Importing and Exporting Data

Importing Data

Respondent data can be imported into a Professional Panel.

Go to the Panel Management > Data > Import menu item.

The Data Import page opens - .

Figure 1 - The Data Import page

• Project ID - the ID of the current project - the project into which the data will be imported.
• Active Database - the database into which the file will be imported.
• Format - select the format of the file you wish to import.

Import files can either be uploaded directly in the browser, or placed on an FTP server and retrieved from there (see below). Select the required option.

• Upload File - if the import file is to be uploaded directly from the browser, select this option and click Browse .
• Pick up from FTP Location - if your company has licensed the FTP add-on and it has been enabled, this option will be active. You can then fetch the file to be uploaded from Forsta's FTP location. Forsta's FTP address is specified as part of the enabling procedure and cannot be changed, so you must add only the file name to this field. Refer to the separate Professional Authoring documentation for further details on the FTP functionality.
• Sort Data - [Excel only] when importing Excel files, data in all sheets must be sorted by key columns. If the data in your import file is not sorted, check this check box to instruct the task execution to sort data in all the Excel sheets automatically. Please note that sorting may take some time for large data.
• File Handling - if you select "Pick up from FTP Location", these options become active. You can then also decide what to do with the original files on the FTP site; leave them there or delete them. Note that fetching from FTP can allow automation of data flows, since you can set up the system to pick up files automatically.

The properties and settings available in the following steps in the procedure will depend on the format you have selected here.

Uploading a File

To upload a file:

1. Go to the Panel Management > Data > Import menu item.

The Data Import page opens.

2. Select the required file format, then click Browse.

A standard file browser window opens.

3. Find and select the file you wish to upload, then click Open.

The file path is added to the Upload File field.

4. Click Next.

The Import Properties page opens. The fields available on the page will depend on the type of file you are importing.

5. Make the appropriate settings and click Next or Finish.

If you click Finish, the import task will be added to the queue. If you click Next, you are given the opportunity to set up a recurring task such that the file will be imported at regular intervals.

Exporting Data

You can export data as a delimited text file.

1. Go to the Panel Management > Data > Export menu command.

The Data Export page opens - .



Figure 2 - The Data Export page

2. If you wish to create a filter expression, click Edit.

An expression editor window opens. Here you can assemble the filter expression you require. Refer to the separate Professional Authoring documentation for further details on creating expressions.

Otherwise, click Next.

The Export Properties page opens - .



Figure 3 - The Export Properties page 1

The various properties and settings are:

• Delimiter - a delimiter is a sequence of one or more characters used to specify the boundary between separate, independent regions in plain text or other data stream. An example of a delimiter is the comma character in a sequence of comma-separated values. Select the delimiter that you wish to be used in the data file to be exported. The options are:
• Comma - a Comma (,) -separated ASCII text file is generated. All answers will be inside quotes (""). The variable names will be in the first row.
• Tab - a Tab-separated ASCII text file is generated. No quotes ("") are used. The variable names will be in the first row.
• Custom - the Custom Delimiter field is activated. Here you can select any single keyboard character, which will then be used as the delimiter in the exported ASCII text file.
• Locale - determines the formatting of elements such as numbers (decimal point) and dates/times. Select the locale appropriate to the format used in the file.
• Truncate Open Ends - For Open Ends (Open Text questions with no field width specified), it is recommended to truncate texts to improve performance. If a number of characters is specified for the Open Ends Width, texts longer than this limit, if any, will automatically be truncated. If No Truncation (Full Length) is selected, the whole text will be imported/exported, but the task may take significantly longer to execute.

Note: There is no filter for Open End type, so all Open Text questions with no field width specified will be included in the export (those with type Normal, Hidden or Background), while those with field width set will not be included.

• Open End Handling - defines how open ended questions are handled. The options are:
• Include Open Ends - all open end questions are included in the export.
• Exclude Open Ends - no open end questions are included in the export.
• Open Ends Only (one row per respondent) - only open end questions are included in the export file, with one row in the file for each respondent (all the answers for each respondent are in the same row).
• Open Ends Only (one row per answer) - only open end questions are included in the export file, with one row in the file for each answer given.
• Variables to Include... - you can build templates to choose a subset of data fields for your exports. If you have a template you wish to use, check this box and then select the template. To learn more, visit: Data Templates in the Survey Designer Knowledge Base. Legacy templates can also be selected.
• Panel Variables - if you do not have a template to use, click Select Variables to open a selection window enabling you to select the panel variables you wish to include in the export. Note that you must select one or more variables or the export will return nothing.
• Survey History Variables - if you do not have a template to use, click Select Variables to open a selection window, enabling you to select the survey history variables you wish to include in the export.
• Override Filename - all export tasks will generate files with unique names in the format: <projectid>_<userid>_<taskid>.<extension>. The "Override filename" functionality allows you to override this system-generated name. Tick this check-box to open a text-box where you can specify a new name.

Note: The '_^PROJECTID^_' part of the name will be replaced by the real project id during the export. Default is ^PROJECTID^_^USERID^_^TASKID^. ^PROJECTID^ is only "required" when executing a rule; it is not "required" when running an export using the Export GUI.

3. Make the appropriate settings and click Next.

The Export Properties page changes to - :



Figure 4 - The Export Properties page 2

Here, the properties and setting are:

• File transfer - export files can either be sent by email or placed on an FTP server. FTP is the recommended option for large volumes of data, since emails with large attachments may be blocked. FTP can allow automation of data flows, since files can then be picked up automatically by another system/process. Note that your company must license the FTP add-on for this option to be available. Refer to the Authoring documentation for further details on the FTP functionality.
• Encrypt file - data transfer encryption functionality makes it possible to perform secure data exports from Forsta Plus. The encrypted files can then be either ordered by email or sent to the FTP server for downloading. The users will have to decrypt the files using their private PGP encryption keys. Refer to the separate Professional Authoring documentation for further information on PGP encryption.
• Email Address - if Email is selected in File Transfer above, this is the email address to which the email will be sent. Check that the recipient's email address is correct.
• Start Time - the time when the export task is to commence. You can select ASAP (as soon as possible) or schedule it for a later time. If you schedule the task for later, then when you click Finish, a Recurrence setup page opens. Refer to the Professional Authoring documentation for further details.
4. Make the appropriate settings and click Finish.

The Rule Executor page opens, detailing the task's progress. When the task has run, the data is exported as a delimited text file. The file will be attached to an email and send to the specified address or sent to the FTP site as selected. On completion, go to another menu item as appropriate to continue with your work.