Combining Responses
Suite
Customer Experience
Strategy & Research
Product
Qualtrics
What's on this page
Qtip: Contact Account Services or your Account Executive prior to importing historical responses as this may require an update to your license.
Attention: Imported responses are billable under the new simplified pricing and packaging plans. If you license is on the new pricing plan, you can check your license’s usage with the Interaction Usage Report. Contact Account Services if you have questions about your license.
About Combining Responses
If necessary, you can combine response data from 2 surveys. The steps differ depending on whether you are combining data from 2 identical surveys or 2 dissimilar surveys (not recommended).
Qtip: You can learn more about importing data by visiting our Import Responses page.
Attention: These instructions are written specifically for survey projects.
Combining Responses from Identical Surveys
Decide which survey you’d like to hold the combined data. This can be one of the 2 surveys you’re combining, or a third, empty copy of the survey (recommended, as it allows you to preserve the original datasets separately).
Export the dataset(s) from each survey you want to combine as CSV or TSV files.
Qtip: Make sure that you export both datasets in the same format – both as “use values” or as “use labels.” See the linked page on Export Options.
Qtip: If your file contains special characters, we recommend exporting a TSV instead of a CSV.
Navigate to the survey that will contain the combined data.
Go to that survey’s Data & Analysis tab.
Go to the Data section.
Click Export & Import.
Choose Import Data.
Click Choose file and select the file you want to import. Note that if you are importing the data into a survey that already holds one of the datasets, import only the second dataset; if you are holding the data in a third copy of the survey, import both datasets.
Click Upload.
Click Import Responses.
Repeat this process with each survey you need to combine until all data is in a single survey.
Combining Responses from Dissimilar Surveys
If you are combining responses from 2 surveys that aren’t identical, there are extra steps you’ll need to take to make sure the data is imported correctly. You’ll need to create a hybrid survey that can hold data from the 2 nonidentical surveys and then create a hybrid dataset.
For simplicity, we’ll call one of the 2 surveys you’re combining Survey 1 and the other Survey 2.
Creating a hybrid survey
Create a copy of Survey 1.
In the Survey 1 copy, add any questions from Survey 2 that aren’t already present (when finished, you’ll have a survey with all the questions from Survey 1 and all the questions from Survey 2). You can rebuild these from scratch, or you can copy them using the Import from library button.
Creating a hybrid dataset
Export the data from Survey 1 and from Survey 2 as CSV or TSV files.
Export the data from the hybrid survey. Since the survey’s new, the file won’t have response information, but it will have column headers that will serve as a template.
Open the hybrid file in Excel.
Copy your data from Survey 1 and Survey 2 into the columns for corresponding questions in the hybrid file. Pay attention to column headers and make sure that the data in the columns corresponds to the correct question. If your surveys didn’t have the same questions, your hybrid file might have columns that are empty for some respondents (rows) and not others, which is ok.
Qtip: If you added all the questions from Survey 2 to the end of the hybrid survey, you will easily be able to copy your Survey 2 data in a block to the hybrid template.
Save the hybrid file as a CSV or TSV.
Importing a hybrid dataset
Navigate to the hybrid survey.
Go to the Data & Analysis tab.
Go to the Data section.
Click Export & Import.
Click Import Data.
Click Choose file and select the file for the hybrid dataset.
Click Import Responses.
Click Import Responses.
Troubleshooting
After clicking Import Responses, you may receive error messages. Error messages don’t automatically mean that there is something wrong with your data, but there might be inconsistencies between the original data files and the template. Check the following:
- The data matches up with the column headers in the template
- There are no empty data fields for questions with validation (e.g., a respondent didn’t answer a question that now has Force Response)
- The question values are all recode values or labels – not both, since it’s harder to combine the 2
- The question’s wording or its recode values are the same in the original surveys and in the hybrid Example: This screenshot shows a similar question in survey 1, 2, and the hybrid, and the recode values for each choice. Notice how survey 2’s recode values are numbered slightly out of order so the hybrid survey can make more sense.
Qtip: If you continue to experience issues with importing your responses, visit the CSV/TSV Upload Issues page for further troubleshooting techniques.
FAQs
What responses actually count toward my license?
What responses actually count toward my license?
A list of billable interactions for new pricing and packaging plans can be found on the Interactions Usage page. Brand Administrators can use this report to track the license's consumption.
Licensed responses are any completed responses that are not Survey Previews or Survey Tests. Completed responses can include imported responses, finished surveys, and partial surveys that were moved out of responses in progress and recorded. If you ever want to know the exact number of interactions you’ve used, reach out to your Brand Admin. You can also view your response usage by going to Account Settings to view the legacy Account Usage report.
Contact Account Services or your Account Executive prior to importing historical responses, as this may require an update to your license.
Licensed responses are any completed responses that are not Survey Previews or Survey Tests. Completed responses can include imported responses, finished surveys, and partial surveys that were moved out of responses in progress and recorded. If you ever want to know the exact number of interactions you’ve used, reach out to your Brand Admin. You can also view your response usage by going to Account Settings to view the legacy Account Usage report.
Contact Account Services or your Account Executive prior to importing historical responses, as this may require an update to your license.
Can I import my own data into Qualtrics?
Can I import my own data into Qualtrics?
Yes, you can import your own data into Qualtrics as long as it is formatted correctly. See our Import Responses page to learn more.
How does account usage differ from recorded responses?
How does account usage differ from recorded responses?
Although they sound similar, billable responses, recorded responses, and in-product response limits are all separate things.
Think of recorded responses as the total number of complete responses collected for a survey. This can include individual responses, anonymous responses, imported responses, and more.
Imported responses are billable under the new simplified pricing and packaging plans. If your license is on the new pricing plan, you can check your license’s usage with the Interaction Usage Report. If you are on multiple suites, imports are not currently included in the usage report. If you are not on a new plan, imports are not included in your usage report. Contact Account Services if you have questions about your license.
Account Usage shows you how many responses you’ve collected, labeled as “Allowed Responses.” This excludes imported responses because they are considered separate. If you have questions about pricing for imported responses, reach out to your Account Executive.
Think of recorded responses as the total number of complete responses collected for a survey. This can include individual responses, anonymous responses, imported responses, and more.
Imported responses are billable under the new simplified pricing and packaging plans. If your license is on the new pricing plan, you can check your license’s usage with the Interaction Usage Report. If you are on multiple suites, imports are not currently included in the usage report. If you are not on a new plan, imports are not included in your usage report. Contact Account Services if you have questions about your license.
Account Usage shows you how many responses you’ve collected, labeled as “Allowed Responses.” This excludes imported responses because they are considered separate. If you have questions about pricing for imported responses, reach out to your Account Executive.
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