Populating Survey Questions Using Outside Data Sources

Use the Hidden Response option when you are sending customer database or panel information directly into the survey data file. Data from your corporate or client's corporate database can be merged into the survey data and then manipulated as if the respondent had entered it in manually. This feature allows you to add data about the respondent's purchase or usage patterns, demographic data from a panel database, census data or other market data relating to the respondent. You could also send the respondent to certain questions depending on the hidden data fields. 

To populate survey questions using outside data sources, follow the steps below.

  1. Create a question as you normally would.
  2. Click the Hidden Response Question box on the Question Options screen.
  3. Use Hidden Response Questions in branching, filtering and piping.  
  4. Send the data in using a query string attached to the survey's URL.

In each data element, include an Answer,  Label, Question ID, and Position Number as it appears in the survey. The syntax for the data elements is as follows (the tilde "~" is used as the delimiter). Send as many data elements as you need.

www.surveywriter.com/survey/[your survey directory]/survey_name.asp?data= [Answer code][~][Label][~][Question ID][~][Question position]&data= [Answer code][~][Label][~][Question ID][~][Question position].

Example: To send an age field directly into the data file where the age question is a hidden question, and the respondent falls into the age category of 25-34, the question specifications are:

Question ID is Q2

The question position is 2

Age categories

1=Under 18
2=18-24
3=25-34
4=35 or older

www.surveywriter.com/survey/survey1/Sample_Survey?data=3~25-34~Q2~2

  1. To add a second hidden response, append it to the end of the URL using the & sign.