Frequently Asked Questions

What technologies are used with Professional Quest?

• Microsoft ASP (Active Server Pages)
• Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS)
• JavaScript and VB Script
• ADO
• Microsoft Access/SQL Server
• Survey Login Authentication

For a more detailed explanation on each of the technologies mentioned above please click here.

How do I backup my projects/designs?

From the Content Manager window in Project Manager or Designer you can right click on a project and click on Backup. A backup project dialog will show up, there you will need to enter the file name and the location of the Backup. You will have the choice to exclude any non-essential files from the backup if you wish. For a detailed step by step guide on how to backup a project please click here.

How can I pay directly into Dipolar’s bank account?

If you need to pay a Professional Quest invoice by direct payment to our bank account these are the details that you will need.

Please click here for a PDF version of this document.

How can I activate professional Quest?

Activation of a Professional Quest license can be completed as per the Professional Quest Manual.

If you are having problems Activating Professional Quest then please click here for more information.

How can I create/use/edit a Hierarchical Text List?

There are three areas that you should know about to be comfortable with Hierarchical Text Lists. There areas are:

1. Creating the list in the Designer

2. Using the list in one of your surveys

3. Editing the list from within the Project Manager

For more information about how the steps mentioned above are achieved please click here.

Where can I find the Manual?

Scripting and Data Dictionary

The Scripting module is an optional module available with Professional Quest. It allows the user to incorporate custom scripts written in Visual Basic (VBScript) that are included in the survey when specific events take please; for example, when the Next Button is pressed or the page is sent back to the Web Server.

I would like to know more about the structure of the survey's database

For a detailed Explanation on the Survey's Data Dictionary please go to Scripting and Data Dictionary.

How do I perform a Manual Activation of Professional Quest?

How can I use Professional Quest in a Call Centre environment

Questionnaire Design Checklist

Do not rush into building a project from an incomplete design, in the hope that you can "fix" the design later. You will not be able to fix major design issues once the project is created.

You can use the following checklist as a guide to completing all major areas of your design.

1. If the questionnaire requires pages, ensure all pages exist and:
   a)Descriptive page names have been used
   b)Page numbering is correct
   
   
2. Ensure all questions have been added to the questionnaire and:
   a)Questions are in the correct order.

   b) Questions are of the correct type, and contain all necessary details (such as value range information for range-of-values questions.)

   c) All required validations (such as mandatory questions) have been set.

   d) All flow control works correctly.

   e) Ensure that you have set up question numbering correctly. Consider issues such as whether to show question numbers at all, or whether to have continuous numbers between questionnaire pages, or restart question numbering for each page.
   
   

3. Format both HTML and non-HTML questionnaire forms so that they are easy to read, and look professional. If necessary, ensure that the HTML questionnaire form fits in with the design of your Web site.
   

   
   

4. As a final check, run the questionnaire form preview simulating the live survey to:

   a) Ensure all questionnaire flow control is working appropriately.

   b) The overall questionnaire user "experience" is working as desired.

The importance of having a correct and complete design cannot be over-stressed. If you do not take care in creating a good design, you may be forced to create a project multiple times while you slowly fix your design.

How can I set many questions to mandatory at once?

You can set many questions to mandatory by clicking on Format->Global Changes->Mandatory Questions. A Mandatory Questions window will pop up. There you can set what questions you want to be mandatory. For a more detailed step by step guide please click here.

Can I grab the selected values from a question and rank them on the next page?

How do I add/remove buttons from multiple pages at once?

Please click on Format->Global Changes->Page Buttons. The Page Buttons window will pop up, here you can select on what pages you want the changes to take effect and also what buttons you want to display or hide. For a detailed guide on how to do this, please click here.

How can I use Progressive Piping?

Progressive Piping allows you to link a Multi-Selection Range of Values question to a Single-Selection Range of Values question so that values in the Single Selection can be shown or hidden based on what was chosen in the Multi-Selection Range of Values question. For a detailed explanation on how to use it please click here.

How can I create an HTML template with my own layout and logos?

You can either use existing templates that ship with your installation of Professional Quest or you can create your own. Note: If you want to create your own templates, you must have knowledge of HTML file editing, and you must have an HTML editor like FrontPage.

For a step by step guide on how to use the existing templates and how to edit your own please click here.

How do I add a Not Answered option to a Range of Values question?

In a range of values question, if you select one answer and then decide not to answer to that question, you will not be able to clear the answer because of the way the web browser works with radio buttons. You could create a “Not answered” as another answer but that will affect your statistics, averages and reports simply because it will be taken as just another answer, no as a not answered question. For information on how to get around this issue please click here for a step by step guide.

How can I enable a text question if I choose “other” in a range of values question?

