What is the relation between these columns (in excel data):
start
end
_id
_uuid
_submission_time
_index
Hi @rahhal,
You see these while downloading your dataset from the KoBoToolbox server as shown in the image below:
start: It is the start date and time captured for a survey project (during data collection). Formatted as Date-Time-Timezone, it also shows you the timezone from where the data collection was made. In the example provided above, the data collection for that case started on 2020-05-11T15:37:40.931+05:45.
end: It is the end date and time captured for a survey project (during data collection). Formatted as Date-Time-Timezone, it also shows you the timezone from where the data collection was made. In the example provided above, the data collection for that case ended on 2020-05-11T15:37:50.908+05:45.
_id: It is the identification number assigned to a particular case (or also known as submission) for a survey project in KoBoToolbox. This is a unique number within KoBoToolbox server (i.e. a number once received within HHI server or within OCHA server does not get repeated again. This number gets cumulated over time and you should not come across the same number again (i.e. if you look at the image shared above i have received an _id number of 52474272 for a case in an HHI server, so there is no change for anyone else to receive this number again in the HHI server but this number could be seen in OCHA server and it would be only once).
_uuid: A UUID (Universal Unique Identifier) is a number that is used to uniquely identify some object or entity on the Internet. In its canonical textual representation, the 16 octets of a UUID are represented as 32 hexadecimal (base-16) digits, displayed in five groups separated by hyphens, in the form 8-4-4-4-12 for a total of 36 characters (32 hexadecimal characters and 4 hyphens). The UUID once received will never be duplicated i.e. i have received a UUID of e45577db-085d-47a0-b1d4-0d9799077b5a for my submission as shown in the image above. No one else in the internet should receive this UUID again.
_submission_time: A submission time is the time recorded when your collected data is stored in the cloud based KoBoToolbox server. Formatted as Date-Time, my _submission_time for that case was 2020-05-11T09:52:59 as shown in the image above.
_index: Index is a sequencing number recorded for the submission that has been made in KoBoToolbox server. It is generally used for the following 2 reasons as outlined below:
- To keep a sequential track of the total number of cases stored/submitted in the KoBoToolbox server.
- Also used as an identifier while merging dataset from the main sheet to the roster dataset (i.e. when you have a
repeat groupquestion type they get stored to a different sheet) within a survey project.
Have a great day!
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