How to Export Data from ODK Central
To export data from ODK Central, open your form, go to the Submissions tab, and click Download — you get a CSV (or a zip with media) ready for Excel or analysis. For live dashboards that refresh automatically, connect to the form's OData feed instead of downloading a static file.
Before exporting, confirm that the offline devices have reconnected and their finalized records appear in Central. The ODK Collect offline workflow checklist covers that pre-export handoff.
Use the ODK submission review checklist to confirm receipt, review states, repeats, media, and retention before you clean the export.
There are two export paths, and choosing the right one saves a lot of repeated manual work.
Option 1: Download a CSV or Excel file
This is the quick, one-off export:
- Open your project and form in ODK Central.
- Open the Submissions tab.
- Click Download.
- Choose CSV (data only) or CSV with media attachments (includes photos and audio).
The download is a .zip. If your form has repeat groups, the zip contains one CSV per repeat plus a main CSV — they join on a submission ID. Open the main CSV in Excel, Stata, R, or any tool.
Column headers in the export match the name column of your XLSForm, not the question labels. This is one more reason to keep names short and machine-friendly — see common XLSForm errors.
Option 2: A live OData feed (refreshable)
A downloaded CSV is a snapshot — stale the moment new submissions arrive. ODK Central also publishes every form as an OData feed, a live data URL that Excel and Power BI can refresh on demand. Set it up once and your dashboard always shows current data. Full walkthrough: connect ODK Central to Power BI and Excel.
A note on encrypted forms
If you enabled form encryption, ODK Central cannot decrypt submissions server-side. The export then requires your private key, and decryption happens in your browser. Keep that key safe — without it, encrypted submissions cannot be read.
Review the ODK encryption and key management checklist before exporting sensitive submissions so the correct key or passphrase and recovery path are available.
When manual export becomes the bottleneck
Downloading a fresh CSV every morning to update the same spreadsheet is the workflow most teams quietly outgrow. If you are exporting repeatedly to monitor an active survey, that is a sign to connect the data live instead. DataSnap syncs your ODK submissions automatically and turns them into data quality dashboards — GPS maps, enumerator metrics, and curbstoning detection — with no manual export step.
Check my data quality freeNext: Connect ODK to Power BI and Excel →
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I export data from ODK Central?
Open your form in ODK Central, go to the Submissions tab, and click Download. Choose CSV for data only or CSV with media attachments to include photos and audio. The result is a zip containing one CSV per repeat group plus the main submissions CSV.
Can I export ODK data to Excel?
Yes. The CSV download opens directly in Excel. For data that refreshes automatically, connect Excel to the form's OData feed instead of importing a static file, so the workbook updates as new submissions arrive.
How are repeat groups exported from ODK Central?
Each repeat group is exported as its own CSV inside the download zip, alongside the main submissions CSV. The repeat CSVs link to the parent submission by a shared submission ID, so you can join them in your analysis tool.
Do ODK export column names use labels or names?
Export column headers use the name column from your XLSForm, not the question labels shown to respondents. Keep names short, lowercase, and without spaces so the exported dataset is clean and easy to work with in analysis tools.
How do I export encrypted ODK submissions?
For encrypted forms, ODK Central cannot decrypt data on the server. When you download, you provide your private key and decryption happens in your browser. Without the private key, encrypted submissions cannot be exported or read.
Is there a way to avoid exporting ODK data manually every day?
Yes. Use the OData feed for self-refreshing dashboards, or connect your server to DataSnap, which syncs submissions automatically and builds live data quality reports. Both replace the daily manual CSV download with data that updates on its own.
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