Options



TheĀ OptionsĀ menu item in theĀ SystemĀ menu gives you access to functions that allow you to configure the behaviour of EFS to your habits. For example, you can gain access to the platform cockpit, organize secure data exchange or define ACL rights for specific teams.

Platform cockpit

The platform cockpit, which is located in theĀ OptionsĀ module, visualizes the status of the platform and offers the administrator an overview of important performance and access figures.

  • Read rights for ā€œplatform_cockpitā€ are required to view and open theĀ OptionsĀ ā†’Ā Platform cockpitĀ menu.

TheĀ CockpitĀ tab gives an overview of the key data for the installation.

Section

Meaning

Section

Meaning

Current front end load

The current load on the front end server. For multi-core servers, the load per core is indicated (indicated load value = measured load / number of cores).

On a server with up-to-date hardware, the load should be below 3.

Front end

The name of the front end server.

Date of last mail dispatch

E-mails posted for dispatch will not be immediately retrieved and sent, but automatically at 10-minute intervals.

Date of last database maintenance

Time and frequence of the database maintenance are configured by our support for the specific installation.

EFS version

The major and minor EFS versions which are currently installed.

Initial EFS version

The EFS version which was originally used when setting up the installation.

Name of installation

The domain at which you will find the EFS installation on the Internet.

Database name

The name of the database.

MySQL query cache effectivity

The results of requests sent to the database by a participant during the completion of the questionnaire will be cached to the so-called query cache. If a request has already been executed by the database once (e.g. a request about a question text), it will not be executed again the second time. Instead the cached result will be delivered. This use of the cache brings significant advantages in terms of speed.

The specified effectivity value indicates how often a cached result has been delivered. It is calculated from the number of requests executed by the database / number of requests answered from the cache. Thus, a value of 100% indicates that each request has also been retrieved from the cache once. Usually, values are above 100%.

Ā 

Database report

On theĀ Database reportĀ tab, you will find general information on the state of the database as well as on completed and scheduled maintenance operations.

Database report of the previous day

Section

Meaning

Section

Meaning

Number of tables

The total number of database tables in theĀ EFSinstallation.

Number of projects

The total number of projects in theĀ EFSĀ installation.

Size of sample_data

The ā€œsample_dataā€ table holds all sample data drawn in the installation.

This means that the table includes both the data of all respondents who are authorized to participate in personalized surveys and the data of all respondents who have participated in anonymous surveys.

Number of started interviews (yesterday)

The number of interviews started on the previous day.

Number of finished interviews
(yesterday)

The number of interviews finished on the previous day.

Participants denied access (load limit)

Number of participants denied access due to the load limit being exceeded

Participants denied access (participant limit)

Number of participants denied access due to maximum permissible number of participants being exceeded for the entire installation.

Watchdog mean (yesterday)

The mean execution time for loading a questionnaire page on the previous day.

Number of delivered pages (yesterday)

The number of questionnaire pages delivered to survey participants on the previous day.

Admin_log mean (yesterday)

The mean execution time for loading a page in the installationā€™s admin area on the previous day.

Number of delivered admin pages (yesterday)

The number of pages in the installationā€™s admin area that was delivered to users on the previous day.

Database maintenance

Section

Meaning

Section

Meaning

Number of deleted and backed-up watchdog entries

If entries archived in watchdog are deleted after the specified deadline has expired, this is displayed here. If the installation is hosted at TIVIAN, deleted entries will automatically be backed up.

Addresses for sendingthe status report on automatic database maintenance

If you wish to continuously monitor the status of your installation, you can subscribe to a database report that will be e-mailed on a daily basis:

  • The recipientsā€™ addresses must be entered comma-separated.

Maximum number of days to retain log

In the text fields, you can set for how long the data displayed in the OSPE watchdog, in the login log and admin log are to be archived.

For performance reasons, the archiving duration you can set for the Watchdog is limited to a maximum of 30 days.

The tables listed here will be automatically optimized...

The tables in the list are optimized automatically during low traffic times.

  • Time and frequence of the optimization processes are configured by our support for the specific installation.

  • If you want to add another table, enter them into the ā€œAdd table for optimizationā€ field andĀ Save.

  • To remove tables from the list which were manually added by you or other users, tick the ā€œDeleteā€ checkbox andĀ Save.

