Adding a Cross Table Tool

Use Cross Table to analyze relationships in data and understand interactions between variables. You can use the Cross Table report to quickly add multiple questions, filter the answers to be shown, change the sort order of the variables or use Correlation calculations.

To add a Cross Table, first add it as a portal tab from the admin pages. You can then design the Cross Table report.

1: Adding a Cross Table from the Portal

1. Log in to Forsta Visualizations. Select ADMINISTRATE.

2. Open the project where you want to add a Cross Table.

3. From the left side menu, select Reports. Select Add new report. Then select Cross Table tool.

   

4. Rename the newly created report as appropriate and select Save.

   

5. To view the report, select DESIGN REPORTS.

   

6. Select the CrossTab report based on the name you provided.

   

2: Toggling Between Cross Table and Grid Table

Once you have created your Cross Table tool, you can choose to display the data in either a cross table or a grid table. Grid tables are useful for displaying responses to grid-type questions; for example, a set of questions/statements which all have the same set of possible answers, such as an agreement or satisfaction scale. Displaying these questions as a grid will more closely match the display format used in the initial survey. As the table type is selected at the sheet level, you can mix both cross tables and grid tables in your workbooks.

In the Rows, Columns and Filters tab, select Cross table or Grid table as the Table type.

• A Cross table allows you to create tables by adding questions and splits to define rows and columns. Both categorical and numeric variables can be used as questions in the table. The question and its answers are both displayed in the column position or both in the row position.

• A Grid table allows you to build tables by adding categorical questions to rows. The corresponding answers are automatically displayed in columns. Only one calculation type can be used at a time. Available calculations are percentage and count.

Note: Splits are not supported in Grid tables. Numeric questions cannot be used in Grid tables.

Tip: When using Grid tables, use questions that share the same answer block.

3: Adding Variables

To use a Cross Table, variables need to be added into Rows, Columns, or Filters. In the Rows, Columns and Filters tab, you can select variables to use as Questions and Splits as well as rearrange the order of their answers. The layout is flexible. Splits can be nested in multiple levels or shown side by side. Questions and Splits can also be transposed, to display either in rows or columns.

If the loop iterator is enabled in your project, the loop will display as a header above the variables. To learn how to enable the loop iterator, see Project Settings--4.1: Looped Data.

3.1: Adding Variables to Rows and Columns

Open the DESIGN REPORTS page and select the appropriate CrossTab report.

1. From the list of variables on the left side, select the variable that you want to Add as question.

   

   Alternatively, drag and drop the variable into the Rows field.

2. From the list of variables on the left side, select the variable that you want to Add as split.

   

   Alternatively, drag and drop the variable into the Columns field.

3. If you add more than one split, choose if splits will be nested. Open the Split settings drop-down and toggle Nest variable splits as appropriate.

   

4. Once you have added your desired questions and splits, you can also add Filters. From the list of variables on the left side, select the variable you want to use as a filter. Select Add filters from the menu that displays.

   

5. Once you have added all the variables desired, select Generate table. Beneath the Generate Table button, the number of cells indicated gives you a sense of the size of the resulting table.

6. The table loads under the Generate table tab. Use the Full screen option when working with large tables.

   

7. To download the table as an Excel spreadsheet, select Export to Excel in the left side menu.

   

3.2: Limitations and Considerations

• To select multiple variables at the same time, press the Shift or CTRL key before dragging them into a Row or Column field.

• Interval and hierarchical filters cannot be used as questions. They can only be used as splits.

• Numerical questions cannot be used as splits. Only categorical questions, intervals (week, month, etc.) and hierarchical filters can be used as splits.

• If multiple splits are positioned in columns (or in rows), then you can define the “nesting” behavior. The selected splits will either be nested or shown side by side.

4: Customizing the Cross Table

You can position questions in either rows or columns.

4.1: Re-Ordering Questions and Splits

Once you have added your questions and splits, you may decide that you want to change how the data is displayed.

To change the questions to be columns and the splits to be rows, select Transpose.

To add a variable as both a question and a split, from the list of variables on the left side, select the variable you want to use, then select Add as question. Then, select the variable again, and select Add as split.

To remove all questions, splits, filters, and time filter selections, select Clear all. To remove only questions (or only splits, etc.), select the three dots to open the drop-down menu, then select the desired option.

