Online survey platforms such as Cvent offer fantastic views into the data. You can have real-time visuals as well as tabular reporting. However there is a divide between survey platforms and analytical tools such as SPSS, SAS or R. These packages allow you access to the full power of statistical analysis and predictive modeling. There is a catch though…you have to be able to get the data out of the cloud-based survey platform into your stat package of choice.
In order to take maximum advantage of the export feature you will want to create “export values”. This can be found under Configuration Options on the Settings tab. Export values allow you to specify values for your question categories as well as assign a question number. For example:
Which category includes your age? (Q1)
Under 18
18 – 24
25 – 29
30 – 34
35 – 39
40+
Your questions should be assigned unique variable names such as Q1 or Age, in the above example. Variable names can be alpha-numeric, typically leading with an alpha character. The age categories should be assigned values (e.g. Under 18 = 1, 18 – 24 = 2, etc.) In SPSS these are referred to as value labels. The actual values are assigned in the Questions section link of the Design Survey tab. If export values are active there will be a button which allows you the ability to edit the values.
After your data is collected you will head to the Reports tab. Here you will select the Expanded Answer Details for All Respondents. If you plan to bring your data into a statistical package make sure you select “Export Values”. If you are exporting to Excel or a CSV file you can use either actual or export values. In Cvent you have the option of exporting directly to SPSS, a common statistical package used in market research. This is a time-saving option as Cvent will create a fully executable SPSS data file, which saves you programming time (although you may find that you want to edit the labels in SPSS).
If you work in another stats package then you can export your data from Cvent as a CSV file. This is a comma-delimited format that can be read by all programs.
Exporting gives you the analyst the full power inherent in a statistical program. With a bit of forethought and a few extra mouse clicks you can move your survey data from the cloud to the ground where decisions are made.
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