Export survey data from common platforms

Last updated: June 15, 2026

Before uploading data to Fairgen, export raw respondent-level survey data from your programming platform. Do not upload crosstabs, dashboards, summary tables, or question summaries.

When available, use SPSS .sav. This format is preferred because it usually preserves variable labels, answer labels, and coded values.

Decipher / Forsta

Recommended export: SPSS 16+ (.sav) with OE

Steps:

  1. Open the survey in Decipher.

  2. Go to REPORT.

  3. Select Data Downloads.

  4. Choose SPSS 16+ (.sav) or SPSS 16+ (.sav) with OE.

  5. Use Other Data Formats if the SPSS option is not visible.

  6. Keep the default layout unless Fairgen requested a custom layout.

  7. Select the correct label language.

  8. Download, unzip if needed, and upload the .sav to Fairgen.

Before upload, confirm that the file includes:

  • Total qualified respondents

  • uuid or another respondent ID

  • status

  • qtime or total survey time

  • Open-ended responses, if text quality checks are needed

Qualtrics

Recommended export: SPSS

Steps:

  1. Open the project in Qualtrics.

  2. Go to Data & Analysis.

  3. Open Export & Import.

  4. Select Export Data.

  5. Choose SPSS.

  6. Make sure all fields are included.

  7. Remove filters unless Fairgen should only analyze a filtered subset.

  8. Download, unzip if needed, and upload the .sav to Fairgen.

Before upload, confirm that the file includes:

  • ResponseId

  • Finished

  • Duration

  • RecordedDate

  • Relevant embedded data

  • Open-ended or text-entry responses

If SPSS is not available, export .csv or .xlsx with all fields included.

SurveyMonkey

Recommended export: Individual responses > SPSS

Steps:

  1. Open the survey in SurveyMonkey.

  2. Go to Analyze results.

  3. Select Export > New Export.

  4. Choose Individual responses.

  5. Select SPSS.

  6. Export, download, unzip if needed, and upload the .sav to Fairgen.

Important notes:

  • Do not use Question summaries; Fairgen needs individual responses.

  • SPSS export is a paid SurveyMonkey feature.

  • If SPSS is unavailable, use Individual responses > XLS or CSV.

  • For multi-answer questions, use an export where each answer option is represented in its own column.

IntelliSurvey

Recommended export: respondent-level SPSS .sav

IntelliSurvey exports can vary by project setup and user permissions. If you do not see a direct SPSS export option, ask the IntelliSurvey project team or portal admin for a respondent-level SPSS export.

Request a file that includes:

  • Completed or qualified respondents only

  • Full questionnaire variables

  • Respondent ID

  • Total survey time

  • Open-ended responses

  • Question and answer labels

  • Sample source and device metadata, if available

If SPSS is not available, request a respondent-level Excel or CSV export with one row per respondent and multi-select questions split into option-level columns.

After uploading to Fairgen

If you are using Fairgen Check, confirm open-ended columns, select the survey time column, and exclude metadata fields from the quality algorithms.

If you are using Fairgen Boost, review the dataset structure, confirm grouped columns, and map derived variables where needed so Fairgen understands the survey logic.