To remove a single question or split, mouse over the question or split, and select the X icon.

Note: You can add an entire question block using the drag-and-drop method.

4.2: Customize Sort Order of Answer Options

To customize the sort order of displayed answers, click the # of # selected button on the question or split (alternatively, right-click the question, then click Select answers). In the menu that displays, drag the answers into the desired position.

Note: The new order is only used on the current sheet. It does not affect tables in other sheets or reports.

Note: If two or more questions on the sheet share the same answer block, the updated sort order is applied to all of them.

4.3: Limit the Answers of the selected Questions and Splits

To limit the answers displayed, click the # of # selected button on the question or split. In the menu that displays, select the answers that you want to display. To select multiple variables at the same time, press the Shift or CTRL key while selecting.

Note: If two or more questions on the sheet share the same answer block, the selected answers are applied to all of them.

For instance, if five questions on the sheet share an answer block, and you select to only show answers 4 and 5 for the question “Brand considerations”, then the other four questions will also show only the same answer options.

4.4: Adding Table Breaks

Table Breaks are useful because they take you to selected questions. Rather than presenting the questions as one large table, breaks split the table up so that each question is displayed separately.

You can add table breaks after all questions or before/after an individual question.

4.4.1: Adding Table Breaks after All Questions

To add table breaks, select Table breaks from the Rows field.

Then select Insert after every question. To remove an individual table break, click the X icon.

The tables are separated as indicated.

4.4.2: Adding a Single Table Break

Right-click the question where you want to add the table break. From the menu that displays, select Insert table break before to add a table break before the question. To add a table break after the question, select Insert table break after.

4.5: Rename sheets

The sheet name is displayed at the top of the Rows, Columns and Filter tab. Click the sheet name to edit it.

Tip: This sheet name will be used in the naming of the worksheets if you export to Excel.

Note: If you are unable to edit the sheet names, enable Allow saving workbooks in the setup menu.

4.6: Add Split Dropzone

By default, splits are added in the columns of the table. It is possible to add additional splits in the rows of the table, for example, nesting the row variables.

To enable, go to SPLIT SETTINGS and toggle Show all split dropzones.

You can drop variables to be used as splits in the same way that you add variables to the rows and columns.

4.7: Adding Split Totals and Subtotals

The Total includes all respondents satisfying the applied filter criteria, and is not nested within any other split. The Total appears in columns as either the first or last column of the table. If there are splits in the rows of the table, then the Total will be applied in the same way. When Hierarchy filters (H-filters) are used as splits, the value of the Total includes all respondents that the user has access to.

When the Subtotal is added, it displays as a column (or row) per selected split. For example, if there are three split variables, there will be three subtotal columns.

Note: While admins always have access to all hierarchy levels, report users only see data from their assigned hierarchy levels and nodes. Because of this, the total value may differ between report users and admins, depending on the user's hierarchy level access.

To add a Split Total or Subtotal, select Split settings, then toggle Add Totals or Add Subtotals as appropriate.

By default, the Total appears in the last column but can be changed to the first column as well.

If your table has splits in both columns and rows, the Total will be added in both columns and rows.

If your table includes Subtotals, and has two variables (such as Gender and Age group) shown as splits, then there will be one Subtotal for Age groups and another one for Gender. Each Subtotal is based only on the respondents included in the displayed options of the split variable. Additionally, if the Age group variable has five options but only two are shown in the table, then the Subtotal for the Age group variable will consist of all the respondents belonging to those jsut two options and not the original five.

The Total and the Subtotal can be used simultaneously.

5: Exporting Cross Table to Excel

The following export options are available:

• Export all sheets as separate Excel sheets.

• Export all tables as separate Excel sheets.

• Export all sheets into one single Excel worksheet.

Note: Export all tables as separate Excel sheets (second option) is only applicable when table breaks have been used.

When exporting as Export all tables as separate Excel sheets, all the tables from every sheet will be exported as separate sheets.

Example: For a workbook containing 3 sheets, where the 1st sheet has 4 tables, the 2nd sheet has 5 tables, and the 3rd sheet has 2 tables, and Export all tables as separate Excel sheets is selected: the exported Excel file contains 11 worksheets (4+5+2=11).

When exporting as separate sheets, the resulting Excel file will include a hyperlinked table of links to the other sheets.

To learn more about Workbooks, see Workbooks Overview.