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# dap snapshot

Download complete snapshot of tables.

The `dap snapshot` command downloads full snapshots of datasets at a specific point in time. This is ideal for creating an initial full copy of the dataset or performing occasional full updates. Snapshots are useful for comprehensive analyses, audits, and backups.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Regular use of snapshots is not recommended, as they are resource-intensive for the API and costly to process on the client side.
{% endhint %}

### Usage

```
dap [arguments] snapshot [flags]
```

### Options

**`--namespace <string>`**\
Specifies the data source (namespace). Available options: {canvas, canvas\_logs, catalog, new\_quizzes}.

**`--table <string>`**\
Specifies the table(s) to fetch data from. Can be a single table name, a comma separated list of table names or the special `all` keyword to fetch all tables in the namespace.

**`--format <string> (default: JSONL)`**\
Defines the output format. Available options: {CSV, JSONL, Parquet, TSV}.

**`--output-directory <string>`**\
Specifies the absolute or relative path to the output directory where the snapshot will be stored.

### Global options

**`--client-id <string>`**\
Client ID obtained from the Identity Service. Skip, if `DAP_CLIENT_ID` environment variable is set.

**`--client-secret <string>`**\
Client Secret obtained from the Identity Service. Skip, if `DAP_CLIENT_SECRET` environment variable is set.

**`-h, --help`**\
Displays help information for the command.

### Output

Data files are written as gzipped files inside a `job_<uuid>/` subdirectory of the output directory. Nothing is printed to `stdout`.

```
downloads/job_9783c06d-00c1-431e-acec-9eee41c8ca1e/
  part-00000-a5f7a08d-4d2e-4674-910b-5557f8b56e5a-c000.json.gz
```

Each decompressed line (in JSONL format) is a JSON object with `key`, `value`, and `meta` fields:

```json
{"key":{"id":1358},"value":{"name":"Default Term","created_at":"2024-04-18T08:19:36.120Z","updated_at":"2024-04-18T08:19:36.120Z","workflow_state":"active"},"meta":{"ts":"2026-02-09T20:27:52.099Z"}}
```

* `meta.ts` is the CDC timestamp for the record (ISO 8601, UTC).
* In snapshot data, `meta.action` is absent (it only appears in incremental results for deletes).
* Files are always gzipped regardless of `--format`.
* Large tables may produce multiple `part-*` files.

### Error handling

| Scenario              | Exit code | Error output                                                                                                |
| --------------------- | --------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Invalid table name    | 5         | `ERROR - Operation snapshot failed. Reason: The table name '<name>' specified in the request is not valid.` |
| Invalid namespace     | 5         | `ERROR - The namespace '<name>' specified in the request is not valid.`                                     |
| Missing required flag | 2         | `Error: Missing option '--table'.`                                                                          |

### Examples

Get a snapshot of the `courses` table from the `canvas` namespace:\
`$ dap snapshot --namespace canvas --table courses`

Get a snapshot of multiple tables or all tables of the `canvas` namespace:\
`$ dap snapshot --namespace canvas --table courses,users,wikis`\
`$ dap snapshot --namespace canvas --table all`

Get a snapshot of the `web_logs` table from `canvas_logs` namespace in CSV format:\
`$ dap snapshot --namespace canvas_logs --table web_logs --format csv`

Get a snapshot to a specific directory for scripting:\
`$ dap --non-interactive --loglevel warning snapshot --namespace canvas --table accounts --output-directory ./data`

### Related Resources

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Key Concepts</strong></td><td>Get familiar with the key concepts in DAP.</td><td><a href="/services/dap/key-concepts.md">Key Concepts</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Rate Limits &#x26; Policies</strong></td><td>Learn more about the limits and our policies in DAP.</td><td><a href="/services/dap/limits-policies.md">Rate Limits &amp; Policies</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Datasets</strong></td><td>Discover the available namespaces and tables.</td><td><a href="/services/dap/dataset.md">Datasets</a></td></tr></tbody></table>


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