ODK Central Backup and Export Checklist
An ODK Central backup plan should preserve more than a database file. Keep exportable submissions, media, form definitions, project and user documentation, relevant audit logs, and a tested recovery process. A hosting provider's infrastructure backup does not replace the research team's own retention plan.
For encryption-specific recovery, follow the ODK encryption and key management checklist before relying on a backup as a usable archive.
This checklist separates Central's direct backup from the exports and documentation a study needs to recover its work. For the hosting responsibility split, read ODK hosting for NGOs and the ODK hosting guide.
What should you retain from ODK Central?
For each live project, retain:
- The original XLSForm and every published form definition used in the study.
- Submission exports, including repeat tables and media attachments.
audit.csvwhen the form uses client audit logging and the logs are relevant to review.- Project, form, Web User, and App User documentation.
- Encryption-key and recovery documentation when the project uses encryption.
- The study's data-retention decision, export date, form version, and person responsible.
Keep the original exports before cleaning, recoding, or reshaping them for analysis. The ODK data quality toolkit includes the same preservation step in its post-fieldwork checklist.
What is an ODK Central direct backup?
Central provides a direct backup API endpoint that downloads an encrypted database backup, with optional passphrase protection. The official Backing Up Central documentation describes this as a way to back up the database when a team does not already operate a full system backup.
A direct backup is useful, but it has limits. If attachments use S3-compatible storage, the direct backup does not include those attachments. It also does not contain enough information to re-establish the same Web Form links, so projects that use public links may need a full system backup as well.
Direct backups can take time, slow the database during heavy collection, fail partway through, or produce a download that breaks. An automated schedule needs error handling and alerts. A file that was never completed is not a usable backup.
How do you export ODK submissions?
Use Central's submission export when you need a portable copy for analysis or retention. A CSV or ZIP export can include the root table, repeat tables, attachments, and the audit log when audit events were submitted.
Before exporting, record:
- The project and form name.
- The current form version.
- The date and time of the export.
- Any filters or export options used.
- Whether media, deleted fields, or audit logs were included.
- Where the original export was stored and who can access it.
The official ODK Central submissions guide explains CSV, ZIP, media, audit-log, and export-option behavior. If the team uses Excel or Power BI, OData can provide a live connection, but a live connection is not an archive by itself.
How often should a study back up?
Set the schedule from the study's collection risk and recovery needs. A long field round with daily submissions and media needs a different schedule from a short pilot with a few test records.
At minimum, define:
- How often Central data is exported.
- How often direct or full-system backups run.
- Where copies are stored separately from the live server.
- Who receives a failure alert.
- How long each copy is retained.
- When the team tests restoration.
Do not store the only copy on the same server that holds the live project. Keep access to backup files as restricted as the study data itself.
How do you test an ODK recovery plan?
A recovery plan is incomplete until someone has tested it. Use a non-production environment or a controlled project and verify that the team can:
- Find the correct backup or export.
- Decrypt it when encryption is enabled.
- Restore or re-import the form definition.
- Recover submissions, repeats, media, and audit logs that the study requires.
- Identify the form version and project context.
- Explain which links, settings, users, or external integrations still need to be recreated.
Record the result and any missing pieces. The aim is to know the recovery boundary before an incident, not while the study team is already trying to meet a reporting deadline.
Never assume that a provider's server snapshot contains every research artifact. Confirm what it includes, keep your own exports, and test recovery before the first major field round.
What does managed hosting change?
Managed hosting can reduce the work of running the server, but it does not decide what the research team must retain or who may access it. SurveyLoopr customers maintain their own backup and export practices while SurveyLoopr manages the hosting environment and server controls.
Use the ODK hosting cost worksheet to include backup responsibility and administrative work in the hosting decision. For sensitive studies, review the exact plan, access controls, region, and data-processing terms before procurement.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does ODK Central back up my data automatically?
The answer depends on how Central is hosted and what backup process the operator has configured. Teams should confirm the provider's scope, keep their own exports, and test recovery instead of treating infrastructure snapshots as a complete research-data archive.
What does an ODK Central direct backup include?
A direct backup downloads an encrypted database backup that includes Central data such as accounts, forms, and submissions. It may not include attachments stored in external S3-compatible storage or enough information to restore the same Web Form links.
Should I export ODK submissions as CSV or ZIP?
Use the export format that preserves the study's needs. A ZIP can contain the root table, repeat tables, attachments, and audit data when available. Record the form version and export options so the copy can be interpreted later.
Do ODK backups include audit logs?
An export can include the audit CSV when audit logging was enabled in the form and the events were submitted. Retain that file with the related dataset when timing, GPS, identity, or answer-change evidence matters.
How do I test an ODK Central backup?
Use a controlled environment to locate the backup, decrypt it if needed, restore the form and data, check repeats and media, and document what must be recreated manually. Repeat the test when the study's hosting or retention process changes.
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