Creating a new export

Users may create exported files in one of two ways – either via the New Export button in the header of the Deliverables applet, or by selecting New Export from the Data button group in the Survey Navigation menu.

Both methods bring the user to the Create Exports screen.

First, select which file type to download from the File Type dropdown menu. The default file type is Excel 2007 files, but there are several other types users may select as well.

Next, use the Field Selector menu to specify which fields (variables and/or questions) to use within the export. The menu defaults to All Questions and Record Data, but users may also limit the report to All Questions, All Questions and Record Data, By Chapter, By Field Type, or select a subset of variables/questions by selecting Individually.

After selecting the fields required for the export, use the Record Selector to specify which records to include. Options included here are for Completed records, IDs, Date/Time, or Data Cut; these options may also be combined if need be. If a data cut is required for the export, users may either select an existing data cut from the Data cut dropdown menu/field or create a new one, either in the lower text field or via the Expression Builder modal by clicking on the Wrench icon.

If need be, users may also select from a list of Advanced Export Options for additional file formatting options. 

The following options are available:

• Compress data file - Places the export inside an archive, so that the size of the downloadable file is smaller. This option is especially helpful when exports run into the hundreds of megabytes (MB). Often times, the compressed file is significantly smaller.
• Show response text for closed end questions - Replaces option codes with the text of the option itself.
• Expand stacked fields - Works with stacked data sets (selected by default). In such cases, proxy variables store data which allows for a neater, more compact data set. Expanding the fields exports data as if it was not stacked.
• Include description row (XLSX) - Adds the question text (or description, if available) in the row below the column labels. This option is only valid on Excel exports.
• Within header row field names replace all _ characters with . - Defaults to replacing underscores in header row field names with periods, though users made edit what is replaced and which symbol it is replaced by.
• Include system variables - Includes all fields in the survey which fall into the System Fields chapter. This includes quota fields, the disp and oq variables, CheatSweep data, ordering information, and more.

After selecting all necessary options, click Next to continue.

This brings users to the final screen of the Create Exports applet where users will see the results of the file being created. If the file is successfully created, users will have the option to download the file, save the export, or both. Note that the Save Export button will not be active unless a file name is entered in the Description field. If need be, users may alter the exports settings via the Adjust file button at the bottom of the screen.

Once the export has been downloaded and/or saved, users may elect to create additional exports via the Create another Export or Adjust file buttons. To return to the Deliverables home screen, click either Done, or the Deliverables button in the menu bar.