Login Log

The archived login data informs you on which user logged in when, including rejected login attempts.Ā If you click on the column titles of the table, the information will be sorted by the respective column. This makes it easier to search for, e.g., a specific user.

Search

Field

Meaning

Field

Meaning

Date from ... to

In this area, you can specify which period of time you wish to search.

Clicking on theĀ CalendarĀ icon to the right of the date will open a dialog containing a calendar, and clicking on theĀ CancelĀ icon will delete all entries.

Account

In the text field, you can enter the user account whose logins you want to search for.

Access

In the drop-down list, you can set which accesses are to be displayed: all accesses, only accesses granted or only accesses denied.

Number of rows per page

In this field, you can increase or reduce the number of records that will be displayed on one page of the login log.

Ā 

Login

Column title

Meaning

Column title

Meaning

Account

The user account

IP address

The IP address from which the staff member logged in.

Please note: Certain network constellations may allow only restricted determination and storage of hostnames and IP addresses.

Access

This field indicates whether access was granted or denied.

Error message

If the access was denied, the corresponding rejection message from the system will be displayed in this field.

Date

The date and time of the login attempt.

Functions

Detailed view of the respective entry with all identification data including request parameters.

Admin Log

TheĀ Admin logĀ tab not only provides a detailed log of the actions executed by users in the system, but also allows an insight into the performance in the installationā€™s admin area.Ā Similar to the login log, you can click on a column title in the ā€œMatching log entriesā€ area to sort the entries by the respective column. This function makes it easier to search, e.g. for actions in a specific module. If you click on the icon in the ā€œFunctionsā€ column, you can also display a detail view of the respective entry with all identification data, including request parameters.

Search for log entries

Field

Meaning

Field

Meaning

Log date from... to Execution time from... to

In this area, you can specify exactly which period of time you wish to search.

Account

In the text field, you can enter the user account whose log entries you want to search for.

Module name

If you only want to observe the actions in a specific module, enter the module name in this field.

Action

If you want to view the existing logs for a specific action, enter the name of the action in this field.

Request parameters

The request parameters characterize a certain action of a specific user in a user session.

Ā 

Matching log entries

Column title

Meaning

Column title

Meaning

Entry ID

Every single action executed in the installation receives an entry ID by which it can be uniquely identified.

Account

The account of the respective user.

Log date

The date and time of the log entry.

Module name

The name of the module in which the action was executed.

Action

The name of the executed action.

Execution time

The time needed to execute the respective action.

Functions

A detail view of the respective entry with all identification data, including request parameters.


OSPE Watchdog

TheĀ OSPE watchdogĀ tab provides details on overall system performance as well as on the performance of each project and each questionnaire page.

Restricting performance data

Field

Meaning

Field

Meaning

Start date; End date

In this area, you can specify exactly over which time interval you want to calculate the performance data.

Clicking on theĀ CalendarĀ icon to the right of the date will open a dialog containing a calendar.

Please note that the time interval over which you can request evaluations must not include more than seven days for performance reasons. Furthermore, the permissible evaluation period is limited by the maximum period for which data can remain in watchdog, which is limited to a maximum of 30 days.

You can change the archiving deadline in the ā€œMaximum of days in watchdogā€ field on the Database report tab. However, the maximum of 30 days cannot be exceeded.


Overall performance

Overall performance

Meaning

Overall performance

Meaning

Current front end load

The current load on the front end server, divided by the number of available cores.

# Requests

The total number of questionnaire requests in the specified period.

Ƙ Front end load

The average front end server load in the specified period.

Ƙ Exec. time

The average overall execution time for building and delivering a questionnaire page for all projects in the specified period. (Overall execution time - DB time - PHP incl. time - Memcache time = time needed by PHP for other processes.)

Max. exec. time

The highest overall execution time registered in the specified period.

Median

The median of the overall execution time in the specified period.

Std. dev.

The standard deviation of the overall execution time in the specified period.

Ƙ DB time

The average time needed for all queries on the questionnaire page to-bebuilt

Ƙ PHP incl. time

The average time needed for loading the EFS PHP code via the EFS autoloader. Smarty templates are not loaded via the autoloader and are therefore not included.

Ƙ Memcache time

The average time needed for read and write memcache requests.

