flatteningto

Flatteningto is a term used in information technology and geometry to describe the process of converting complex, nested structures into flat representations, typically along a single dimension or plane. As a concept, flatteningto encompasses both data transformation—reducing hierarchical data to tabular form—and geometric projection, where a three-dimensional shape or surface is represented in two dimensions. The term is a neologism and is not tied to a single formal standard.

Origin and usage: The word appears in online forums, documentation, and design discussions in the early 21st century, usually in the forms flatten-to or flattening-to. It is used as a verb (to flatten to) or noun (a flatteningto operation) and is most common in contexts dealing with data export, visualization, and modeling workflows.

Methods: In data processing, flatteningto is achieved by traversing nested records and emitting key paths that encode the hierarchy, often concatenated with separators. Recursive or stack-based algorithms are common; arrays may be expanded with index labels or consolidated under repeated keys. In geometry, flatteningto refers to projection or unfolding processes that map a surface to a plane, often with trade-offs in distortion and occlusion.

Applications and limitations: Flatteningto enables exporting to flat formats such as CSV, improving interoperability and analytics. It can, however, erase hierarchical relationships and metadata, require large key schemas, and introduce duplication or ambiguity if not carefully managed. Practical concerns include separator choice, key ordering, and handling of nulls.

See also: flattening (computing), data normalization, serialization.