Getting Started with Crosstabs

Add Crosstabs page via Studio dashboard, manage data sources, customize rows/columns, apply filters, and generate tables efficiently.

1: Adding a Crosstabs Page to Your Studio Report

To add a Crosstabs page to your report, follow these steps:

1. In the Studio dashboard, click the + icon within the page toolbar.

2. Select Crosstabs.

Note:

Before you start adding to your Crosstab, it is advisable to remove report filters from the Crosstab page. This is because when report filters are applied, they influence the Crosstab page as well.

2: Edit Mode and Published Mode

The Crosstabs page is available in one or two modes, depending what type of user you are.

Published mode - Available for both professional users and end users. This is the recommended mode for optimal performance. To access published mode, click "View" in the Studio ribbon, then click "Published version". This opens the published version of your Crosstab in a new browser tab. To return to edit mode, return to the previous browser tab.

Edit mode - Only available for professional users; edit mode should primarily be used for setting up the Crosstab page, not for exploring data and creating tables.

3: Data Sources

3.1: Available Data Sources

After creating a Crosstabs page, all surveys that currently exist in your Studio report will appear in the data sources drop-down menu.

In edit mode, professional users can use the data sources drop-down arrow to swap between all available surveys and view their variables in the variables list.

3.2: Managing Data Sources

Control the visibility of data sources in the Crosstab from the "Manage Crosstabs sources" menu. To access this menu, click the ellipsis next to the data source selector.

3.2.1 Surveys

By default, the menu opens at the Surveys tab.

From here, you can toggle which surveys are shown in the Crosstab by either checking or unchecking them. Confirm your choices by clicking the Update button.

3.2.3 Custom Data

Professional users can add Custom Data as a datasource for use in Crosstabs.

When using Custom Data as a source for Crosstabs, the first Date type variable in the dataset will be automatically used for the reporting period.

If no Date variable is present in the dataset, no reporting period filter will be applied.

This allows for a more flexible and customized analysis within the Crosstab, especially when working with external or bespoke datasets.

3.3: Using Crosstabs with Related Data Sources

Crosstabs support variable combinations across related data sources. This enables you to cross a variable from a survey with a variable from a related custom datasource, provided a relationship has already been set up.

Note: There is currently no UI for managing these relationships. Relationships have to be configured in CDL

3.3.1: Supported Relationships

You can cross variables only when:

• Relationships have been configured in CDL

• The custom datasource is defined as the parent in the relation.

Here are some setup example of datasources, tables and relations.:

config hub {
  hub: 9067
  dataset survey #surveyDataset {
    publicName: p488713388897
}
  dataset survey #surveyDataset_2 {
    publicName: p826566969281
}
dataset custom #customDataset {
    publicName: crosstabdataset
    defaultTable: ForForsta
  }
  dataset custom #customDataset_2 {
    publicName: crmdata
    defaultTable: crm_AccountHierarchy
  }

  dataSet: surveyDataset

  table forForsta = crosstabdataset.ForForsta
  table forForsta2 = crmdata.crm_AccountHierarchy

 relation oneToMany #relation1 {
    primaryKey: forForsta:id
    foreignKey: surveyDataset_2:q10
 }
  relation oneToMany #relation2 {
    primaryKey: forForsta:id
    foreignKey: forForsta2:AccountName
 }

3.3.2: Switching Between Datasources

Note: Once a relation exists between the sources, variables from related sources will remain available as you switch between them. The datasource selector drop-down allows access to related sources:

To begin, use the Datasource Selector in the Crosstab sidebar to switch between available datasets.

3.3.3: Creating Crosstabs Across Related Sources

Once variables from related sources are selected, select the desired variables, then click Generate Table to run your Crosstab.

• The Filters, Rows (Questions), and Columns (Splits) areas work the same way.

• When a variable is not from the currently active datasource, its origin is indicated in parentheses next to the variable name (e.g., Status (surveyDataset_2)).

3.3.4: What Happens if the Datasource Is Unrelated?

If you switch from one datasource to another unrelated datasource, you will see a warning that your current selections will be cleared.

3.4 Variables

The "Manage Crosstabs sources" menu also contains the Variables tab which displays specific variables from the selected survey.

From here, you can toggle which variables are shown in the Crosstab by either checking or unchecking them. Use the "Exclude all system variables" and "Exclude all text variables" toggles to exclude all those types of variables from the Crosstab.

Confirm your choices by clicking the Update button.

4: Adding Data

Data is added to your Crosstab by dragging and dropping variables into the rows and columns sections.

4.1: Adding Questions

To add questions to your Crosstab, drag and drop variables into the 'Rows' section; these variables will act as rows in your Crosstab table.

Tip: You can add multiple questions simultaneously by using the multi-select checkboxes.

4.2: Re-ordering Questions

Questions can be re-ordered by drag and dropping. This affects how they appear in the generated table later.

4.3: Removing Questions

Questions can be removed by hovering over the question you want to remove and clicking the "X".

4.4: Customizing Categorical Questions

4.4.1: Specifying which Answer Categories to Include

For categorical questions, you can specify which answer categories to include in the crosstab.

First, drag and drop the categorical question onto the crosstab, then follow these steps:

1. Click the orange shaped text next to the name of the question you want to customize. This opens the selection panel.

2. Check or uncheck the boxes to include or exclude categories.

3. Click the Save button to apply your selections to the Crosstab.

4.4.2: Top/Bottom Box Calculations

When adding a question with scored answers, you can add top/bottom box nets to their crosstab, and then position those calculations as desired.

