# CDSAPI: reanalysis single-level is being download as a .zip when asked for "unarchived" **URL:** \ **Category:** API\ **Created:** [10 December 2024 11:56 UTC](https://forum.ecmwf.int/t/cdsapi-reanalysis-single-level-is-being-download-as-a-zip-when-asked-for-unarchived/10172 "2024-12-10T11:56:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![R\_Pf](https://forum.ecmwf.int/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/5daacb/32.png) [@R\_Pf](https://forum.ecmwf.int/u/R_Pf)\ **Post date:** [10 December 2024 11:56 UTC](https://forum.ecmwf.int/t/cdsapi-reanalysis-single-level-is-being-download-as-a-zip-when-asked-for-unarchived/10172/1 "2024-12-10T11:56:57Z")
Hi there, I’m trying to download data using python cdsapi using the following query: ```auto {'product_type': ['reanalysis'], 'variable': ['top_net_thermal_radiation'], 'year': ['2024'], 'month': ['10'], 'day': ['31'], 'time': ['00:00', '01:00', '02:00', '03:00', '04:00', '05:00', '06:00', '07:00', '08:00', '09:00', '10:00', '11:00', '12:00', '13:00', '14:00', '15:00', '16:00', '17:00', '18:00', '19:00', '20:00', '21:00', '22:00', '23:00'], 'data_format': 'netcdf', **'download_format': 'unarchived'** } ``` While I explicitely require the unarchived netcdf data, the output is still downloaded as a zip archive. The archive contains two files that are: data\_stream-oper\_stepType-accum.nc data\_stream-oper\_stepType-instant.nc I don’t understand what these “accum/instant” files are supposed to be ---
**Author:** ![Thomas\_Colligan](https://forum.ecmwf.int/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@Thomas\_Colligan](https://forum.ecmwf.int/u/Thomas_Colligan)\ **Post date:** [16 December 2024 23:14 UTC](https://forum.ecmwf.int/t/cdsapi-reanalysis-single-level-is-being-download-as-a-zip-when-asked-for-unarchived/10172/2 "2024-12-16T23:14:13Z")
This is happening to me too. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Yuyang](https://forum.ecmwf.int/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Si\_Yuyang](https://forum.ecmwf.int/u/Si_Yuyang)\ **Post date:** [17 December 2024 09:33 UTC](https://forum.ecmwf.int/t/cdsapi-reanalysis-single-level-is-being-download-as-a-zip-when-asked-for-unarchived/10172/3 "2024-12-17T09:33:59Z")
> [@Forthcoming update to the format of netCDF files produced by the conversion of GRIB data on the CDS](https://prod.ecmwf-forum-prod.compute.cci2.ecmwf.int/t/forthcoming-update-to-the-format-of-netcdf-files-produced-by-the-conversion-of-grib-data-on-the-cds/7772): > > We are pleased to announce an update to the format of netCDF files produced by the conversion of GRIB data on the CDS. The new release will take place on Tuesday 26 November 2024. The main improvement is that when converting to netCDF, the GRIB variables are split based on the stepType grib key so that the time dimensions are correctly handled and provided in a more user friendly format. The stepType describes how the variable has been aggregated over the time step, and can take values such as… This is an announcement regarding the changes. I hope this will be helpful to you. ---
**Author:** ![Thomas\_Colligan](https://forum.ecmwf.int/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@Thomas\_Colligan](https://forum.ecmwf.int/u/Thomas_Colligan)\ **Post date:** [17 December 2024 16:12 UTC](https://forum.ecmwf.int/t/cdsapi-reanalysis-single-level-is-being-download-as-a-zip-when-asked-for-unarchived/10172/4 "2024-12-17T16:12:25Z")
Thank you. In summary, the GRIB-\>netcdf converter now returns instantaneous and accumulated variables. ---
**Author:** ![Mohammad\_Fahad\_Ahmed](https://forum.ecmwf.int/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@Mohammad\_Fahad\_Ahmed](https://forum.ecmwf.int/u/Mohammad_Fahad_Ahmed)\ **Post date:** [7 January 2025 09:19 UTC](https://forum.ecmwf.int/t/cdsapi-reanalysis-single-level-is-being-download-as-a-zip-when-asked-for-unarchived/10172/5 "2025-01-07T09:19:00Z")
Hello, So what changes should I make to my code to be able to get the data in netcdf format as in my code currently I use that NetCDF data from ERA5 to be converted to an excel sheet and I am getting unknown format error when my code try to process the .nc file downloaded from CDS ---
**Author:** ![Subhra\_Prakash\_Dey](https://forum.ecmwf.int/user_avatar/forum.ecmwf.int/subhra_prakash_dey/32/991_2.png) [@Subhra\_Prakash\_Dey](https://forum.ecmwf.int/u/Subhra_Prakash_Dey)\ **Post date:** [17 March 2025 09:18 UTC](https://forum.ecmwf.int/t/cdsapi-reanalysis-single-level-is-being-download-as-a-zip-when-asked-for-unarchived/10172/6 "2025-03-17T09:18:01Z")
Hi Yuyang, Thanks for the explanation. However, it is still not clear to me what are the meaning of the “accumulated” and “instantaneous” variables. Different variables are stored in these two files. What are the definitions of the accumulated and instant variables? ---
**Author:** ![Michela](https://forum.ecmwf.int/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/898d66/32.png) [@Michela](https://forum.ecmwf.int/u/Michela)\ **Post date:** [17 March 2025 11:16 UTC](https://forum.ecmwf.int/t/cdsapi-reanalysis-single-level-is-being-download-as-a-zip-when-asked-for-unarchived/10172/7 "2025-03-17T11:16:50Z")
Hi, please have a look here: [ERA5 terminology: analysis and forecast; time and steps; instantaneous and accumulated and mean rates and min/max parameters - Copernicus Knowledge Base - ECMWF Confluence Wiki](https://confluence.ecmwf.int/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=85402030#ERA5terminology:analysisandforecast;timeandsteps;instantaneousandaccumulatedandmeanratesandmin/maxparameters-Instantaneous,accumulated,meanrateandmin/maxparameters) Thanks