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Append CSV examples

Lisa Wong
Updated

Use these example workflows as a starting point for figuring out ways you can incorporate external data into your datasets, crosstab reports, and dashboards.

Example: Append NPS® data to a new dataset

You can use the append CSV feature to import Net Promoter Score (NPS)℠1 data from a third-party application or other source into a dataset. This enables you to add time series graphs to your dashboards to visualize NPS® sentiment over time, or combine this information with activity data or profile variable data in other datasets.

  1. Open the Surveys app and create a new multiple response survey with an NPS® question, and any additional questions you want to import into your dataset.

    Note: You can add the survey to a dataset and append data without distributing the survey. This option is useful whenever you want all of the data to come from a CSV file.
  2. Open the Analytics app and create a new dataset.
  3. Add your new multiple response survey as a datasource and select any fields you want to import data into when you append the CSV.
  4. Download the CSV file template for your dataset. Select CSV File > Download Template on the dataset page. The template includes the specific fields required to append your data to the dataset.
  5. Prepare the CSV file to append to your dataset based on the template. You can use a spreadsheet application, text editor, or script to populate the CSV file with your data. You must include all headers from the template, and for each data row you must include either a value or a blank.
    Note: For multiple response surveys, ownerId can be duplicated, but recordExternalId must be unique in the CSV file.
  6. Append the CSV file to your dataset. Select CSV File > Append Data on the dataset page.
  7. Use the dataset with the appended data in crosstab reports and dashboards, as you would use any other dataset.

Example: Append multiple activities to a single dataset

For performance reasons, datasets have a limitation on the number of activities and profile variables you can join together in a dataset. You can include up to 5 single response activities or 1 multiple response activity, and up to 10 profile variables. You can use the append CSV feature to append the data from a larger number of activities, such as a year of monthly surveys, in a single dataset. If members are unique in the dataset, you can use an existing single response activity in your dataset and append the data from additional activities to the dataset. If members are duplicated in the activities you are appending, you need to add a multiple response survey to a dataset and append your CSV files to the dataset.

  1. Open the Surveys app and select the activity, or create a new activity, to append your CSV files to. Ensure that your activity is a multiple response survey if members or participants will be included in more than one of the appended CSV files.
  2. Open the Analytics app and create a new dataset.
  3. Add your activity as a datasource and select any fields you want to import data into when you append the CSV files.
  4. Download the CSV file template for your dataset. Select CSV File > Download Template on the dataset page. The template includes the specific fields required to append your data to the dataset.
  5. Export a CSV file from each activity you want to append to your dataset:
    1. Open the Surveys app.
    2. Select the activity to export data from.
    3. Click the Report tab and open the standard report.
    4. Select Export > CSV (Response Data) > Answer Labels or Numeric Values.

  6. Prepare the CSV files to append to your dataset based on the template. You can use a spreadsheet application, text editor, or script to populate the CSV file with your data. You must include all headers from the template, and for each data row you must include either a value or a blank. You may need to adjust the exported activity CSV file so that the data can be appended to your dataset in the following ways:

    1. The date format exported from activities does not match the ISO 8601 date format required by datasets. You can reformat the dates in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets, by adding a new column with the formula to reformat the date values: =TEXT(A2, "yyyy-mm-ddThh:MM:ss.000Z"). Copy the properly formatted dates and replace the original dates using the Paste Values Only command in your spreadsheet application.
    2. MemberId from the activity export maps to the ownerId field in the append CSV file.
    3. ResponseId from the activity export maps to recordExternalId in the append CSV file.
    4. Status from the activity export maps ResponseStatus in the append CSV file.
    Note: For single response surveys, ownerId must be unique in the dataset. For multiple response surveys, ownerId can be duplicated, but recordExternalId must be unique in the CSV file and is a required value.
  7. Append the CSV file to your dataset. Select CSV File > Append Data on the dataset page.
  8. Use the dataset with the appended data in crosstab reports and dashboards, as you would use any other dataset.
1 Net Promoter, NPS, and the NPS-related emoticons are registered U.S. trademarks, and Net Promoter Score and Net Promoter System are service marks, of Bain & Company, Inc., NICE Systems, Inc. and Fred Reichheld.

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