InfoPath repeating tables to Excel, as real rows
Expense lines, attendees, order items, inspection findings: the most useful data in many InfoPath forms sits in repeating tables, and it is the hardest part to get out.
To export InfoPath repeating tables or repeating sections to Excel as proper rows, use an exporter that writes each repeating group to its own sheet. FormArchive does this: the main sheet has one row per form, and each repeating table gets a sheet with one row per item plus the parent form's file name as a key. Nested repeating groups get their own sheets keyed to both levels. That layout totals correctly in Excel and joins cleanly in Power BI or a database.
Why repeating data is hard to get out
SharePoint could only promote a repeating field as one value: the first, the last, a count, a sum, or all values merged into one string. The individual rows were never columns, so no SharePoint export contains them. They exist only inside each form's XML, as a sequence of identical groups.
The flattening trap
Excel's own XML import, and many quick scripts, flatten a form by repeating every parent value on each child row. A form with eight expense lines becomes eight rows that each carry the claim total. Sum the total column and you have counted that claim eight times. With several repeating tables in one form, the rows multiply against each other.
How FormArchive structures it
- Forms sheet: one row per form, non-repeating fields only.
- One sheet per repeating group: one row per item, a
formcolumn with the source file name, and anitemnumber for the row's position in the form. - Nested groups (a repeating section inside a repeating section) get their own sheet with keys to the form and the parent item.
- Sheet names come from the group names in the schema.
In Excel, a lookup or PivotTable on the form column joins items back to their form. In Power BI or Access, it is a one-to-many relationship.
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Works with InfoPath 2007, 2010 and 2013 forms. Mac and Windows.
FAQ
Can I get repeating tables in one sheet instead?
Yes. A flattened option writes one sheet with parent values repeated on each row, for people who prefer that layout. The linked layout is the default because it totals correctly.
Are empty repeating rows exported?
Rows that contain no values are skipped by default; you can choose to keep them.
What about repeating fields that aren't in a table?
A repeating field, such as a list of email addresses, is treated like any other repeating group and gets its own sheet.