In this article
The January 2026 release introduces updates that improve clarity, efficiency, and performance across Forsta Visualizations. This release focuses on an enhanced StoryTeller setup experience, smarter metadata management, more flexible respondent cleaning, and performance improvements for large projects.
StoryTeller
Updated user interface for Summary and Word Cloud objects
Enable Use new StoryTeller setup layout under Project settings > Beta settings to use the updated interface.
When configuring these objects, you move through a clear three-step setup:
Data – Select questions, analysis type, and filters
Settings or Word cloud settings – Configure object-specific options
Format – Adjust layout, styling, and visual appearance
Data Management
Metadata Agent
The Metadata Agent is a new feature designed to reduce the time spent managing questions and metadata. It automates tasks that were previously handled manually on the Question page, helping you keep metadata clean and consistent. It also analyzes existing project metadata and suggests updates based on predefined tasks but it does not connect to raw respondent data.
The Metadata Agent can:
Improve question and answer labels
Recommend questions to use as filters
Update question types to scale questions where appropriate
Logging and transparency
The Metadata Agent includes a log that shows which changes were applied based on AI suggestions. If you manually override a suggestion, your version is applied and the change is not logged as an AI update. This provides transparency while keeping you in full control.
Data security
Metadata and AI-generated suggestions:
Are not shared with other customers
Are not shared with OpenAI
Are not used to train or improve models
Remain in the same region as your server
Inactivate respondents in Respondent Cleaning
Respondent Cleaning now includes the option to Inactivate respondents in addition to permanently deleting them. When respondents are inactivate, they remain in the project but are excluded from all reporting. This is useful when testing cleaning rules or evaluating their impact without permanently removing data.
When creating cleaning rules, you can now choose between:
Delete respondents
Inactivate respondents
Project administration
Load input variables and respondent table data to InMemory
An existing performance feature is now generally available, allowing you to manage it directly without assistance from Forsta staff.
You can now choose to load the following into your InMemory model:
Input variables used in any object
Questions displayed in respondent tables, including open-ended questions