Retrieving data submitted with previous form definitions?

[lauresp]

Hi @Florian_May, @mathieubossaert,

What I learned is that all data is stored in ODK Central, regardless of whether the fields are included in the latest form definition. However, when you export, the data is passed through the latest form definition and only matching fields are pulled.

@yanokwa pointed out in a workaround for retrieving data from deleted fields in another thread. It worked for me in this case, and didn't require me to write any new scripts . You basically just need to upload a new form definition that re-includes the deleted fields, and set relevant as false() to hide the questions from data collectors:

Responses for maintained data fields reset to blank/NA after form definition update

@lauresp The data isn't lost, it's just hidden. If you delete a field (typically by renaming or by adding/removing it from a group), Central hides that deleted field in export. In the next release of Central, we'll warn you about this behavior and we'll also let you export this missing data as well. For now, you can add the missing questions back to your form, but set relevant as false(). This allows the data to show up in the export, but those questions are hidden to data collectors. You can l…