Retrieved files count vs. granules count in Earthdata download
Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2025 10:58 am America/New_York
We recently received a question from a user about an Earthdata Search download order where the number of “retrieved files” is smaller than the number of granules.
Dataset: CALIPSO Lidar Level 2 5 km Merged Layer, V4-51
Download Status page: https://search.earthdata.nasa.gov/downloads/3464466097
Status shows: Complete (100%)
Granules: 843
Message shown: “Retrieved 780 files for 843 granules”
Could you please help me understand why the retrieved file count (780) is lower than the granule count (843)? For example:
Are some granules expected to have no downloadable file (e.g., empty/no-data granules, duplicates, or filtered items)?
Were some granules skipped due to errors, permissions, or availability issues on the archive?
Is there a way to view a report/log indicating which granules were not retrieved and the reason?
If there are missing files, I’d appreciate guidance on how to obtain them (or how to re-run the request properly to ensure all granules are included).
Dataset: CALIPSO Lidar Level 2 5 km Merged Layer, V4-51
Download Status page: https://search.earthdata.nasa.gov/downloads/3464466097
Status shows: Complete (100%)
Granules: 843
Message shown: “Retrieved 780 files for 843 granules”
Could you please help me understand why the retrieved file count (780) is lower than the granule count (843)? For example:
Are some granules expected to have no downloadable file (e.g., empty/no-data granules, duplicates, or filtered items)?
Were some granules skipped due to errors, permissions, or availability issues on the archive?
Is there a way to view a report/log indicating which granules were not retrieved and the reason?
If there are missing files, I’d appreciate guidance on how to obtain them (or how to re-run the request properly to ensure all granules are included).