Recoding Data Mapper Fields (CX)

Suite
Customer Experience Strategy & Research
Product
Qualtrics
What's on this page

About Recoding Dashboard Fields in the Data Mapper

CX Dashboards allows dashboard editors to recode Text Set, Multi-Answer Text Set, and Number Set data under the Dashboard Settings. Recoding allows you to group data or change how it appears in CX Dashboards widgets – for example, by conveniently shortening how choices are labeled, and changing text to numbers.

Qtip: Recoding values in the data mapper does not affect your data in the Survey Platform.
Qtip: If you want to recode data in the data modeler, see Recoding Data Model Fields (CX).

Recoding Fields

Qtip: The default Recode Editor appears for the following field configurations:

  • Text Sets that did not originate as open-ended fields (e.g., no Text Entry questions).
  • Number Sets that did not originate as open-ended fields (e.g., no Text Entry questions).
  • Multi-Answer Text Sets that did not originate as open-ended fields (e.g., a Multi-Answer Multiple Choice question).
In your dashboard data mapper, click on the recode value gear.
Blue gear sticks out on a mapped field in the data settings
Blue gear sticks out on a mapped field in the data settings
Use the Recode dropdown to make sure the right answers are aligned, or to exclude the option from analysis. If an option is excluded from analysis, it will be hidden and ignored in the dashboard. For example, marking a field as exclude from analysis will remove the field from metric calculations, dashboard exports, widgets, etc. This option does not remove the entire associated response from the dashboard — it only hides the selected field value.
Recode Editor window with dropdowns and a mange labels button bottom left
Recode Editor window with dropdowns and a mange labels button bottom left
Qtip: Note that the recode values are limited to the Field Type that you have designated. For example, if you want to recode NPS scores to NPS groups, the Field Type must be Text Set instead of a Number Set because the Recoded Values will be text instead of numbers.
Attention: When recoding Text Sets or importing recode values for Text Sets, you will see numeric values. These values are choice IDs, or internal IDs given to each answer choice when it was created. These IDs are assigned chronologically and aren’t reset when an answer choice is deleted, so there may be gaps in the choice ID numbering for a question.
Click Manage Labels.
Here, you can change the spelling and wording of options’ labels.
Manage Labels window
Manage Labels window
Click Add to add a new option and label it.
Qtip: Recode options must be different than the source. If the recode matches the source value, the recode will be removed from the labels list.
Click the X next to an option to remove it.
Click OK.
Click Apply to finish recoding.
Green apply in lower-right
Green apply in lower-right
Click Save.
Qtip: Only Text Sets, Multiple-Answer Text Sets, and Number Sets can be recoded.
Qtip: If you’re recoding a survey scoring category, bucketed field, formula, or other custom survey fields, see Derived Data.

Recoding Open-Ended fields as Text Sets or Number Sets

When you’re mapping an open-ended field to a Text Set or Number Set, you will not see the recode editor described above. Instead, you will see two columns.

Qtip: Open-ended fields include sources such as Text Entry questions, a Text Entry field on a Matrix Table or another question type, Embedded Data fields, or a text from an Imported Data project.

Modified recode editor
Modified recode editor
  • The Source column refers to the exact text of answers provided in the data. For example, if this was a question asking people what material they want their jewelry to be, answers might include “Gold” or “Silver.”
  • The Recode column refers to how you want this data to be labeled when it appears in dashboard widgets.
Qtip: You do not need to add options and recode values if you don’t want to. Data does not have to be recoded to appear in the dashboard; the recode editor just allows you to format the way it will be labeled in your widgets.
Attention: HTML is not supported in the recode editor and will be automatically removed.

Managing Delimiters

When you’re mapping an open-ended field (such as a Text Entry question or an Embedded Data field) to a Multi-Answer Text Set, you have the option to define a delimiter in the Recode Editor. A delimiter is meant to determine the division between different answers entered into an open-ended field. For example, if you’ve asked respondents to list the names of their children separated by commas, then the delimiter would be a comma.

In your dashboard data mapper, click the gear icon.
Blue gear sticks out on a mapped field in the data settings
Blue gear sticks out on a mapped field in the data settings
Click More Options.
Image showing how to access the delimiter editor
Image showing how to access the delimiter editor
Click Edit Delimiter.
Image showing how to change the selected delimiter
Image showing how to change the selected delimiter
Select the delimiter from the drop-down menu of options.
Select delimiter and click apply
Select delimiter and click apply
Click Apply to save your changes.

