You will find a simple and an extended search function in the upper part, like the ones you know from other areas of EFS. It allows you to limit the list to individual or multiple participants. Then, in the next step, you can apply actions to these subgroups. |
Simple Search
The search functions of the participant list allow you to limit the list to individual participants or participant groups. Then, in the next step, you can apply actions as e.g. “Invite”, “Generate code”, “Delete” etc. to these subgroups. Usually, the simple search function is displayed.
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If there are more than 1000 participants, the search function must be initiated first. |
The following rules apply:
Upper- and lowercase spelling will be ignored.
You cannot search for passwords.
When searching for a specific term, all entries containing the term will be shown in the results list.
Instead of one single search criterion, you can also enter a combination of criteria.
The criteria will be joined by an AND, i.e. the results must fulfill all criteria.
You can perform several search operations in succession to progressively further restrict a set of results.
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With a large number of results, the first page of the results list may not display all participants found. In such a case, you will find the exact number of currently selected participants in the title bar for the list of participants. You can scroll through the results list using the > (Next page) and < (Previous page) links. Therefore, note that the group of selected participants may be larger than the number of participants listed on the first results page, in particular when you are using the “All found participants” checkbox. |
Extended Search
The search function of the participant list has been revised, so that now large amounts of participants can be searched with a minimum of time. The search is divided into two sections: "Fields with index" and "Fields without index".
In the section "Fields with Index" you can, for example, search for participants according to the disposition code. A special new feature in this section is the search using the creation date. You can now search for the period in which participants were created. But if you want to search for a specific date/day, the same date must be selected in both fields. A further possibility of the precise and fast participant search is the search for e-mail addresses. To do this, you can use the search for certain elements of an e-mail address in the upper left corner. For example, if you select Ends with, you can search for all e-mail addresses that end on a particular domain. The second search for e-mail addresses is located at the bottom right and allows you to search for several e-mail addresses at the same time by entering these addresses one below the other in the free text field.
In the "Fields without index" area, you can search for participant variables that do not have an index in the database. A search in the "Fields without index" area therefore takes much longer than a search in the upper area. But if you have a participant variable from the lower area searched particularly frequently, this variable field can be provided with an index in the database. For this purpose, please contact our support team.
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This function is deactivated by default. To enable the new search feature, please contact our support team. |
Search Multiple E-mail Addresses
Using the “Search multiple e-mail addresses” function in the extended search, you can simultaneously select a large number of participants via their e-mail addresses. This is useful if, for example, you wish to set a large number of participants whose invitation mails have been bounced back to disposition code 15 (not available).
Just copy the e-mail addresses of the participants you are searching for into the entry field. In doing so, limit each line to just one e-mail-address. After that, confirm by clicking on Search. The participants will then be located.
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There are different shareware tools, which can be used for extracting e-mail addresses from bounced e-mails. For example, you can download the eMail Bounce Handler from http://www.maxprog.com/EmailBounceHandler.html . |
Display Functions
As the participant administration usually contains a large number of extensive participant data records, only selected data are normally displayed in the overview list. However, there are several functions that enable you to specify which participant data and how many participants per page will be displayed.
The links labeled > (Next page) and < (Previous page) allow you to scroll forward and back through the list of participants.
Clicking on a column title allows you to sort all participant data by the content of the respective column. For example, clicking on “Participant” will sort all participants alphabetically by their names.
The View Button
By clicking on the View button you can display a dialog that allows you to specify whether the various table columns are to be shown or hidden. You can also change the number of rows per page. After you have confirmed by clicking on Send the table will be expanded accordingly.
Additional Information
The following additional information and functions are available for each data record:
All participant data. The participants’ names are active links. Clicking on a participant will open the entry form, where you can change the participant’s data.
Password and code: depending on whether the login option set for the project is “Password” or “Code”, the corresponding column will contain an activated link which can be copied and passed on (e.g. to a tester who wants to check the questionnaire under real conditions).
The “Direct link” column displays an icon which can be used to open and view the questionnaire intended for the respective participant in a pop-up window.
If you have read rights to “show_dispcode”, you can see the disposition code of the participants.
Question mark icons indicate values for which there is as yet no corresponding characteristic for “radio button” or “checkbox” type variables. This may occur if you use values in the imported dataset for which you have not yet created any characteristic and for which, at the same time, the function for automatic creation of new characteristics on import is disabled.
Via the checkbox in the “Actions” column you can select participants to whom you wish to apply the actions.
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Please note that, by viewing the questionnaire from the perspective of a regular respondent, you will not only change the participant’s disposition code, but also capture all your entries as entries made by the participant. It is therefore recommended that you create special tester accounts. |
Actions
The following key processes can be invoked via buttons:
New participant (Split-Button): Opens the entry form for manual storing of participant data.