Participants denied access (load limit)

Number of participants denied access due to the load limit being exceeded per installation, project and questionnaire page.

Participants denied access (participant limit)

Number of participants denied access due to maximum number of participants being exceeded per installation, project and questionnaire page.

Actions

By clicking on the envelope icon, you can send an e-mail to the support team.

Performance by project

Column

Meaning

Column

Meaning

Project

The project whose average performance values are described in the respective row.

By clicking on the project title, you can display a detail view of the individual pages in the project.

# Requests

The number of requests to questionnaire pages of the respective project

Ƙ Front end load

The average server front end load during execution of the respective project.

Ƙ Exec. time

The average overall execution time for building and delivering a questionnaire page in the project and in the period specified. Sum of the average values for ā€œDB timeā€, ā€œPHP incl. timeā€ and ā€œMemcache timeā€.

Max. exec. time

The highest overall execution time registered in the project and the period specified.

Median

The median of the execution time for this project in the specified period.

Std. dev.

The standard deviation of the execution time for this project in the specified period.

Ƙ DB time

The average time needed for all queries on the questionnaire page to-bebuilt in the project specified.

Ƙ PHP incl. time

The average time needed for loading the EFS PHP code via the EFS autoloader in the project specified. Smarty templates are not loaded via the autoloader and are therefore not included.

Ƙ Memcache time

The average time needed for read and write memcache requests in the project specified.

Actions

By clicking on the envelope icon, you can send an e-mail to the support team.

You can check the performance of the individual questionnaire pages of your project by clicking on a certain project in the ā€œPerformance by projectā€ area.

By default, the data available to you for evaluations in the watchdog will be archived for 15 days. However, you can configure this period yourself in the ā€œMaximum of days in watchdogā€ field on the ā€œDatabase reportā€ tab

Project mail overview

TheĀ Project mail overviewĀ tab in theĀ OptionsĀ ā†’Ā Platform cockpitĀ menu gives a central overview of all mail processes that can be initiated from the current installation.

  • You can display mail activity from any desired period in time.

  • Listed for each mail activity are the name of the project, precise dispatch date, project type, field time, e-mail subject and number of mails submitted.

  • Excluded from the count are mail submission processes from deleted projects.

  • Mail activities are arranged by project.

  • Access to this tab is only possible for users with root or admin rights. These users may see mail activities for those projects for which their team holds read rights.

Read rights forĀ platform_cockpitĀ are required to view and open theĀ OptionsĀ ā†’Ā Platform cockpitĀ menu.

Interview count

You can use the Interview check tab to examine how many interviews your organization has conducted. The following analyzes can be carried out with the statistics tool:

  • Interview numbers for specific projects

  • Interview numbers for a custom time range

  • Daily statistics for interview numbers

  • Interview numbers for disposition codes > 30 in detail

The following rules apply to the calculation:

  • All interviews are charged with disposition codes > 30 (31, 32, 35, 36, 37, 41).

  • If you reset a participant and he participates again, this is counted as two interviews.

  • If the external survey start is used and the start and target project are both EFS projects, the interviews are counted twice: The participants reach the end page in both projects.

  • Interviews that were uploaded via data import are not counted.

Installation check

The check mechanisms on theĀ Installation checkĀ tab allow you to check the data consistency in your installation.

  • If errors are detected that you dare not fix yourself, please contact support.

  • Optionally, you can have the results e-mailed to you.

Please keep in mind that the running of installation checks may affect your installationā€™s performance. Especially in the case of large installations, these checks should therefore be run during weak-load periods, if possible.

System settings

Limiting the mail volume per mail interval

The mails in the queue are processed in packages: per default, up to 300mails will be processed in 10 minute intervals.Ā You can change the value of 300 mails. To do so, open theĀ OptionsĀ ā†’Ā System settingsĀ menu and enter the new maximum value in the ā€œJob size for mail sendingā€ field. Up to 2,000 mails can be sent per package.

Defining the number of repeats for dispatch problems

If the mail server does not accept a mail or if it is not possible to connect to the mail server at all, the sytem will try to dispatch it again eight hours later. After four unsuccessfull attempts, the mail will be deleted and the recipient will be assigned disposition code 14.Ā You can change the maximum number of dispatch attempts. To do so, open theĀ Optionsā†’Ā System settingsĀ menu and enter the new maximum value in the ā€œMaximum number of attempts to dispatch the mailā€ field.

