Creating A Data Model (EX)

About Creating A Data Model

After creating a new Employee Journey Analytics project from scratch, the next step is to set up a data model to join two or more of your existing data sets. Within the data model you are able to add data sets, join data sets, filter your data, and create an output data set that will be used for analysis.

Just about any type of Employee Experience project’s data can be mapped to your Employee Journey Analytics model. For a list of compatible project types, see this table.

Adding & Editing Sources

The first step when creating your data model is adding a source.

1. Navigate to the Data Model tab within your Employee Journey Analytics project.
   
2. Click Add Source.
3. Click the checkbox next to all the sources you want to add to your data model. Clicking on a specific source will display details about that source’s data. Uncheck the box next to a source to remove it from your data model.
   
   Qtip: Use the search bar to search for projects by name.
   Attention: Only projects you have access to will appear in this list. If any projects are not showing up, make sure they have been collaborated with you.
4. Select all the fields you want to include in your data set. You can click on different types of data, like “Metadata”, to see only those fields, or use the search bar to search for specific fields.
   Qtip: When selecting fields to include in your data model, think about which fields will be important when analyzing your data. Fields that are commonly included are survey questions, important metadata, and the field you plan on using to join your data sets.
5. When you have finished selecting fields, click anywhere on your data model to return to it. Your selections will be saved automatically.
6. Repeat steps 2-5 for each project you want to add as a data source.
   Qtip: If you are adding two or more surveys to your data model that contain the same employee and organization data, you may only want to include one set of this data. Including the same fields twice will create duplicates in your output data set and dashboard.

Editing a Source

• Input dataset details: This tab shows the source name of the data set, the number of records in the source, and the number of fields in the source. You can also edit the output name of the source, which is what appears in the data model.
  Qtip: Editing the output name will not change the name of the original source.
• Schema: This tab shows the fields you selected when adding the source, as well as their field type.
  Qtip: Click Manage fields to add or remove fields from the data set.
  Attention: Any edits made in Manage fields will cause connections that modify the data source to be reset. Manage fields edits should be done before adding connections that modify the data source.
• Preview: This tab shows a preview of the records in this source.

Removing a Source

If you have added a source to your data model but decide you no longer want it, click the x to remove it.

Modifying Data Sources

The elements of your data model can be modified by filtering rows or editing columns. Both of these options affect which data will appear in the outcome data set. For example, you may want to add a filter to your sources so that only data from the last 12 months is displayed, allowing you to analyze trends over the last year.

Filtering Rows

This section covers the basics of adding a filter within your data model. For more information on filters and building filter conditions, see Filtering Responses.

1. Click the plus sign (+) next to the element you want to filter.
   
2. Click Filter rows.
3. Click into the Output field to edit the name of the filter if desired.
   
4. Choose whether all conditions need to be met for a record to appear in a filter, or if only some of them need to be met. See All vs. Any for more information.
5. Select a data type for the filter. If you want to create a filter based on fields from a survey project, select either Embedded data or Survey metadata. If you want to create a filter based on fields from an Imported Data Project, select Others.
6. Select a specific field for the data type you selected.
7. Select a condition for the filter.
8. Select a value for the filter. In the above screenshot, the joined data is being filtered to only include employees that are in the Seattle office.
9. Click the three horizontal dots next to the first condition to add additional conditions or condition sets, or delete the condition.
   
10. If desired, click the Schema tab to view the fields in your data set, as well as their field type.
    Qtip: Use the field editor tab to make any changes to the fields.
11. When you have finished setting up your filter, click anywhere on your data model to return to it. Your selections will be saved automatically.

Editing Fields

1. Click on the component you would like to edit.
   
   Qtip: Source components and aggregate row components cannot be edited.
2. Click the Field editor.
3. Click the checkbox next to a field to remove it from the output data set.
   Qtip: Use the search bar to search for specific fields, or click the Viewing dropdown to filter by specific data types or data sets.
4. Click Actions.
5. Click Delete selected fields.
6. To add a field, click Add field from the Actions dropdown.
7. To change the field type of a field, click the dropdown and select a different field type.
   
   Qtip: If you select Date as the field type, you will have to specify a date format. Choose a format from the dropdown and then click Apply. See Date Format Syntax for more information.
8. If desired, click the Schema tab to view the fields in your data set, as well as their field type.
9. When you have finished editing your fields, click anywhere on your data model to return to it. Your changes will be saved automatically.

Combining Data Sources

Once you have added at least two sources to your data model, you can begin combining them.

1. While on the Data Model tab of your project, click the plus sign (+) next to one of the data sets you want to combine.
   
2. Click Join.
3. Select a Join Type. This will determine how your two data sets are combined.
   
   The following join types are available:
   • Inner: The merged data set will only include matching rows found in both data sets.
   • Left outer: The merged data set will include all rows from the left input and matching rows found in the right input.
   • Right outer: The merged data set will include all rows from the right input and matching rows found in the left input.
   • Full outer: The merged data set will include all rows found in both data sets.
4. Select a data source for your right input. Only data sources that have been added to your data model will show up here.
   Qtip: When setting up a join, only data sources that have not already been selected in previous joins will appear in the dropdown.
5. Set the join condition you want to use to combine your data sources. Click Select one to open the dropdown and select a field from each data source. This field should be something that is the same in both data sets, such as employee email or unique ID.
   Qtip: Click the plus sign (+) to add additional join conditions.
6. If desired, click the Schema tab to view the fields in your combined data set, as well as their field type.
7. When you have finished setting up your join, click anywhere on your data model to return to it. Your selections will be saved automatically.

Repeat the above steps to combine additional data sets. You can also combine joined data sets to keep creating a larger output data set, as shown below.

Aggregating Rows

You can aggregate rows in your data model to help you report on variables in both datasets. This is especially helpful if you have fields in your projects that represent the same data but are called different names.

See Aggregating Data Model Rows for step by step instructions on aggregating rows. Note that while the linked page discusses EX + CX reporting functionality, the steps to aggregate data in an Employee Journey Analytics project are the same (you will use 2 EX projects instead of 1 EX and 1 CX).

Qtip: To edit fields with aggregate rows, add an Edit Columns component and edit the fields in the Field editor tab.

Adding an Output Data Set

Once you have finished combining and modifying your data, it is time to add an output data set.

1. Click the plus sign next to the last element in your data model.
2. Select Output dataset.
   
3. Give the output data source a name.
   
4. If desired, click the Schema tab to view the fields in your data set, as well as their field type.
   
   Attention: There is a limit of 1,000 columns for your output data set.
5. Click anywhere on your data model to return to it.

Previewing Your Data Model

After creating your data model, click Run preview to generate your output data set.

This may take a while to generate; when the preview is complete you will be taken to a preview of your data set.

Qtip: If you’d like to make changes to your data model while it is generating the output, click Cancel preview. This will stop the process, allowing you to make changes before restarting it.