To do this, first drag and drop the categorical question onto the Crosstab, then follow these steps:

1. Click the orange shaped text next to the name of the question you want to customize. This opens the selection panel.

2. Select the required top/bottom boxes. The options you are given here depend on the number of answers available. For example, you can check options like "Bottom 2," "Top 2," "Bottom 3," and so on, based on the included answers.

3. Use the drop-down menu to choose the position you would like the selected categories to be shown in the table.

4. Click the Save button to apply your selections to the Crosstab.

Display Options Based on Number of Answer Categories

There are options for 2, 3, and 4 categories which will display depending on the number of answers the question has. The rule is as follows:

• 4 to 5 Answers: Show top/bottom 2 box options.

• 6 to 8 Answers: Show top/bottom 2/3 box options.

• 9 or More Answers: Show top/bottom 2/3/4 box options.

Updating Labels

Labels can be updated in CDL using the following code:

topBottomLabels {
top: "Favorable"
bottom: "Unfavorable"

4.4.3: Re-ordering Answers

You can customize the display order of answers in generated Crosstabs by doing the following:

1. Click the orange shaped text next to the name of the question you want to re-order answers for. This opens the selection panel.

2. Click and hold an answer option, drag it to the desired position in the list

3. Click the Save button to apply your changes. The crosstab will update to reflect the new order of answers.

   

   

4.4.4: Sync Answer Selection Across Shared Lists

It is possible to synchronize changes across all questions that share the same answer list. This is useful when you make an update to an answer list, such as selecting which answers to display or changing their order, and want those changes to automatically apply to all other questions that share the same answer list.

To use this feature:

1. Click the orange shaped text next to the name of the question you to synchronize changes for.

2. Toggle "Apply selection to all questions sharing the same answer list" to on.

3. Click the Save button.

   

4.5: Adding Columns (Splits)

Use the "Columns (splits)" section to add columns to your crosstab. Adding columns will enhance your analysis, however they are not mandatory. Without columns, the crosstab will show total results. Most question types, except numeric, are allowed as columns.

To add columns, drag and drop the variables you want to act as columns from the left panel into the "Columns (splits)" section.

5: Applying Filters

Filters can be applied to your Crosstab by dragging the variable you want to act a filter into the 'Filters' section.

Note:

For Grids, prompts cannot be directly added as filters. Instead, you need to add the Grid as a filter, and then in the Filter condition, select the desired prompts.

5.1: Creating Filter Conditions

After adding a filter to your Crosstab, you can apply a condition to it.

1. Click the Create condition button next to the desired filter. This opens a new menu.

2. Using the drop-down, select the filtering criteria for your condition.

3. Select the responses that should match your condition by ticking the check-boxes next to the relevant answer labels.

4. Click the Save button to apply the condition.

   

5.2: Enhanced Date Filtering

Crosstabs offers advanced date variable selection for filtering and interval splitting, such as weeks and months. This feature is particularly beneficial for complex data sets in customer experience programs. For example, a hotel chain may contain multiple date references such as booking, check-in, and check-out dates.

5.2.1: Date Variable Selection for Reporting Periods

Using the reporting period menu, you can specify a date range and date variable to filter results by. The chosen date range and interval will organize the data across the specified time frames.

1. From the Filters section, click "Include all data". This opens the reporting period menu.

2. Use the Date Range drop-down to choose an appropriate interval.

3. Customize the date range further by using the radio buttons.

4. Select a Date variable using the drop-down menu.

The filter will automatically be applied to your Crosstab as you make the above selections.

5.2.2: Examples of Filters

Check-in Experience Analysis

The table below shows the result of the "Check-in experience", and two other measures for the period January 2023. As shown in the table key, the date filter is based on the check-in date rather than the interview date.

Time Tracking Over Intervals:

In this example, the Check-in experience is tracked over time, with the Check-in date being used to map each response to each week .

6: Generating the Table

After adding rows (and optionally Columns and filters), click the Generate table button to generate your table. The generated table will open in the same window.

Tip: To return to the Crosstabs dashboard, click the Edit Table button.

6.1: Exporting the Table to Excel

Once generated, you can export the table to excel by clicking the download icon to the top right. This will start the excel file download automatically.

6.2: Show Question and Answer Codes in Generated Crosstabs

You have the ability to display question and answer codes directly within your generated crosstab tables. This is helpful for identifying the underlying structure of your data, especially when working with complex surveys or standardized code frames.

6.2.1: Enabling Code Display:

1. Navigate to the “View Settings” menu at the top of your crosstab workspace.

2. Select the checkbox for “Show codes in tables”.

The table will now display question and answer codes in parentheses next to their labels.

6.3: Remove Empty Categories from Crosstab Rows

You remove empty rows (defined as those with no recorded data across any columns) from generated crosstabs.

1. Go to the “View Settings” dropdown in your crosstab table toolbar.

2. Click “Remove empty categories” to enable the feature.

Once toggled on, the table will automatically hide any row that contains all-zero counts across your selected columns (e.g., Complete, Incomplete, Quota Full, etc.).

7: Answer Grouping

1. A Pro user must first enable this feature in the page edit panel by toggling “Enable Custom Answer Groups”

2. Add a categorical question to Crosstab rows

3. Click the orange pill and select “Add Group”

4. Choose the answer options, name the group, and click “Save”

8: Freeze Panes

1. Available to all users via the View Settings menu

2. Simply toggle options on or off as needed

Continue reading: Hierarchies in Crosstabs