You need to create a range of values question that has “other” as one of the answers. Then in the “New Question” window in the “Advanced” tab, you need to tick the checkbox that says “Create a text question to allow other details to be entered” and set the question’s details in the same tab.

For a detailed step by step on how to do this please click here.

How do I modify the validation messages in my questionnaire?

To modify the error messages you get in your questionnaire you will need to adjust the settings of "Live Preview" (in Designer) and "Distribution" (in Project Manager)
For a detailed step by step guide please click here.

How do I create surveys in different languages and characters?

How do I use Page Looping?

Page looping allows you to ask the same questions for every choice you have selected in a multiple choice question.
An example would be if you want to do a survey about travel and you want to ask the respondents the same questions for every country they have visited without having to create the same questions over and over again.

For a detailed explanation on how to use Page Looping please click here.

How do I use regular expressions in my survey?

How to I use Respondent Piping?

How do I add titles to groups of values in a Range of Values question?

How can I use sounds in a survey?

There are a number of ways that sounds can be used but all of them involve using HTML Content Tags. You need to include the specific HTML code in the survey page through a HTML Content Tag. For a detailed explanation on how to setup such tags to play sounds please click here.

I have problems getting Live Preview to work under Windows Vista

Windows vista has introduced a number of changes that may make getting a Live Preview to work a frustrating experience.

The following are some of the reasons why Live Preview is not working:

· IIS is not installed by default (or IIS is installed but ASP is not available)

· Access Databases and ASP

· Script Errors do not properly show in the web browser

For a detailed explanation on how to fix each of the aforementioned issues please click here.

How do I use Progress Bars?

Professional Quest allows the use of pre-designed graphic animations to simulate the progress of a survey. For a detailed step by step guide on how to use progress bars please click here.

How do I setup Live Preview?

Live Preview enables you to simulate your Web-based survey to do a preliminary test of validations and questionnaire flow prior to building a project. In other words you will be able to test the survey from your web browser and you will be able to see their final appearance before you build a project from it.

Please keep in mind that you will not be able to do a live preview if you don’t have IIS installed on your machine.

For a step by step guide on how to configure Live Preview on your machine please click here.

What are HTML Content Tags?

"HTML Content Tags" can be used to insert "snippets" of HTML code within a survey. Any valid HTML can appear in a tag. These tags can be used for showing images in introductory text, endnotes, values in a value range questions and grid question headings.

For more information on how they can be used and how they can be set up please click here.

How can I use the Progress Bars from a website other than the Default one?

If your web server is unable to retrieve resources from an external location then you will be unable to use Progress Bars on web pages using the default settings.

You can however download the progress bars files from here and include them on your own web server. For detail information on how to do this please click here.

What is Scripting in Professional Quest and how can I use it?

Scripting is the ability to create pieces of code (scripts) that will be executed at certain points in an ASP based survey. That way you can modify the survey to your own needs. Some of the changes include:

· Alter flows based on the answers to multiple questions.

· Push content into questions that are based upon the answers to other questions.

What MUST I consider when creating a questionnaire?

In order to create a proper questionnaire you need to consider things such as:

· Generate a project only once the design is completely finished

· Use pages appropriately

· Do a proper formatting for all the questions

· Format all HTML and non-HTML parts of the questionnaire

· Preview the questionnaire.

For detailed information on each of the aforementioned topics please click here.

What are the best practices for using a remote SQL Server?

There are several things that need to be taken into account when creating a project using SQL Server. You could consider things like mirroring a database, using a Remote SQL Database, finding ways on how to reduce upload and download times when distributing, etc. For detailed information on this and more please click here.

What does Invalid Software Component when opening a project mean?

This message indicates that some of the components that are used by Professional Quest for Charting and other purposes may not have been correctly “registered” during the installation process. You can rectify this by running the “registercomponents.bat” file that is located in your Professional Quest Programs\Components folder.  This folder is usually located at "C:\Program Files\Dipolar\Professional Quest\Programs\Components” but maybe a different location depending upon where you installed your software. For screenshots and more detailed information on how to run this file please click here.

When should I use the SQL Server module?

Using Microsoft Access for you project is fine as long as you don't have more than 245 questions and have less than 5000 responses. Anything bigger than this will require you to use SQL Server instead. For a detailed explanation on when to use SQL Server please click here.

What does “Error has occurred trying to connect to the survey site” mean?

If you have distributed your survey and you run the page on your web server and you get a message saying “an error occurred trying to connect to the survey site…” This normally means that the database location you have set does not match where the database actually is and/or that there are critical permissions that the database does not have. For more information on how to solve this issue please click here.

How do I import 360 degree respondents & relationships?

Importing responses from a 360 degree feedback is a twostep process:

1. Import respondent’s data

2. Importing relationship between respondents

For a detailed explanation on how to import 360 degree respondents & relationships please click here.

