How to Create One Row for Each XML Element in a CSV Using XSLT

A guide on using XSLT to transform XML into CSV by creating individual rows for each XML element. Explore practical examples and step-by-step instructions to streamline your data processing tasks.
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How to Create One Row for Each XML Element in a CSV Using XSLT

When working with XML data, it’s common to need to convert it into a more user-friendly format. If you're one of those who needs to generate a CSV file from XML, this post will guide you on how to do so with the help of XSLT (Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations). The challenge here is to ensure that each child element inside a specified complex type creates a separate row in the output CSV file.

The Problem

The requirement is simple yet crucial: we want to transform a specific XML structure, where each complex type holds multiple child elements, into a CSV format where every child element generates its own line. Here’s a condensed view of the task:

Input: An XML structure with nested elements.

Output: A CSV file where each child element produces a unique row.

Goal: To properly parse the XML and format the output as specified.

Sample Input XML Structure

For our example, consider the following XML snippet which describes worker statuses:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

The goal is to extract values such as Derived_Event_Code, Effective_Moment, along with each status attribute into a CSV format.

The Solution Using XSLT

To handle this transformation, you can use the following XSLT template. This example supports both XSLT 1.0 and 2.0:

XSLT Code Example

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Explanation of the Code

Namespace Declaration: We declare the necessary XML namespaces to properly access XML elements.

Template Match: We match the root element and start processing each Effective_Change child element.

Iterating Through Children: The inner loop iterates through each leaf node (elements without child elements) within the Worker_Status. For each element, it prepares a CSV formatted string consisting of the common data (derived event code and effective moment items) along with the current element name and value.

Output Formatting: The data is structured in a comma-separated format, and the appropriate line breaks are maintained.

Example Output

For the provided XML, the output CSV will look like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Conclusion

Generating a CSV from XML using XSLT is a powerful way to streamline your data processing tasks. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can customize your transformation to suit your specific requirements. The flexibility and efficiency offered by XSLT can make your XML to CSV conversion effortless and accurate. Don’t hesitate to adapt the XSLT code provided to fit any XML structure you need to work with!

For additional questions or to share your experiences, feel free to join the discussion in the comments below.

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