Expression Builder

Data cuts are filters that allow users to define the scope of respondents to include in a report. The Expression Builder modal allows users to create, edit, and save data cut conditions quickly and easily without having to be directed to another applet. These data cuts may then be applied in any of the reporting applets or the Data Cuts applet, and can optionally be saved with a description for future usage.

Expression Builder Tutorial

The following video contains an overview of how to use the Expression Builder tool to create data cuts for use with our reporting applets and Data Cuts applet.

Where Expression Builder is used

Each applet's home screen differs slightly in its layout, but how the Expression Builder modal is accessed is more or less the same. In most cases, the Expression Builder is accessed by selecting the Data Cut option in the Record Selector and then clicking the Wrench icon.

The following applets allow users to create data cuts with the Expression Builder modal.

Page	Location
Survey
Survey Dashboard	Incidence Tile > Gear > Filter > Syntax
Reports
Survey Reports / Topline	Within any Topline tile, Gear > Filter > Cust Expr
Survey Reports / Frequency	Main page
Survey Reports / Response	Main page
Survey Reports / Crosstabs	Main page
Survey Reports / Base Counts	Main page
Data
Batch Update	Main page
Survey Data Scan	Main page
Survey Recalculate Fields	Main page
Reports Deliverables	New Export (Exports/Create page)
Survey Weighting	Create (Weighting/Create page)
Sample
Survey Contact Lists / Manage	Actions > Reports > Individual, Frequency, or Actions > Exports
Survey Batches / Manage	(Create) Email > Next > Select Recipients

Note, the table above mentions the most commonly used applets, but it is not intended to be an exhaustive list.

Using the Expression Builder

To build a data cut expression, first select a question, variable, or table element from the Field dropdown menu. After selecting the desired question/variable, two additional dropdowns will appear. The first will allow the user to select a defining expression or condition (is, is not, is greater than, etc.) and the second will be a selection of the Option. Once the first expression is built, press Apply. The expression will then be displayed in the Expression Output textbox as it would if programmed.

If additional expressions are needed for the data cut, continue to make selections for the Field, definitions, and Options, but be sure to select an operator — And or Or — before pressing Apply. After each expression is applied, it will appear in the textbox. The number of records the expression applies to will be listed next to the Update button. If need be, the Expression Output textbox entries can be edited manually.

After all desired expressions have been added, users can elect to either use the filter without saving by clicking the Use Expression button or save it for repeated use. To save the data cut, enter a description in the textfield at the bottom of the modal. This will then activate the Save and Use Data Cut button. Clicking this button will return the user to the Record and Field Selectors to finish configuring their report. Any saved data cuts will also be available for usage in any other places where data cuts can be applied.

If the wrong data cut fields or conditions have been selected, press the Reset button to start over or press the Cancel button to exit the Expression Builder modal.

Note: When using Expression Builder for Contact List exports and reports, the available fields for making data cuts will be the fields associated with the contact lists (either System fields or User-defined fields, not Survey fields).

Expressions with three or more fields

When using the Expression Builder to create a data cut with three or more conditions in which both And and Or are used, be careful to review how parentheses are shown in the resulting expression. It is possible the parentheses could be arranged in a different order of operations than what was intended, resulting in an incorrect data cut. The parentheses can always be manually edited to correct the order if need be. After the expression has been edited, press Update to recalculate the number of resulting records.

In the example below, how the conditions are grouped via parentheses makes a difference in the number of records that fit the filtering criteria. The initial filtering expression is grouped so that respondents fall into two groups — either they responded with '($QAGE_QUOTA ==3) AND ($QINC_QUOTA>4)', or they responded with '($QD5 >= 5)', resulting in 16 records.

Suppose that instead what was intended was for the filter to accept any respondents who fell in the fifth (or higher) QINC_QUOTA group or had at least a master's degree ($QD5>=5) and fell into the QAGE_QUOTA group of '3'. In this case, we need to change our parentheses to group around the second and third fields. This results in the expression shown below and captures a smaller number of respondents (only 3).

This small change can make a big difference in the reporting results. It is always best to doublecheck the final Expression Output.

Note: Users should be aware that if they combine filters from the Record Selector with a data cut created in the Expression Builder, the resulting number of records could be different. For example, if the data cut did not originally define the respondents' status, it would include all records (all statuses) by default. Then, when the data cut is applied to the report, often Completed is selected, which further reduces the overall count of respondents.

Advanced data cuts

If the Expression Builder is not providing enough options to create the desired data cut, press the Advanced Datacut icon (), and you will be brought to the Data Cuts & Banners screen. From here users will be able to utilize the Data Cut applet to construct a more complex set of filtering conditions. Once the data cut is complete, it will be accessible via the Data cut dropdown menu in any of the reporting applets.

For more on using the Data Cut applet, see Data Cuts.

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