# Downloading data into CSV form from Aggregate with repeating elements

**URL:** <https://forum.getodk.org/t/downloading-data-into-csv-form-from-aggregate-with-repeating-elements/91>\
**Category:** Support\
**Created:** [July 21, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://forum.getodk.org/t/downloading-data-into-csv-form-from-aggregate-with-repeating-elements/91 "2010-07-21T21:23:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Emily\_Kumpel1](https://getodk.b-cdn.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/bc8723/32.png) [@Emily\_Kumpel1](https://forum.getodk.org/u/Emily_Kumpel1)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://forum.getodk.org/t/downloading-data-into-csv-form-from-aggregate-with-repeating-elements/91/1 "2010-07-21T21:23:26Z")

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Hi everyone,

I have a question about downloading the data from Agreegate (on appspot  
server) with repeating elements - when I go to the 'download CSV' option, it  
doesn't download the repeated element data, instead it just shows the URL  
for the extra data table. I can't seem to find a way to directly download  
that repeated data - is there a way for doing so that I'm missing?

Thanks,  
Emily

> Aggregate stores the repeated data in a separate database table.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> > I have created a custom storage system for the data submitted from ODK  
> > Collect and I would like to know what would be the best possible  
> > solution to storing repeat data?
> 
> > How is the data stored in ODK aggregate?
> 
> > Joseph
> 
> > --  
> > Post: [opendatakit@googlegroups.com](mailto:opendatakit@googlegroups.com)  
> > Unsubscribe: [opendatakit+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com](mailto:opendatakit+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com)[opendatakit%2Bunsubscribe@googlegroups.com](mailto:opendatakit%2Bunsubscribe@googlegroups.com)  
> > \<opendatakit%2Bunsubscribe@googlegr [oups.com](http://oups.com)\>

> **···**
>
> On Jun 16, 11:59 am, "W. Brunette" wrote: \> WaylonOn Wed, Jun 16, 2010 at 3:06 AM, Joseph wrote: \> \> Options:http://groups.google.com/group/opendatakit?hl=en

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![W\_Brunette](https://getodk.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/forum.getodk.org/w_brunette/32/4116_2.png) [@W\_Brunette](https://forum.getodk.org/u/W_Brunette)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 11:46pm UTC](https://forum.getodk.org/t/downloading-data-into-csv-form-from-aggregate-with-repeating-elements/91/2 "2010-07-21T23:46:39Z")

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Yes this is unimplemented yet. I added it as an issue:

[http://code.google.com/p/opendatakit/issues/detail?id=100](http://code.google.com/p/opendatakit/issues/detail?id=100)

We had an ongoing debate on the proper way to represent repeated information  
as either: collapse everything to a single row causing all the parent row  
information for each repeated/child row to be copied multiple times so there  
is a single row OR put the repeat/child row in a separate csv with an  
identifier and have other software deal with it when people want to look at  
their CSV. I think we are leaning towards putting repeated element rows in  
another CSV. Since it was non-obvious it was not done in an initial  
implementation. We should fix it.

If you have suggestions on how to properly represent repeated elements in a  
CSV please let us know.

Cheers,  
Waylon

> **···**
>
> On Wed, Jul 21, 2010 at 2:23 PM, Emily Kumpel wrote:
> 
> > Hi everyone,
> > 
> > I have a question about downloading the data from Agreegate (on appspot  
> > server) with repeating elements - when I go to the 'download CSV' option, it  
> > doesn't download the repeated element data, instead it just shows the URL  
> > for the extra data table. I can't seem to find a way to directly download  
> > that repeated data - is there a way for doing so that I'm missing?
> > 
> > Thanks,  
> > Emily
> > 
> > On Jun 16, 11:59 am, "W. Brunette" [wbrune...@gmail.com](mailto:wbrune...@gmail.com) wrote:
> > 
> > > Aggregate stores the repeated data in a separate database table.
> > > 
> > > Cheers,  
> > > WaylonOn Wed, Jun 16, 2010 at 3:06 AM, Joseph [capi...@gmail.com](mailto:capi...@gmail.com) wrote:
> > > 
> > > > I have created a custom storage system for the data submitted from ODK  
> > > > Collect and I would like to know what would be the best possible  
> > > > solution to storing repeat data?
> > > 
> > > > How is the data stored in ODK aggregate?
> > > 
> > > > Joseph
> > > 
> > > > --  
> > > > Post: [opendatakit@googlegroups.com](mailto:opendatakit@googlegroups.com)  
> > > > Unsubscribe: [opendatakit+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com](mailto:opendatakit+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com)[opendatakit%2Bunsubscribe@googlegroups.com](mailto:opendatakit%2Bunsubscribe@googlegroups.com)  
> > > > \<opendatakit%2Bunsubscribe@googlegr [oups.com](http://oups.com)\>  
> > > > Options:[http://groups.google.com/group/opendatakit?hl=en](http://groups.google.com/group/opendatakit?hl=en)