9.8

Please note, there are some new features that may affect studies after the upgrade. These changes are indicated by 📣 and summarized in Compatibility Notes (found at end).

AI Assistant and In-Platform Documentation

The 9.8 release introduces two key enhancements designed to boost user experience and productivity.

Introducing Intellix, Our New AI Assistant

We are thrilled to launch Intellix, a powerful new AI assistant integrated directly into the IS Pro platform. This tool offers personalized support and guidance for users of all skill levels, helping to streamline workflows and enhance productivity. Intellix features an intuitive interface and an extensive knowledge base, making it a valuable resource for:

• Explaining IS Pro features and documentation.
• Assisting with question building in both SPL and IntelliBuilder.

Enhanced Context-Specific Documentation

Users now have instant access to relevant documentation from any location within the platform, making it easier and quicker to get the support they need, precisely when they need it.

Survey language selection improvements

We've introduced enhancements to streamline the process for programmers working on multi-market surveys that allow respondents to choose their preferred language.

Picker options moved to Configuration

The in-survey language picker toggle has been relocated from Translations to Survey Configuration. This change allows for country-specific control: the picker can now be toggled on or off for each country, provided that country has more than one language available for respondents.

Program efficiently

When using the single-question language picker, simplify the code by using the dynamic list translation_languages.  This new feature simplifies the process by removing the need for manual creation of lengthy lists of language combinations and associated conditions.

LANG. Which language do you want to take the survey in?
type: radio
language picker: y
eng-1. English  {if $base_country eq 'ca' or $base_country eq 'mx' or $base_country eq 'us'}
fre-1. French   {if $base_country eq 'ca'}
spa-1. Spanish  {if $base_country eq 'mx'}
spa-2. Spanish  {if $base_country eq 'es'}

LANG. Which language do you want to take the survey in?
type: radio
language picker: y
optsfrom: translation_languages

Build custom survey themes

The new Themes Style editor provides a fast way to create custom themes, including options for configuring essential elements. Add a logo, adjust colors, and choose font type and size. Custom themes may be based on either the Flex theme (using a ‘buttons’-based style) or the Spruce theme (‘classic’ form based style).

This feature available for users with system role of Team Leader, Superuser, or System Administrator.

Improvements to reporting

Sort options in Crosstabs

Crosstabs now support row sorting by multiple criteria, including overall percentage selecting, alphabetical order, survey display order, and option ID.

Nets & Metrics display when relevant

The Nets & Metrics modal now displays only nets and metrics relevant to the selected field type.

Open-end numeric fields support metrics such as mean, median, minimum, maximum, range, percentile, and standard deviation. Close-ended fields support nets including Top/Bottom 2 Box, Top/Bottom 3 Box, and Custom Nets.

Nets & Metrics display order

Within Crosstabs, users can now control the display order of nets and metrics within crosstab tables, relative to answer options and the Total Answering row.

The Advanced tab includes separate drop-downs for Nets (Top/Bottom 2 Box, Top/Bottom 3 Box, and Custom) and Metrics (mean, median, minimum, maximum, range, percentile, and standard deviation). Once added, nets and metrics can be reordered across the entire report using the Display Order feature.

IntelliBuilder Improvements

Enhanced Question Building Workflow

The process for creating surveys in IB is more efficient with the introduction of the new 'Add Question Element' drawer.

Key improvements include:

• Reorganized Question Widgets: The most common question types are now easily accessible.
• Improved Search: Discovering lesser-known question elements is easier with the enhanced search feature.
• Faster Access to Frequent Questions: As you build your survey, a new section populates at the top of the list with your most frequently used question types, providing quicker access.

SPL

Introducing four new system classes: 📣 

• std_radio_scale
• std_radiotable_textabove
• wholenumber_0to100_percent
• table_wholenumber_0to100_percent

The create quota tag now accepts additional decorators, click balance quota: y and apply if to allow for syntax such as: 

create quota: CLICKBAL_GENDER {desc: Click balance gender quota} {click balance quota: y}{apply if: anyChecked($QSAMP,1)}

Loop separator characters can now be defined using loop id separator as a tag or decorator: 📣

1. What do you think of ~text~?
type: textbox
loop for: COLORS {loop id separator: X}

Similar to a row punch summary,  loop punch summary will iterate across a set of looped questions:

1. How do you feel about the ~text~?
type: radio
loop for: COLORS
loop punch summary: QLOVED. Colors loved {if anyChecked($Q1,2)}
1. Hate it
2. Love it

Honorable Mentions

• Refreshed look and feel with updated toolbars, creating consistency throughout the platform
• Crosstab and Frequency reports now remember and preserve the collapsed or expanded state of tables
• Improvements to our file-sending infrastructure. This makes downloading large exports faster and much more reliable, and improves the initial loading speed overall of our platform
• Contact Lists may now be deleted
• Respondent Survey Interface sees many improvements to slider question types, as well as tables with Decline To Answer columns
• Custom Fields' options can be used within expression builder conditions

Bug Fixes

• Ranked block summary tables now display accurate N-size counts in reports
• SPSS exports now correctly support the “replace all characters” option. Additionally, incompatible field names are now replaced with valid characters.
• Users may unlock other users via the Survey Users interface, no longer requiring help from Support
• Collection headers now work properly with vscale tables
• Using range with if not set correctly validates when resubmitting a question
• Using cell as a table option with range as a parameter no longer causes unreadable errors
• Block with two questions and an autoother table row no longer fails to parse

Compatibility Notes 

• With changes to looped questions, surveys containing these may require a reparse in order to run reports without error. Data is unaffected.
• Upon reparse, if a survey contains locally defined classes with the same name as any new system class, the code will need to be updated to use a different naming convention.

Release of 9.8 will start on February 24, 2025.