Some conceptual questions on updating online surveys

Question

Hi all,

Although I guess I already know the answer to this question, I must confirm if there is any way of updating an survey that is already online, without losing data. I have a MaxDiff survey that is already active, but due to new requirements, I need to update some things on it. Of course I don't want to lose the data already collected, so I'm asking if this is possible.

Alternatively, I could upload the new version of the survey to a different server folder, and have separate URLs for both, but that would imply a new survey design (right?), and I would need to analyze the data as a whole (old version + new version). I have SSI Web 7.026.

I hope I was clear enough, many thanks in advance,
João Fernandes

Comments

Are these changes affect maxdiff part or rest of the survey?

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They aren't directly related to the MaxDiff part, they're just general changes in the survey.

Answer 1

Yes you can do this.  Updating your study files will not impact the data already there.

Auto upload will do this for you or you can just upload the admin folder in the Web Upload folder.

Comments

Thanks Mike, I'll try that!

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Hello again,

As pointed out, I've tried updating a survey that was already online, using manual upload, since I don't have the auto upload configured. I've tried uploading all of the files and folders (except the /admin and /data ones), but I kept receiving the #129 error when trying to access the admin module, so I finally decided to also overwrite the /admin folder. That lead me to finally access the admin module, but also to lost the data I already had online (of course I downloaded it before this happens, so I still have the .dat file). Since I do not want to repeat this situation again in the future, I wonder what must I have made wrong and how can I update a survey without damaging the data already collected. Thanks.