GET /datasets/{id}/data — Download Dataset Data

Download dataset rows as CSV, JSON, XLSX, or TSV. Supports OData filtering, column selection, row limits, and transposing the output.

This endpoint streams the rows of a dataset in your preferred format. For simple downloads with no filters applied in CSV format, the API returns an HTTP 302 redirect to a short-lived pre-signed URL pointing directly to the underlying file in cloud storage — your HTTP client will follow this redirect automatically. When you apply filters, select columns, or request a non-CSV format, the server queries and transforms the data on the fly before returning it.

Authentication

Authenticate using HTTP Basic Auth with your API key as the username. You can alternatively pass the key as the apiKey query parameter. You must have at least Read permission on the dataset.

Request

Method: GET
URL: https://api.alphacast.io/datasets/{dataset_id}/data

Path parameters

dataset_id · integer · required

The numeric ID of the dataset to download.

Query parameters

apiKey · string

Your Alphacast API key. Use this as an alternative to HTTP Basic Auth, for example when constructing download links for use in a browser or spreadsheet application.

$format · string · default: "csv"

Output format for the downloaded data. Accepted values: csv, json, xlsx, tsv.

When the format is csv and no other filters are applied, the API returns a 302 redirect to a pre-signed URL instead of streaming the file directly.

$select · string

A comma-separated list of column names or column IDs to include in the output. Entity/dimension columns (such as Date and Country) are always prepended automatically so the result remains well-formed.

Example: $select=Date,GDP or $select=1,3 (using column IDs).

$filter · string

An OData filter expression to restrict the rows returned. Column names are case-sensitive and must match the column names in the dataset schema exactly.

Supported comparison operators: eq, ne, gt, lt, ge, le.
Supported logical operators: and, or.

Example: $filter=Country eq 'USA' and Date ge '2020-01-01'

$top · integer

Limit the response to the first N rows. When combined with $filter, the limit is applied after filtering. When $top is set, the response includes a Row-Count header with the total number of rows matching any applied filter (before the limit), so you can implement pagination.

$last · integer

Return only the rows corresponding to the last N date periods in the dataset. For example, $last=100 returns approximately the most recent 100 rows ordered by the date column. When $last is set, the response includes a Row-Count header with the total row count of the dataset.

$combineEntities · boolean

When true, entity/dimension columns are merged into a single combined column in the output. Useful for pivot-style formats.

includeIds · boolean

When true, column IDs are included in the output header row alongside column names.

dropNA · boolean

When true and combined with $select, rows where all selected value columns are null or empty are omitted from the output.

transpose · boolean

When true, the output matrix is transposed: dates become column headers and columns become row labels. When no other filters are active and the format is CSV, a pre-signed URL to a pre-transposed file is returned instead.

versionId · string

A specific version ID to download. Use this to retrieve a historical snapshot of the dataset’s data as it existed at a previous point in time.

Response

When no filters are applied and the format is csv, the API responds with 302 Found and a Location header containing a short-lived pre-signed download URL. Your HTTP client will follow this redirect automatically.

When filters are applied or a non-CSV format is requested, the API streams the response directly with the appropriate Content-Type.

Format	Content-Type
csv	text/csv
json	application/json
xlsx	application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet
tsv	text/tab-separated-values

Row-Count response header

When you use $top or $last, the response includes a Row-Count header with the total untruncated row count:

Row-Count: 4823
Access-Control-Expose-Headers: Row-Count

Use this value to display pagination metadata or calculate how many more pages of data remain.

OData filter syntax

The $filter parameter accepts OData filter expressions. Column names must exactly match the column names shown in the dataset schema (use GET /datasets/{id} to retrieve the schema).

Operator	Meaning	Example
eq	Equal	Country eq 'USA'
ne	Not equal	Country ne 'Canada'
gt	Greater than	GDP gt 1000
lt	Less than	GDP lt 5000
ge	Greater than or equal	Date ge '2020-01-01'
le	Less than or equal	Date le '2024-12-31'
and	Logical AND	Country eq 'USA' and Date ge '2020-01-01'
or	Logical OR	Country eq 'USA' or Country eq 'Canada'

String values must be enclosed in single quotes. Date values must use YYYY-MM-DD format.

Filtering is validated against the dataset’s column schema. If you reference a column name that does not exist in the dataset, the API returns 400 Bad Request listing the invalid column names.

Examples

Basic download — returns a 302 redirect to a pre-signed CSV URL:

cURL

curl -u YOUR_API_KEY: -L \
  https://api.alphacast.io/datasets/123/data \
  --output data.csv

Filter by country:

curl -u YOUR_API_KEY: \
  "https://api.alphacast.io/datasets/123/data?\$filter=Country%20eq%20'USA'"

Select specific columns:

curl -u YOUR_API_KEY: \
  "https://api.alphacast.io/datasets/123/data?\$select=Date,GDP"

Return only the last 100 rows by date:

curl -u YOUR_API_KEY: \
  "https://api.alphacast.io/datasets/123/data?\$last=100"

Download as JSON:

curl -u YOUR_API_KEY: \
  "https://api.alphacast.io/datasets/123/data?\$format=json"

Combine a date filter with a country filter and return JSON:

curl -u YOUR_API_KEY: \
  "https://api.alphacast.io/datasets/123/data?\$format=json&\$filter=Country%20eq%20'USA'%20and%20Date%20ge%20'2020-01-01'"

Error responses

Status	Cause
400 Bad Request	The $filter expression could not be parsed, or references a column that does not exist in the dataset.
401 Unauthorized	No API key provided and the dataset is not publicly accessible.
403 Forbidden	Your account’s membership does not include dataset download permissions.

To construct a shareable download link for use in Excel or Google Sheets, pass your API key via the apiKey query parameter and set $format=csv. The link will redirect to a pre-signed URL valid for a short time window.