Importing Recode Values

The Recode Editor allows you to import recode values into your mapped fields. This is useful if you have many values you’d like to recode, or if you’re recoding the same field across multiple data sources.

Qtip: A field can have a maximum of 5000 recode values.
In your dashboard data mapper, click the recode value gear.
Blue gear sticks out on a mapped field in the data settings
Blue gear sticks out on a mapped field in the data settings
Click More Options.
image of the more options button in the recode editor
image of the more options button in the recode editor
Click Import Recodes.
image of the "import recodes" button in the recode editor
image of the "import recodes" button in the recode editor
Download the Example CSV file. This file contains the current recode values for your field.
image of the "Example CSV" button in the recode editor
image of the "Example CSV" button in the recode editor
Open the CSV file on your computer and define your recode values.
image of a CSV file opened in mircosoft excel for defining recode values
image of a CSV file opened in mircosoft excel for defining recode values
Qtip: If you leave a recode value blank, the answer choice will recode as Exclude From Analysis.
Click Browse files and select the CSV file.
image of the import recodes screen for uploading a recode file
image of the import recodes screen for uploading a recode file
Click Apply.
Double check that your fields are recoded properly.
image of the recode editor
image of the recode editor
Click Apply to finish recoding.
Save your changes.

Grouping Fields

One of the most common use cases for recoding values is to group similar choice options together. For example, all NPS questions are rated on a scale from 0-10, and from this scale respondents are grouped into Detractors, Passive, and Promoter customers.

Below, we’ll go through the steps of how to implement a similar example.

There is a source for each of the scale points, from 0 to 10.
recode editor with nps question inside
recode editor with nps question inside
Click More Options.
Click Manage Labels.
more options button has become fewer options, and above it are 2 options, including manage labels
more options button has become fewer options, and above it are 2 options, including manage labels
There are three labels listed here because there are only three customer groups we want to focus on (Detractor, Passive, Promoter).
Manage Labels
Manage Labels
Qtip: Remember that if needed, you can click Add to add another field, or X to remove one.
Click OK.
Select groups for the scale points.
Recoding values
Recoding values
Click Apply to finish.

Cleaning Up Data

Another use case for recoding values is for cleaning up and consolidating inconsistent data. For example, if some of your values for a single embedded data field are “G” and some are “Gold” and some are “gold,” CX Dashboards will interpret these as 3 different values. You can correct or group these inconsistent values by recoding them all to “Gold.”

Standardize responses in Recode Editor
Standardize responses in Recode Editor

Alternatively, if your embedded data field had values of “G,” “S,” and “P,” you may want to recode them to be “Gold,” “Silver,” and “Platinum” to make them clearer to users.

Rename Embedded Data Fields in Recode Editor
Rename Embedded Data Fields in Recode Editor

Apply Recodes to All Sources

When you’re editing the recode values of an type of field and you have added multiple sources to your dashboard, you can easily apply the changes you’re making to the same field across all of your sources. Select Apply recodes to all sources before you save your changes.

recode editor window has a checkbox that says "apply recodes to all sources" at the top
recode editor window has a checkbox that says "apply recodes to all sources" at the top

Multi-Mapping Editor

When you’ve added multiple sources to your dashboard, there is an additional recode editor that makes mapping the same fields across multiple sources much easier.

double gear that appears when you highlight over a field name
double gear that appears when you highlight over a field name

Field Mapping Tab

Using the blue dropdowns, you can choose the field from each source that should correspond to the same dashboard field.

Field Mapping tab has two blue dropdowns
Field Mapping tab has two blue dropdowns
Qtip: Click the X to remove a mapping.

Recode Tab

Here, you can ensure the recode values are the same for each field being mapped together.

Choose the option you want to edit from the Source section. This is the field value or survey question choice.
Recode mapper open
Recode mapper open
For each source, either select the corresponding value, or choose to exclude from analysis.
Click Manage Labels.
Change what the label should be for each available option, or add more labels that can be mapped across your sources.
Manage labels window over
Manage labels window over

FAQs

How do I use the recode editor in CX Dashboards to group answer choices?

How do I use the recode editor to alter answer choices in CX Dashboards?

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