Import participants (Split button): Allows you to import participant data from CSV files.
Import codes (Split button): Allows to import access codes.
Contact participant groups: Allows you to send e-mails to participant groups with specific disposition codes.
Excel export: Allows to download the entire content of the list of participants as an Excel file.
CSV export: Allows to download the entire content of the list of participants as a CSV file.
Furthermore, the actions listed in the following table can be applied to selected participants or all. To do so, you select the desired participants by ticking the checkboxes in the “Actions” column or alternatively via either of the checkboxes “All entries of this page” and “All entries”. Then you specify the desired action in the dropdown list and confirm by clicking Execute.
Action
Meaning
Generate codes
If you choose this action, it will generate the access codes which the participants can use to log into the survey.
Invite
Using this action, you can send invitation mails to the selected participants. You can customize the template for an invitation mail.
Remind
Using this action, you can send reminder mails to the selected participants.
Only in project type “Employee survey”: Delete allocations to organizational structure
This action allows you to delete the allocation of the selected participants to a particular unit.
Only in project type “Employee survey”: Allocate participants to organizational unit
This action allows you to allocate the selected participants to a specific organizational unit. When using the additional feature “Function”, you can also define the function.
Bulk edit
This action allows you to modify several participant records in a single step.
Reset and delete data
The participants will be reset. The participants’ disposition codes will be reset to 11 = “not yet invited” or 12 = “active” (11: participants who have not been invited yet; 12: participants who have already received an invitation mail). Already collected result data of the participants will be deleted. Participants who have already taken part in the survey may participate again.
For panel and master data surveys, please note: Bonus point allocations from a final page or by bonus trigger cannot be reset by using this action. You can manipulate the bonus points of the affected panelists via the panelists administration or the detail view.
Reset without deleting survey data
The participants’ disposition codes will be reset as described above. However, the already collected result data will not be deleted.
Disposition code 15 (not available)
If invitation mails are bounced, you can set the corresponding participants to disposition code 15.
These participants will be except from all future mailings.
Code 15 will be taken into account in the field report during evaluation.
Delete
This action deletes the selected participants from participant administration.
Please note: Deleting participants in personalized projects also irrevocably deletes all data belonging to these participants, including existing survey data.
Changing Participant Data
If you wish to subsequently change or correct the data of a participant, you must first select the participant from the list of participants. With a large number of participants, this requires using the Search participant function. In the list of participants, the participant’s name will be displayed as a link you can click on to open the same entry form. Now you can change all required data and then transfer them to participant
administration by clicking on Save.
Bulk Editing Participant Data
It is often the case that already uploaded participant data records need to be subsequently modified or extended. For example, titles used to personalize e-mails and questionnaires need to be changed (“Dr.” → “PhD” it turns out during evaluation that a variable necessary for a particular split has not been created and filled in in the participant administration (e.g. “customer type”). The “Bulk edit” feature allows to realize such changes with reduced effort. If you limit the list of participants to the relevant data records (or at least to a subset) using appropriate search criteria, you can modify all these in a single step.
Please proceed as follows:
To do so, switch to the Participant administration.
Use Search participants to restrict the list of participants as far as possible to those participants affected by the change.
Mark the participants to be changed.
Select the “Bulk edit” action from the drop-down list.
Confirm by clicking on Execute.
The form where you can specify the desired change will be displayed. Select the variable to be changed and the value you want this variable to have after the change. In the given example, the value of the variable “u_group” is to be changed within the selected data records from 1 = Development to 5 = System administration as the employees have been transferred.
Click on Preview to check the result.
Check whether the change appears as you had planned it. If so, confirm by clicking on Save
Excel- and CSV-Export
The entire content of the list of participants can be downloaded as one CSV or Excel file. If you wish, for example, to invite project participants to take part in a follow-up project, this feature allows you to easily export all necessary data into this follow-up project.
If you have the read right show_dispcode necessary for viewing the disposition codes, the export file also contains the dispositon codes of the participants.
To trigger the export, click on either of the Excel export or CVS export buttons.
Please note:
The Excel export may take some time, depending on the number of data records and variables contained in the list of participants. For large projects we therefore recommend the CVS export.
If an Excel file is opened, depending on the circumstances, a message may be displayed which notifies you that the file is corrupted. This problem is caused by an extension provided by a third-party supplier. Until further notice, please proceed as follows:
Save the file locally.
Then, open the saved file, allowing Excel to repair it.
Finally, save the file again.
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Alternatively, if you are using the optionally leasable platform EFS Survey Status, you can offer your customers access to the so-called respondent export. This export contains all those participants who actually participated in a survey. |