Delay between delivery attempts

You may define the amount of time (in minutes) to pass between delivery attempts.Ā Find the respective option in theĀ OptionsĀ menu ā†’Ā System Settings.

System-wide Activation and Deactivation of Participation Limits

In the ā€œParticipation limitā€ field of the Options->System settings menu you can set the installation-wide limit for the number of simultaneous survey participants of individual projects.Ā Disable this option by entering a value of ā€œ0ā€.

  • TheĀ OptionsĀ ā†’Ā System settingsĀ menu is only accessible to members of the administrator team or the system administrator team.

Setting the threshold for the server load

The threshold for the load limit is specified by the platform administrator. (Platform administrators are all members of the ā€œAdministrationā€ user team.)Ā To do so, switch to theĀ OptionsĀ ā†’Ā System settingsĀ menu and make the setting in the ā€œLoad limitā€ area.Ā At a value of ā€œ0ā€, the load limit will be switched off. If you wish to use the function, a value of ā€œ3ā€ is recommended. In general, this value naturally depends on your serverā€™s performance.

  • TheĀ OptionsĀ ā†’Ā System settingsĀ menu is only accessible to members of the ā€œadministratorā€ team or the ā€œsystem administratorā€ team.

Defining default survey messages for an installation

As an administrator you can determine what default set of messages is to be used across the installation when creating a new project. When administering an installation where English is predominantly used, this allows you to ensure, for example, that an English message set is always imported.

To do so, navigate to theĀ OptionsĀ ā†’Ā System settingsĀ menu. In the ā€œDefault survey messagesā€ field you can select one of the available message sets and then save it withĀ Change.

  • TheĀ OptionsĀ ā†’Ā System settingsĀ menu is only accessible to members of the administrator team or the system administrator team.

Mail queue

Mail Report

SystemĀ ā†’Ā OptionsĀ ā†’Ā Mail queue leads you to the global Mail Report, where you can find information on all installation-wide mail processes. For more details on the topic ā€œMail reportā€, click here.

Do-Not-Email list

Navigate to the Do-not-Email list using the following path:

  • SystemĀ ā†’Ā OptionsĀ ā†’Ā Mail queueĀ ā†’Ā Do-not-Email list

General and project-based Do-Not-Email lists are managed here. To add emails to the blacklist, download the import template (Import ā†’ Download import template), add the email list to the rctp column and use pid 0 to create a general blacklist or a specific pid to create a project based blacklist. The efs.mailblacklist.add, efsmailblacklist.delete, efsmailblacklist.get-List, efsmailblacklist.isBlacklisted web services can be used to automate the management of blacklists. When new e-mails are sent from EFS, the addresses from the Do-Not-Email list are automatically removed from the list of recipients. Emails that have already been placed in the queue are marked as "canceled".

  • Participants whose e-mail addresses are on the Do-not-Email list can still take part in the survey.

To implement self-service blacklists in the e-mail templates (ā€œunsubscribeā€ functionality), add #unsubscribe_survey# or #unsubscribe_global# to your e-mail template.

  • #unsubscribe_survey# generates a blacklist link for the current EFS project.

  • #unsubscribe_global# generates a global blacklist link.

SMS admin

On installations with the SMS module enabled, youā€˜ll find SMS Report underĀ OptionsĀ ā†’Ā SMS admin. This functionality gives you a detailed list of all SMS sent by EFS to the provider along with the initial response received from the SMS provider.Ā 

File exchange

After opening the File exchange menu, you will be directed to an overview of the files of all exchange teams for which you have at least read rights.Ā You have a simple and an advanced search. In the case of the advanced search, you can search for the status, the team or the time period in which the file was uploaded in addition to the keyword search.

TheĀ ViewĀ function for restricting the table is also available.

The following table explains the contents of the overview list in detail:

Column heading

Meaning

Column heading

Meaning

Date

Date when file was stored on server

Title

User-defined file identification within the exchange platform

Comment

Explanatory comment

File name

Actual file identification, such as example.doc.

Size

File size. If the file is smaller than 1.024 KB, the size is stated in kilobytes, otherwise in megabytes. If the file is smaller than 1.024 bytes, the size is stated in bytes.

