Managing Sources

Creating a Dataset from a Survey or Prompt

Before you can build charts or ask Spark questions, you create a dataset from a source. A source can be an Alchemer Survey survey, a Digital Survey, or a Digital Prompt.

Note: Love Dialog and Rating Dialog data is pre-built and ready to use. You don't need to create a dataset for it, and it won't appear in the Sources list.

To create a dataset from a source:

1. In the top navigation, click Data, then open the Sources tab on the Manage Datasets page.
2. Find the source you want to use. Use the Search by sources name box to locate it quickly. Each source shows its Document Type (Survey or Digital), Status, current Dataset, and Interaction Count.
3. Select the checkbox to the left of the source name. You can select an Alchemer Survey survey, a Digital Survey, or a Digital Prompt.
4. Click the New Dataset button that appears at the bottom of the list.
5. The Dataset column displays Creating... while Alchemer Dashboard builds the dataset. You can keep working while it processes.
6. When it finishes, a Dataset created successfully! confirmation appears and the Dataset column changes to View.
7. Click View to open the dataset, then start building charts or ask questions with Spark.

The steps are identical for all three source types. The only difference is the Document Type shown for each source (Survey or Digital).

Tip: Currently, you can select one or more Alchemer Survey surveys to create a multi-survey dataset. This is not yet supported for Digital sources (Digital Surveys and Digital Prompts).

Working with Surveys and Prompts

We recommend using question labels and reporting values to make your data easier to digest.

Question labels are also available for Digital Surveys, so you can apply the same clear, consistent naming to your Digital data.

Use concise, descriptive labels for the data. Avoid starting labels with numbers for the best Spark performance.

If you make significant changes to your survey or prompt design after creating a dataset, review the charts and dashboards built from it to make sure everything still works as expected.

Data Syncing

Alchemer Dashboard periodically pulls new responses and changes from Alchemer Survey and Alchemer Digital. You'll be able to see new responses, survey and prompt updates, and team or app assignments as soon as a scheduled sync has completed.