Export Survey Data

Overview

Once your survey is live and the responses start rolling in, the next step is getting that data out of SurveySensum so you can analyze, present, or archive it.

The Advanced Export feature gives you complete control over how survey data is exported. you full control over exactly what data leaves the system and how it is structured — which columns are included, in what order, under what header names, and how multi-select answers are separated.

Where Advanced Export Applies

Advanced Export Settings covers two distinct export contexts:

• Export from Your Survey's Report page
  
• Overview
  
• Survey Metrics
  
• Responses
  
• Automation Export — triggered whenever a survey export runs as part of an automation workflow.
  

How to Access Export your Survey Data.

Step 1: Open a survey and go to the Report tab.

Step 2: Choose Survey Metrics, Responses, or Overview — Export is available from all three.

Step 3: Click Export & Import.

Step 4: Choose Export as Excel or Export as CSV.

Step 5: The new Export Configuration modal opens, with Export Settings selected as the active section by default.

Export Modal — Sections at a Glance

The Export Configuration modal has a left-side navigation panel with five sections. Any changes you make are kept while you move between sections in the same export session — you don't lose your setup by clicking around.

#	Section	Purpose
1	Export Settings	Data format selection and the filter toggle (open by default).
2	Column Selection	Choose which columns / questions to include in the export.
3	Column Ordering	Drag and drop to reorder the selected columns.
4	Column Alias	Rename column headers using custom alias names.
5	Advanced Settings	Header format, delimiter, and row display options.

Export Settings

This is the section you land on when the Export modal opens.

Data Format Selection

The section is titled "Choose a data format" and offers two mutually exclusive options, each shown with a short description:

Raw Data (Default)

Raw Data exports every individual survey response exactly as it was submitted. Each row represents one respondent, and the file includes survey responses, contact properties, metadata, and other system fields.

Best for:

• Performing detailed analysis in Excel or BI tools.
• Creating custom reports and dashboards.
• Re-importing responses into the system (using the variable mapping sheet).

Example:
If 500 respondents completed your survey, the exported file will contain 500 rows—one for each response.

Calculated Tables (Excel only)

Calculated Tables export summarized survey results instead of individual responses. The exported data is organized based on each question type and includes calculated values such as counts, percentages, or score distributions.

Best for:

• Sharing survey summaries with stakeholders.
• Reporting overall survey performance.
• Analyzing response distributions without reviewing every individual response.

Example:
For an NPS question, instead of listing all respondent scores, the export displays the number and percentage of responses for each score (0–10).

Filter Application Control

Below the format options is a checkbox labelled "Exported data will have current filters applied", checked by default.

• Checked: only the responses that match your currently applied filters are exported.

• Unchecked: filters are ignored and the full response dataset is exported.

This setting only affects which rows are exported — it has no effect on which columns are included.

Column Selection

The Column Selection section lets you decide exactly which information will be included in your exported file. Instead of exporting every available field, you can choose only the questions and properties that are relevant to your analysis, reporting, or data sharing needs.

This helps reduce unnecessary columns, keeps exports organized, and makes the exported file easier to work with in Excel, BI tools, or other reporting platforms.

Understanding Column Categories

All exportable fields are organized into four categories. Each field includes a checkbox that determines whether it will be included in the exported file.

By default:

• All available fields are selected.
• The Select All option is enabled for every category.
  
• You can set your own configuration for export by Selecting/deselecting it and come back, your selections here are preserved exactly as you left them.
• You can Set it again to default Configuration by click on the "Reset to Default"

Questions

Contains all survey questions available in the survey.

Use this category when you only want to export respondent answers for selected questions.

Metadata

Contains all custom metadata associated with survey responses.

Use this category to include additional business information

• Region
• Store
• Branch
• Product
• Customer Segment

or any other metadata added to the survey

Contact Properties

Contains respondent information imported or collected during survey distribution.

Examples include:

• Name
• Email Address
• Phone Number
• Customer ID

Include these fields when you need to identify respondents or merge exported data with another system.

System Properties

Contains SurveySensum-generated information related to each response.

Examples include:

• Response ID
• Submission Date
• Response Status
• Device Information
• Language
• Completion Time

These fields are useful for auditing, troubleshooting, or response tracking.

Column Ordering

The Column Ordering section allows you to arrange the order of columns before exporting your survey data. Instead of manually rearranging columns in Excel after every export, you can organize them directly within the Export Configuration window.

The Column Ordering page displays only the fields selected in the Column Selection step. If a field is not selected, it will not appear in this list.

Each field is displayed with:

• Its category (Questions, Metadata, Contact Properties, or System Properties)
• The field or question name
  
• You are not limited to reordering fields within the same category.
• A drag handle that allows you to change its position

To reorder columns:

1. Click and hold the drag handle beside a field.
2. Drag the field to its preferred position.
3. Release the mouse to place the field in its new location.

The updated order is automatically applied to the exported file.

Column Alias

The Column Alias section allows you to assign custom names to the columns in your exported file without changing the original question or property name in SurveySensum.

This is especially useful when exported data is used in Excel reports, Power BI dashboards, CRM imports, or automated workflows that depend on consistent column headers. By assigning an alias, you can keep your export structure stable even if the survey questions are updated in the future.

Column Name

Displays the original survey question or property name.

This field is read-only and always reflects the current name configured in SurveySensum.

Alias Name

Allows you to define the name that will appear as the column header in the exported file.

By default, every Alias Name is pre-filled with the original column name. You can modify it to any meaningful name that best suits your reporting or integration requirements.

Advanced Settings

The Advanced Settings section lets you customize how your exported data is formatted before downloading it. You can control how column headers appear, how multi-select responses are displayed, how responses are represented, and the order in which records are exported.

These settings help you prepare export files for reporting, business intelligence tools, data imports, or sharing with stakeholders—without requiring additional formatting after export.

1. Customize Column Headers

You can choose what information should appear in each exported column header.

Available options include:

• Question Text – Displays the survey question as the column header.
• Question Number (Q1, Q2, etc.) – Adds the question number before the header.
• Question ID (Variable ID) – Displays the system-generated variable ID used for integrations and data mapping.
  

At least one header format must remain selected. You can select one or more options depending on how you want your exported file to appear.

2. Display Column Headers

Choose how the selected header information is displayed.

Single-line

Displays all selected header components on a single line.

Multi-line

Displays each selected header component on a separate line.

This improves readability when column headers are long or contain multiple elements.

Best for

• Printed reports
• Manual review
• Large survey questionnaires
  

3. Display Responses in Numeric Format

Enable Display rows (responses) in numeric format to export responses using their underlying numeric values instead of response labels.

4. Configure Multi-Select Delimiters

Respondents can select multiple options in Multi-Select questions. This setting determines how those selected values are separated in the exported file.

Available delimiters include:

• Pipe ( | )
• Comma (,)
• Semicolon (;)
• Hyphen (-)
• New Line
• Custom delimiter

5. Sort Responses

Choose the order in which responses appear in the exported file.

Latest to Oldest

Exports the newest survey responses first.

Best for

• Daily monitoring
• Operational reporting
• Reviewing recent customer feedback

Oldest to Latest

Exports responses in chronological order, starting with the earliest submission.

Best for

• Trend analysis
• Historical reporting
• Time-based data processing

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