How is the data structured for projects that are using SQL Server?

The data is organized in the following sections:

· Data Dictionary

· Response Project Tables

How do I setup and filter email bounces?

The following 5 steps will get you setup and filtering email bounces.

1. Setup Bounce Email Address in SMTP Settings

2. Setup Bounce Settings in the Bounced Email Management

3. Collect Emails

4. Process Bounce Messages

5. Progressively build Rules

6. Advanced ‐ Domain and Exclusion Lists

For a detailed explanation on how to perform the aforementioned steps please click here.

How can I use a Responses Kiosk

Responses Kiosk was created when Windows XP was not available and it was not possible to run IIS in your own machine. Web surveys will allow you to take more advantage of the power of Professional Quest, but if you must use Responses Kiosk then here is how: click here

How can I copy a Sql project into an Access project

Keep in mind that to be able to copy a SQL project into an Access project the SQL Project cannot have more than 244 questions. Copying a SQL Project in to an Access project can come in handy if you would like to work on it from a place where you don't have access to the SQL Server or when you want to back it up and send it to someone else. Please click here for a step by step guide.

How to quickly add respondents and relationships into a 360 project

My summary table prior to submitting the survey does not show anything

If the summary table prior to the submission of your survey does not show anything in it then it could be because you didn't update the database when you distributed your survey. Please click here to see how you can fix this.

How do I collect responses from an Access database?

There are two ways of collecting responses, one is by accessing the Access database file directly and the other one is through FTP.

Note: The database file is located in the web server where the survey files are. Depending on how your company’s network is set up, you may or may not have access to the files. You can also ask the IT staff to give you a copy of the database file or alternatively they can help you configuring the FTP settings in Professional Quest – Project Manager.

For a detailed guide on how to collect responses please click here.

How do I export responses into a text file?

You can export responses in to a text file from Project Manager by clicking on Responses->Export Responses->To Text File.

Please click here for more information.

How can I obtain statistical data from a comments question?

You need to transform the information from a comment question into a list of values so that you can obtain statistical data in your reports from the comment question. This is called the “Recoding Technique”. For a step by step guide on how to achieve it please click here.

How can I combine responses from more than one project?

Combining responses from more than one project should only be done if the projects are all created from the same survey design. For a detailed step by step guide please click here.

How can I use the Management Portal to review and approve responses before they are submitted?

You need to perform the following steps:

1. Create the approval relationships

2. Grant the Approvers access to the Management Portal

3. Add the Approval tab to the Management Portal

4. Obtain the portal link

5. Proceed to approve the responses

For a detailed step by step guide on how to achieve the aforementioned steps please click here.

How can I generate respondents directly from a survey URL at the time it is clicked?

What parameters can I send to the survey page?

You can send information to a Professional Quest web survey through the address bar or by creating a html link to a survey, that way you will be able to automatically send information to the survey itself. You can do things like auto registering or automatically respond to certain questions in the survey simply by clicking on a link. For a detailed explanation and examples please click here.

How do I change a relationship type

How do I Produce a Subset of Responses for Reports, Saved Statistics, or Export File?

Using filters allows you to produce a subset of responses. This subset may then be used in reports, in custom statistics, or for an export file. This can be very useful if you only want to report on respondents who have certain characteristics.

For a detailed explanation on how to create and use a filter please click here.

What to do if your web server is not showing ASP pages (IIS 6.0)

How do I allow draft responses in anonymous surveys?

If you want the respondents to remain anonymous and also to be able partially complete the survey and return to it later, you need to have logins to the survey. The way to achieve this is to provide the respondent with a randomly generated login at the start of the survey process. For a step by step guide on how to do this, please click here.

How do I automatically generate respondents from a link?

This process allows people to register themselves automatically into your survey simply by clicking on the link they were given.

To do this you first need to set up a project that allows self registration. Then you need to build the link with the respondent’s details and then email it. For a detailed step by step guide on how to do this, please click here.

Can I use Dipolar’s Survey Hosting service? How?

Yes you can, Dipolar offers an optional survey hosting service to all our customers. Note that this is only an optional service ‐ all surveys can be run from your own Web site. For more information please click here.

How do I setup a Management Portal?

There are 3 major steps to complete in order to use the web management portal feature:

1. Editing the distribution

2. Setting up the Web Portal to work from Professional Quest’s Workspace area

3. Using the Web Management Portal

For detailed information on each of these steps please click here.

Could you give me an overview of security for the hosted surveys?

We have security measures implemented in the following areas:

· FTP Access

· Access Databases

· Confidentiality

· Backups

· Technology

· SQL Server

· SSL Security

For detailed information on each of the areas mentioned above please click here.