Convert pandas DataFrame to a nested dict

You can reconstruct your dictionary as easy as follows

result = {}
for lst in df.values:
    leaf = result
    for path in lst[:-2]:
       leaf = leaf.setdefault(path, {})
    leaf.setdefault(lst[-2], list()).append(lst[-1])

>>> result
{'A': {'A1': {'A11': [1]}, 'A2': {'A21': [6], 'A12': [2]}}, 'C': {'C1': {'C11': [4]}}, 'B':  {'B1': {'B12': [3]}, 'B2': {'B21': [5]}}}

If you're sure your leafs won't overlap, replace last line

    leaf.setdefault(lst[-2], list()).append(lst[-1])

with

    leaf[lst[-2]] = lst[-1]

to get output you desired:

>>> result
{'A': {'A1': {'A11': 1}, 'A2': {'A21': 6, 'A12': 2}}, 'C': {'C1': {'C11': 4}}, 'B': {'B1': {'B12': 3}, 'B2': {'B21': 5}}}

Sample data used for tests:

import pandas as pd
data = {'name': ['A','A','B','C','B','A'],
          'v1': ['A1','A2','B1','C1','B2','A2'],
          'v2': ['A11','A12','B12','C11','B21','A21'],
          'v3': [1,2,3,4,5,6]}
df = pd.DataFrame.from_dict(data)

I don't understand why there isn't a B2 in your dict. I'm also not sure what you want to happen in the case of repeated column values (every one except the last, I mean.) Assuming the first is an oversight, we could use recursion:

def recur_dictify(frame):
    if len(frame.columns) == 1:
        if frame.values.size == 1: return frame.values[0][0]
        return frame.values.squeeze()
    grouped = frame.groupby(frame.columns[0])
    d = {k: recur_dictify(g.ix[:,1:]) for k,g in grouped}
    return d

which produces

>>> df
  name  v1   v2  v3
0    A  A1  A11   1
1    A  A2  A12   2
2    B  B1  B12   3
3    C  C1  C11   4
4    B  B2  B21   5
5    A  A2  A21   6
>>> pprint.pprint(recur_dictify(df))
{'A': {'A1': {'A11': 1}, 'A2': {'A12': 2, 'A21': 6}},
 'B': {'B1': {'B12': 3}, 'B2': {'B21': 5}},
 'C': {'C1': {'C11': 4}}}

It might be simpler to use a non-pandas approach, though:

def retro_dictify(frame):
    d = {}
    for row in frame.values:
        here = d
        for elem in row[:-2]:
            if elem not in here:
                here[elem] = {}
            here = here[elem]
        here[row[-2]] = row[-1]
    return d

see here as their are some options that you can pass to get the output in several different forms.

In [5]: df
Out[5]: 
  name  v1   v2  v3
0    A  A1  A11   1
1    A  A2  A12   2
2    B  B1  B12   3
3    C  C1  C11   4
4    B  B2  B21   5
5    A  A2  A21   6

In [6]: df.to_dict()
Out[6]: 
{'name': {0: 'A', 1: 'A', 2: 'B', 3: 'C', 4: 'B', 5: 'A'},
 'v1': {0: 'A1', 1: 'A2', 2: 'B1', 3: 'C1', 4: 'B2', 5: 'A2'},
 'v2': {0: 'A11', 1: 'A12', 2: 'B12', 3: 'C11', 4: 'B21', 5: 'A21'},
 'v3': {0: 1, 1: 2, 2: 3, 3: 4, 4: 5, 5: 6}}

Here is a way to create a json format, then literally eval it to create an actual dict

In [11]: import ast

In [15]: ast.literal_eval(df.to_json(orient='values'))
Out[15]: 
[['A', 'A1', 'A11', 1],
 ['A', 'A2', 'A12', 2],
 ['B', 'B1', 'B12', 3],
 ['C', 'C1', 'C11', 4],
 ['B', 'B2', 'B21', 5],
 ['A', 'A2', 'A21', 6]]