Importing Panelist Credits

The panelist credits for a panel can be exported as a zipped .txt file, via email, or if you have the appropriate license, via FTP (go to Exporting Panelist Credits for more information). Note that there are a number of information columns that must be included in the .txt file to be imported. These are "required fields" and must have the column headers as shown:

Field/column name	Description	Required/Optional
responseid	The unique responseid ID of the panelist. Maximum number of characters is 50.	Required for Append (or use email)
email	The email address of the panelist. Will not be imported to the panel credit table, but is used to find the matching responseid.	Required for Append (or use responseid)
CreditTransactionHistory	The Id of the particular credit entry.	Required for Update
TransactionSurveyId	The project Id of the project for which the credit is being granted.	Optional
TransactionCredit	The credit amount.	Optional
TransactionCreated	The date for the credit entry. Format yyyy-MM-dd hh:mm:ss.	Optional
TransactionComment	A text string, up to 256 characters.	Optional
TransactionSectionId	A string used if credits are to be assigned multiple times for one project. Up to 40 characters.	Optional
TransactionSecondaryPanelistId	If points are received from another panelist (e.g. refferals), this is the panelist id of the panelist who gave the points.	Optional
TransactionPending	Is the transaction pending (true/false)? A transaction is pending in a survey until the respondent has been given a status in the survey.	Optional
TransactionType	Why the transaction has been made; a normal update, a correction to the current value, some credit has expired etc.	Optional
TransactionIsHidden	Is the transaction hidden; true or false.	Optional

If the file has been exported via email, save the file attachment to an appropriate folder in your network.

1. Open the Panel to which you wish to import the panelist credit file.
2. Go to the Panel Management > Panelist Credit menu command and select Import.

The Import Panelist Credits dialog opens - .



Figure 1 - The Import Panelist Credits dialog

3. If the file has been exported via email, select the Transfer Type to be Upload then browse to the file that is to be uploaded and select it. If the file has been exported to FTP, type the file name into the File Name field.

Note: FTP export requires your company to license an add-on. The FTP site details will then be specified automatically by Forsta.

4. Select the Key Field that is to be used to identify the panelists to which each credit value is to be credited.

This list is populated automatically from the fields available in the panel.

5. Set the start time for the import task.

Note: If the file is to be exported at regular intervals (using a recurring task) then you can also set the import to occur at corresponding intervals, thereby updating the credits automatically. In this case, ensure you allow a delay between the times set for the exports and the imports to allow for possible queues in the task server.

6. Click OK.

The import will be performed at the specified time(s).