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If you are using Forsta Plus as a data collection platform you can now import data, seamlessly, directly from any of your Forsta Plus surveys via the Data import page. Previously Forsta Plus data was always imported via the Import scheduler functionality but now using the new option to import directly from the Data import page the process is simpler in projects where you do not have a need for scheduled/continuously running data imports.
The new option to import data from any of your Forsta Plus surveys via the Data import page. You see this option only if your administrator account has access to Forsta Plus data integration, if you are using Forsta Plus but don’t see this option contact support (VisualizationsSupport@forsta.com) and they will assign the needed access rights to your account.
Like in the Scheduled data import page you can either enter your own credentials or use the credentials stored on your customer account meaning you don’t have to enter your Base URL, Username and Password every time you import data from Forsta Plus platform. Forsta Visualizations support will maintain these credentials for you. In case you don't have any api Comfirmit credentials for this yet, please contact your Forsta Plus account manager.
How to select what credentials to use, the list contains the User provided option and the options with pre-defined credentials stored on you customer account in Forsta Visualizations.
Note: the 3 mandatory variables needed by Forsta Visualizations are retrieved the following way:
- RespondentId is copied from responseid from Forsta Plus
- ResponseDate is copied from interview_end from Forsta Plus
- Weight is created on the moment of import with the value of 1
Including Variables from Respondent table and Custom tables
When importing survey data (response data) from Forsta Plus, you have the option to extend the survey dataset by incorporating variables from the corresponding Respondent data (sample) or any Custom data table in Hub.
This is particularly useful in CX programs where the sample often includes additional report-related information that may not always be present i the survey data.
Add variables from Respondent table
You can include variables from the Respondent table when importing a Forsta Plus survey or an Auto-combined survey.
Follow these steps to add variables from the Respondent table to the survey data set:
Create an import task for the survey as usual.
In the Advanced tab, enable the option "Add variables from Respondent table".
From the dropdown list, select the variables you want to include and click "Include" (Not all variables are selected by default to prevent unnecessary import of Personally Identifiable Information).
The selected variables will be displayed in the “Include variable” field.
The below image highlights the options for include variables from Respondent data:
The variables from the Respondent table are imported as an "Update to existing" dataset. This dataset includes the selected variables for the responses (records) that exist in the corresponding survey data file.
Respondent data will only be imported for the responses (records) that are present in the response data. For example, if the response data (survey data) includes RespIds 1, 2, 43, 51, and 122, the Respondent data set will include data for the same RespIds (1, 2, 43, 51, and 122).
The variables from the Respondent data table receive a suffix, "_RespondentData" added to the Variable code during the import to avoid conflicts with variables from the Response data. For example, if the variable code in the Respondent data table is "Org" it will be imported with the code "Org_RespondentData.
Below is a simplified example of the Respondent and Response tables in Forsta Plus. The third table illustrates the data structure in Visualizations after import and activation, assuming the user has chosen to include the Org and AccountOwner variables.
Adding Variables from Custom Data Tables
To add variables from Custom data tables to the survey data set, follow these steps:
Create an import task for the survey as usual.
In the Advanced tab, enable the option "Add variables from Custom data table".
Select the Hub and Custom table.
Choose the mapping variable.
Click on the Apply button.
If you need to import data from more than one Custom table, repeat the last three steps.
The below image shows the options for include variables from Custom data. In this example we see that two custom tables have been selected.
The mapping variable is crucial for linking the records in the custom table to the survey responses. The mapping variable must have the same variable code in both the survey data and the custom table.
It is possible to have either a one-to-one mapping or a one-to-many mapping (where a single data record in the custom table updates multiple data records in the survey data).
When using a categorical variable as the mapping variable, the mapping is based on the answer label rather than the answer code. Please note that looped variables cannot be utilized as mapping variables.
The variables from the selected custom tables are imported as an "Update to existing" dataset. One dataset is created for each selected custom table. Each of these datasets contains records (data rows) thatcorrespond to records in the survey data, based on the selected mapping variable. For example, if a variable like " CustomerType " is used to map records and the custom table contains options for Type A, Type B, Type C and Type D but the imported survey data only includes records corresponding to A and B the imported custom data will only include the records for Type A and B, not for Type C and D.
The variables from the Custom data table receive a suffix, "_CustomData" added to the Variable code during the import to avoid conflicts with variables from the Response data. For example, if the variable code in the Custom data table is "CustomerType" it will be imported with the code " CustomerType _CustomData".
Below is a simplified example. The first table displays survey data in Forsta Plus, while the second table represents a custom data table. The third table showcases the data structure in Visualizations after importing and activating the data. It assumes that the user has opted to include data from this custom table and has been utilizing "Company" as the mapping variable.
Overwriting the Question Type
Single choice questions in Forsta Plus that have specified scores are imported into Forsta Visualization as scale questions. The score is equivalent to the factor average value and is used in mean value calculations.
To support a workflow where scores can be edited in Forsta Plus at any time and automatically update the Visualizations project, the "Overwrite question type" setting can be used. This setting enables continuous updating of the scores, which corresponds to the factor's average value. When this setting is enabled, the score of the questions are updated in Visualizations in every data import from Forsta Plus
Note: When the new setting is enabled all the single choice and scale questions included in the import will be updated to the specified type, and all factors within a scale question will be updated and replaced. If any manual changes have been made within the project, these will be overwritten, and the new factors will be used in all reporting.