CODEWITHSUNDEEP
redcap
Alvaro Passi Solar
Alvaro Passi Solar

Reputation: 11

REDCap: Seeking Efficient Solution for Bulk Deletion of REDCap Repeat Instances

I recently encountered an issue while working with REDCap and would appreciate your expertise in finding a streamlined solution. Here's a brief overview:

Inadvertently, I imported data into the wrong record_id for 999 repetitions of a form in REDCap. To rectify this, I imported the same CSV with empty data (retaining "record_id," "redcap_repeat_instrument," and "redcap_repeat_instance") and opted to overwrite the data with blank values. Consequently, I now have 999 empty repetitions in that specific record_id.

I've explored the API but couldn't find a direct way to delete a redcap_repeat_instance. While manually deleting repetitions one by one is an option, it's time-consuming. I'm curious if anyone has encountered a similar situation and found a more efficient method, perhaps through importing a CSV with specific information to facilitate bulk deletion?

Your insights and suggestions on this matter would be immensely valuable.

Upvotes: 0

Views: 718

Answers (3)

Benjamin
Benjamin

Reputation: 17279

EDIT

redcapAPI had an update after I had given this answer, and some arguments were added to make this a bit easier. The new call would be

deleteRecords(rcon, 
              records = 11, # one record at a time
              instrument = 'procedimientos'
              repeat_instance = 2)

There are also arguments for event and arm, should they be needed.

Original Answer

If you have access to the API and the R software, you can use the redcapAPI package to delete a record

library(redcapAPI)
rcon <- redcapConnection(url = [your api url], 
                         token = [your api token])

deleteRecord(rcon, 
             records = [record ids to delete], 
             arm = [arm number in which records are found. this is length 1], 
             api_param = list(event = [unique event name, length 1], 
                              repeat_instance = [repeat instance number, length 1]))

you'll need a separate call for each arm/event/repeat_instance combination.

Without access to the API, you'll have the most success talking to your REDCap Administrator.

Upvotes: 0

Alvaro Passi Solar
Alvaro Passi Solar

Reputation: 11

I found the solution!! using API:

token <- "xxx"
url <- "yyy"

# Formulate the data for deletion
formData <- list(
  token = token,
  action = 'delete',
  content = 'record',
  'records[0]'='11',  
  'repeat_instance'=2,
  instrument = 'procedimientos',
  returnFormat = 'json'
)

# Send the POST request
response <- POST(url, body = formData, encode = "form")

# Handling the response based on the expected JSON format
result <- content(response, "parsed", type = "application/json")

# Print the result to understand what's returned
print(result)

Upvotes: 1

Luke Stevens
Luke Stevens

Reputation: 86

With API: as @Benjamin indicates, the "Delete Record" API method permits optional event/instrument/repeat_instance parameters to be supplied with the call that will restrict the delete to just the specified event/instrument/repeat_instance rather than the entire record.

If the API feels like overkill for a one-off process, you could do what you need via a process along these lines:

  1. Download the data for the record in raw CSV format.
  2. Remove anything you do not want to keep.
  3. Change the record id and upload it as a new record.
  4. Delete the original record.
  5. Rename the new record so the record id becomes that of the original record.

Upvotes: 0

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