Getting Started with Clean Data

Clean Data Step

The clean data step is mostly used to add additional information and clean up some of the values so your dashboard looks nice. Each screen is by New Question # so all the columns associated with each New Question # will be present. You can jump around by changing the number at the top and pressing enter on your keyboard. It saves every time you go to the next screen so you don't have to save it each time. You also have the ability to hide or change question types if you didn't want this question or selected the wrong question type. The main objective on this screen is to fill in the empty Clean data fields for each New Question #. Below is where those fields will show up in the dashboard.

Survey Name

The survey name you entered in the creative workflow screen in the very beginning will show up here so make sure you put something that makes sense.

Final Question

This will be the question text that will show up in the dashboard.

Abbreviation

This will be what will show up in the question list to filter the dashboard by question. We use this to filter the dashboard because it is a lot cleaner than a long sentence. Make sure to put distinct Abbreviations and don't write the same thing twice or else the dashboard will not work properly for those questions. Write a short description of what that question is so you can select questions quickly. You can hover over the arrow next to the Abbreviation text on the dashboard if you ever want to see the Final Question text to be sure you are selecting the right question.

Section Heading

The section heading will filer your Abbreviation list down. This is optional but it is very useful if you have a large survey and want to organize your questions into different buckets.

Filters/Split Graph

On the Prep step, you select what columns you want to be filtered, once you get to the dashboard they will show up in the filter panel as well as the Split Graph. Any columns you selected as a filter in the Prep step will also be a Split Graph by default so you don't have to do anything special. The Split Graph allows you to crosstab your results and can be used with the filters to really drill down into your data.

Insights

Insights can be used for multiple things. It just gives you a way to dynamically add text by question in the dashboard. You can put any type of notes you want about that question or come back after you do your analysis and add your insights so they are dynamically shown by question.

Adding Clean Data Options

There are two different ways you can input this information in VizualSurvey. The first which is the most efficient is to import the completed Clean Data Import File that you downloaded in the Prep step. The other way is to do it screen by a screen which works fine especially if you are coming up with the values on the fly. Either option works it really comes down to preference, either way, you will have to go screen by screen to verify everything looks correct as well as do some additional data cleaning on certain question types.

Option 1: Clean Data Import File

1. Export the Clean Data Import File

This is the file you exported during the Prep step. The file has a row for each New Question # so you can input the clean data information and import it during this step.

2. Fill in Clean Data Import File

Fill in all the empty cells in the file. Final Question and Abbreviation are the only ones required. 

3. Select Chart Style for each Question (Optional)

Chart Type will default as Style 1 if you keep it empty. You can also type in just a number for Chart Type to make the process faster. Here is an article that will show you the 3 different chart styles for each question type. This option allows you to pick how this question is shown in the dashboard. If you will only be using the Tableau Report Template then you do not have to worry about selecting the Chart Type here because you will do it during the deck building process.

4. Import Clean Data

Now that you have a completed fill, you can now import all that information at once. You will still need to go screen by screen to potentially update Answer values on selected question types. You will also want to verify the preview at the bottom for each question to make sure you selected the correct options during the Prep step. This will be discussed in the next article so wait till then to move on to the next question.

Option 2: Input Information as you go

If you want to enter the Clean Data information question by question, that is an option also. Usually, this is the quickest option for short surveys cause you can input the information, verify previous selections and clean any additional values all at once. Just go page by page typing in the information but don't start yet, go to the next article to learn about some of the additional cleaning steps you might encounter along your way.

Next Article: Additional Clean Data Steps