Author

The staff member who uploaded the file.

Security

If a password has been set when uploading the file, this field contains an input field where you have to enter the password before downloading the file.

StatusĀ 

Indication of status. Possible values: ā€œActiveā€, ā€œObsoleteā€, ā€œLockedā€.

Team name

Name of staff team possessing full rights to the file.

Uploading a new file

You may upload files of any format, except for PHP and HTML. The maximum possible file size of the respective installation is displayed in the import dialog. Please note that the name of the file you want to upload has to be unique; i.e. if test.doc already exists, you cannot upload a second file named test.doc.

  • Click on theĀ Upload new fileĀ button in theĀ File exchangeĀ menu.

  • Enter the title you want to use for file identification in the field ā€œFile titleā€.

  • In the field ā€œAdditional passwordā€ you can optionally enter a password to protect your file against unauthorized access. If you make use of this option, an input field will be displayed in the ā€œSecurityā€ field of the file list where the password has to be entered before downloading. Downloading is not possible without entering a password.

  • TheĀ BrowseĀ function in the ā€œFileā€ field allows you to search the hard drive of your computer for the desired file to be uploaded.

  • The ā€œCommentā€ field may be used for entering further information on the file.

  • Select the team you want to upload the file for from the drop-down list.

  • Ticking the checkbox ā€œSend info mail to teamā€ will subsequently allow you to notify all members of the selected team of the newly available file.

  • Click onĀ UploadĀ to start the upload process.

  • If you have ticked the checkbox ā€œSend info mail to teamā€ in step 6, a form will now be displayed, which allows you to notify your team members. Change the default text as required.

  • If you really want to use the mail, confirm by clicking on ā€œYesā€ in the ā€œSend info mailā€ field.

  • To complete this step, click onĀ Continue.

Notifying team members of new files

When uploading a file, the info service allows you to directly notify the team for which this file is intended. To do so, tick the checkbox ā€œSend info mail to teamā€ when you upload the file. When the upload is complete, a mail template will be displayed where you can enter a message for the team members.

  • The form is filled with a predefined mail template. this template, entitled ā€œNew upload for your exchange teamā€, can be opened and edited in theĀ Librariesā†’MailĀ templatesĀ menu, but it cannot be deleted. It is not possible to select a different mail template. It is also not possible to send different language versions.

  • The following details can be entered via wildcards:

    • #team_name#: Team name

    • #filetitle#: User-defined title of the file

    • #filename#: File name

    • #filecomment#: Comment

    • #fileauthor#: Author

Downloading a file

  • Locate the file in the file list and tick the corresponding checkbox in the ā€œSelectionā€ column.

  • Select the ā€œDownloadā€ action from the drop-down list.

  • Click on theĀ ExecuteĀ button.

  • The file will be transferred in a zip file. Save this file locally on your computer.

You can only download files ofĀ activeĀ orĀ obsoleteĀ status. Locked files have to be released by their owners first. Furthermore, password-protected files can only be downloaded after entering the correct password in the appropriate text field in the ā€œSecurityā€ column.

Changing file status

If the uploaded files are frequently revised and replaced with new versions, assigning a file status will help you keep track.Ā There are three possible file statuses to describe the degree of currentness and accessibility of a file: ā€œActiveā€, ā€œObsoleteā€, ā€œLockedā€.

File statuses

Status

Meaning

Status

Meaning

Active

The file is up-to-date and may be downloaded by every team member. Its status may be changed by members holding special rights and by the author of this file.

Obsolete

The file is no longer up-to-date but may still be downloaded by every team member. Its status may be changed by members holding special rights and by the author of this file.

Locked

The file has been locked. The file cannot be downloaded until the status has been changed to ā€œActiveā€ or ā€œObsoleteā€ by the user who initiated the lock.

In order to change the status of a file, proceed as follows:

  • Select the file by ticking the checkbox in the ā€œSelectionā€ column.

  • Choose the new file status from the ā€œActionsā€ drop-down list.

  • Confirm by clicking onĀ Execute.

Deleting a file

If you hold the requisite write rights to a file, you may delete it:

  • Locate the file in the file list and tick the corresponding checkbox in the ā€œSelectionā€ column.

  • Select the ā€œDeleteā€ action from the drop-down list.

