Survey Metadata
Survey Metadata
Overview
Survey Metadata is background information associated with a survey response. It is defined at the survey or project level and applies to all responses collected under that survey.
Metadata is stored alongside survey responses and is mainly used for reporting, filtering, segmentation, and deeper analysis. Instead of asking respondents to manually provide contextual information, metadata allows organizations to attach predefined information directly to responses.
For example, businesses with multiple store locations can capture store information through metadata instead of asking respondents to select their store inside the survey. This keeps surveys shorter, improves response accuracy, and simplifies analysis.
When to use it:
Use metadata when you want to capture contextual information such as location, region, campaign source, or representative details without adding extra survey questions.
Use metadata for information already known before survey distribution to keep surveys shorter and cleaner.Key Use Cases
- Capture contextual information without adding survey questions
- Segment and filter responses more effectively
- Track responses by store, region, campaign, or representative
- Improve reporting and dashboard analysis
- Standardize survey response data across projects
How to Use Survey Metadata
How to Access Survey Metadata
- Go to the Build section of your survey
- Click Survey Metadata from the left panel
- Click Create New Metadata
Understanding Survey Metadata
Metadata stores additional information alongside survey responses without requiring respondents to manually provide that information.
For example, if a business collects feedback from multiple stores, store details can be attached using metadata instead of asking respondents to select the store during the survey.
This ensures:
- Accurate and consistent data collection
- Shorter surveys
- Easier store-wise or segment-wise analysis
Create New Metadata
When creating metadata, users need to define:
- Metadata Name
- Datatype
- Description
Dropdown Metadata
Dropdown metadata should be used when values need to be selected from a predefined list. This ensures data consistency and cleaner reporting.
Users can add options manually or use Bulk Edit to quickly add multiple values by entering one option per line.
- Store names
- Regions
- Departments
- Categories
Email Metadata
The Email datatype is used to capture and store email addresses as metadata.
This ensures values are saved in a valid email format and can be reliably used across reports, filters, and exports.
Date Metadata
Date metadata is used when the stored value represents a date. Users can define how incoming date values should be interpreted and displayed.
Custom input formats can be configured when incoming values follow a specific structure, and output formats can also be customized for exports and reporting.
DateTime Metadata
The DateTime datatype captures both date and time information associated with a response.
Users can configure custom DateTime formats when incoming values follow a different structure.
This is useful for tracking:
- Appointment timings
- Event timestamps
- Scheduled interactions
URL Metadata
URL metadata is used to store web links or URLs as metadata values.
This ensures links are stored in a valid format and can be safely used in exports or reports.
Phone Number Metadata
Phone Number metadata captures and stores respondent contact numbers in a valid phone number format.
This makes phone-based filtering, segmentation, and reporting more reliable.
Manage Metadata
The metadata management screen provides a complete overview of all metadata created for the survey.
- Metadata Name
- Data Type
- Description
- API Identifier
Users can edit existing metadata or delete metadata that is no longer required.
Embed Metadata While Sharing Surveys
Metadata can be embedded while sending surveys so that predefined values are automatically attached to all collected responses.
To embed metadata:
- Go to All Surveys
- Select the survey
- Open the Share tab
- Click Send Email
- Select Embed Metadata
- Choose the metadata field and assign a value
- Save the configuration
For example:
- Metadata: Region
- Value: Urban
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