pipeline exports

When you export a pipeline, the YAML file records which connected account each step uses. It does that with two things: a **slug** and an **alias**. You'll see them in the Account slugs section near the top of the file, and the slug again in every step header.

You don't need either one to export or import a pipeline. It helps to recognize them when you're reading a YAML file, comparing two exports, or working out why an imported pipeline is asking you to connect an account.

## What's in the Account slugs section

Every account the pipeline uses is listed once, near the top of the file. Each step then refers back to that list by slug:

```yaml
- META:
    name: Customer Sync
- ACCOUNTS:
  - slug: mrmORE2
    channel: quickbase
    alias: my-production-qb
    accountType: usertoken
    realm: acme
- TRIGGER quickbase[mrmORE2] record on_new_event -> a:
    ...
- ACTION quickbase[mrmORE2] record create -> b:
    ...
```

| Field | What it tells you |
| --- | --- |
| `slug` | The short code that names the account. Steps use this to point at it. |
| `channel` | Which channel the account connects to, such as `quickbase` or `slack`. |
| `alias` | A readable name for the account, used to match it on import. |
| `accountType` | How the account authenticates, such as `usertoken`. |
| `realm` | For Quickbase accounts, the realm the account belongs to. |

## Slugs

A slug is a short code that names one connected account (for example, `mrmORE2`). It's a label, not a setting, and it doesn't change on its own.

You'll see it in square brackets in each step header, right after the channel:

```yaml
- ACTION quickbase[mrmORE2] record create -> a:
```

That tells you the step runs against the account listed under `mrmORE2` in the Account slugs section. A pipeline that uses two Quickbase accounts will show two different slugs across its steps.

A slug only means something where it was created. Import the same file somewhere else and that code won't match anything because the accounts there have slugs of their own.

## Aliases

An alias is a readable version of the account's name, and it's what makes a YAML file portable. An account named **My Production QB** exports with the alias `my-production-qb`.

On import, Quickbase matches on the alias first. If you already have an account with that alias, the pipeline lines up with it automatically, even though the slug is different from the one in the file.

Because the alias comes from the account name, naming your accounts consistently makes shared pipelines easier to import.

## Quickbase accounts without a user token

For Quickbase accounts that don't use a user token, the slug also carries the realm, joined with a `#`:

```yaml
- QUERY quickbase[boo1L8B#acme] record search -> a:
```

Everything before the `#` names the account. Everything after it is the realm—here, `acme`.

## What happens on import

Quickbase checks the accounts in the file against the ones you've already connected. Anything it can't match comes in as a placeholder, and the pipeline imports are disabled until you connect the real account.

For those steps, see [Connect accounts and activate the pipeline](https://help.quickbase.com/docs/transferring-ownership-of-a-pipeline#connect-accounts-and-activate-the-pipeline) in the *Transfer ownership of a pipeline* help article. To import a file you've been given, view [Import YAML to create a pipeline](https://help.quickbase.com/docs/import-yaml-to-create-a-pipeline).