  • Click on Execute.

  • Acknowledge the confirmation prompt by clicking onĀ OK.

  • The file will be deleted.

ACL rights

There are usually a number of staff working inĀ EFSĀ installations, often in larger staff groups.

  • In addition to the project management, large numbers of additional users are often involved in large survey projects or the administration of panels. There are, for example, users that specialize in questionnaire programming, while other users are responsible for the evaluation of questionnaires.

  • In collective installations, users from different clients work completely separately on their respective projects.

  • Some users may not be granted access to the admin area. Instead, separate logins such as EFS Survey Status and EFS Translator Interface provide restricted access to the information and functions their work requires.

EFSĀ allows you to effectively configure and control the access rights of all these staff

  • Instead of configuring the access rights for each individual user, you define teams: These reflect the respective rights and duties of entire user groups with identical responsibilities. Subsequently, you allocate the actual users to the user roles.

  • The various ways of accessing and changing information and functions are mapped in a dedicated rights system. Thus, you can not only define which information and functions a team may generally access, but also which individual objects (e.g. specific projects)

Assignement

The particular access options of users inĀ EFSĀ are controlled via assignment to one or more teams:

  • The configuration of the teams reflects the respective rights and responsibilities of entire staff groups with identical responsibilities.

  • Users can be members of several teams.

    • The ACL rights of his teams are added up, i.e. he may access all information and functions that at least one of his teams has access to. If, for example, one of his teams holds write rights forĀ ct42partadm, i.e. it can create participants in the participant administration, while another of his team has only read rights, he can create participants.

    • With regard to individual objects, he also has the widest access that is configured for one of his teams, i.e. if one of his teams holds write rights for project x while another team only has read rights, he has write rights.

  • Each user belongs to one primary team.

    • The primary team is always automatically granted read and write rights for projects created by this user.

    • In new projects created by this user, the survey URL contains the name of the primary team.

In new EFS installations, teams reflecting the most frequently required user roles have been created and preconfigured by default. These roles includes:

  • Project manager: The project manager is responsible for conducting survey projects. However, he generally requires no access to panel administration functions and often has no access to staff administration, either.

  • Panel administrator: In EFS Panel installations, the panel administrator is mainly responsible for panel administration. He may also be in charge of the CMS and the panel community.

  • System administrator: This role is reserved for support operations by TIVIAN. It contains special functions which, if applied incorrectly, can cause damage to the system.

Importing and exporting rights templates

Export and import functions allow the transfer of rights definitions from oneĀ EFSĀ installation to another. Please proceed as follows:

  • Select theĀ Options ā†’Ā ACL rights ā†’Ā Rights templatesĀ menu.

  • Click on theĀ Export ACL rights templateĀ icon.

  • A file with the .tpl format will be downloaded. Save this file locally on your PC.

If you wish to transfer the exported rights template to anotherĀ EFSĀ installation, continue as follows:

  • On the destination installation, switch to theĀ OptionsĀ ā†’Ā ACL rightsĀ ā†’Ā Rights templatesĀ menu and click on theĀ Import ACL rights templateĀ button.

  • Enter name and title.

  • Identify the desired file on your PC.

  • Confirm by clicking onĀ Import.

  • The rights template will be imported.

In theĀ Assign rights templatesĀ menu, you can assign the template to a team on the target installation.

Configuring access options precisely using ACL and object rights

Which information and functions are accessible to a user team is controlled by a combination of two types of rights:

  • ACL rights: ACL rights (ā€œAccess Control Listā€) define whether someone is entitled to view certain information or perform certain functions.

    • ACL rights are granted to user teams.

    • This is done in the user administration.

    • Each ACL right includes read and write rights. Write rights usually activate more powerful functions than read rights.

  • Object rights: EFS allows for the precise control of the access to a number of individual objects. An object may be a particular project, a layout template, or a set of survey messages. With object rights you can define which team is entitled to view, use, or edit the respective object.

    • Object rights are also granted to user teams.

    • Object rights are not assigned in the user administration, but directly via the respective object. For example, object rights for projects are assigned via theĀ project list. The dialog for assigning rights is usually called up via aĀ Rightslink or aĀ RightsĀ icon.

    • Object rights also include read and write rights. Read rights usually grant passive access to information, while write rights permit the active use of functions

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