Survey Datasets

Survey Datasets in QuestionPro BI help you enrich survey response data by mapping external data directly to an existing survey data source. This workflow is useful when your analysis requires additional variables, classifications, or attributes that were not collected directly in the survey but are available from another structured source.

After creating a mapped survey dataset, you can review imported variables, rename or remove fields, select variables for focused analysis, search responses, and update the dataset later through re-upload or upsert workflows. This gives teams a practical way to keep survey-linked business intelligence data organized and current.

Watch this video for a quick overview of Survey Datasets in QuestionPro BI:

• Log in to QuestionPro, navigate to Business Intelligence, and select Datasets from the left navigation menu. This is where BI stores survey datasets and other data sources that can be used for reporting and dashboard analysis.


• Click New Dataset to start creating a new dataset.


• Select Map to Survey because this dataset needs to connect external variables to responses from an existing survey. This mapping keeps the uploaded data aligned with the correct respondent records.


• Choose the survey that contains the respondent records you want to enrich with external data.


• Enter a clear dataset name, choose Import, and continue. A descriptive name helps users recognize the mapped survey dataset later.


• Click Next after confirming the survey data source and Import setup.


• Download the template file. The template includes the required response IDs and column structure, which helps prevent upload errors and keeps external variables tied to the correct survey records.


• Open the downloaded template and add the variables you want to map to each survey response. Keep the response ID columns intact so QuestionPro BI can match every uploaded value to the correct respondent.


• Return to QuestionPro BI and upload the completed mapping file, and click Create.


• Use the progress indicator to track dataset processing until the upload is complete. Wait for processing to finish before using the dataset in reports so the mapped variables are fully available.

• Open the survey dataset from the Datasets page when you want to review or manage the mapped data. This opens the dataset detail view where variables can be inspected and managed.


• Here you can review and manage the imported variables and the associated data.


• Use the edit option when you want to rename a variable.


• Use the delete option if you want to remove a variable.


• To inspect variable data, select one or more variables. The selected variables' data will be shown in the detailed response data table.


• Use the search fields to quickly find a variable name or a specific response ID. Search is helpful when the survey dataset contains many mapped fields or a large number of respondent records.


• Use the Upload Data option when the mapped survey dataset needs to be refreshed or expanded. This opens the update workflow, where you can replace existing data or add changes from a new file.


• Choose Upsert when you want to update matching records or add new mapped values without replacing the entire dataset or Reupload if you want to overwrite the entire dataset.


• Download the template if you need the current structure for preparing the changes. Using the template helps maintain the correct response IDs, variable names, and data format.


• Upload the updated file using Choose File to Upload and click Update.