View forum data with profile variables

Enhance your data analysis by viewing forum posts and replies alongside profile variables for additional context.

This task walks you through how to export forum data and profile variable data, and combine them in Excel.

1. Export forum posts and replies.

   The CSV file contains two columns that could be used as identity variables that you can use to match forum data to profile variable data, MemberID and Email. Decide which identity variable you want to use for the subsequent steps. This task will use MemberID in the examples.

2. Create a member group that includes all forum participants.
   1. Click the App Drawer and select Member Groups.
      
   2. Click New Member Group.
   3. Add a filter condition for Activity Participation Status forumName Is, and select the participation statuses you want to include.
      
   4. Click Create.
   5. In the New Member Group dialog, enter the Member Group Name and click Create.
3. Export profile data for the member group you created in step 2.

   For more information, see Export members or profile variables.

4. Open both CSV files in Excel.
5. Copy the forum data CSV file into the profile data CSV file as a new worksheet.
6. Reformat the worksheets as desired by deleting unnecessary rows and columns.
7. In both worksheets, move the MemberID column to the far left.
8. In both worksheets, sort the MemberID columns.
9. Use the VLOOKUP function to merge posts and replies with forum data.

   Example

   Sample forum data CSV worksheet after deleting rows and columns, and moving the MemberID column to the far left:

   

   Sample profile variable CSV file after deleting columns, moving the MemberID column to the far left, and populating Post Content using VLOOKUP:

   

   Sample VLOOKUP function used in this example:

   =VLOOKUP(A2, forumdata, 9, FALSE)

   A2	The cell with the MemberID value.
   forumdata	The selected and named array from the forum_posts worksheet.
   9	In the forumdata array on the forum_posts worksheet, counting from left to right starting from the MemberID column, this is the number of the column in which the Post Content is located.
   FALSE	Set to FALSE to return exact matches only.

Parent topic: Forums