Survey responses in a database view

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Survey responses in a database view

    ServiceNow enables customers to view and analyze survey responses efficiently using a database view. Each survey instance is represented as a single row, with answers to individual survey questions (metrics) displayed in the corresponding columns. This structured format facilitates easy analysis, reporting, and exporting of survey data.

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    Key Features

    • Database View Creation: You can create a database view directly from the Survey Definition form, enabling tabular access to survey responses.
    • Response Display: Use the "View Responses in Rows" related link on the Survey Definition form to see each survey instance’s responses in separate rows, with survey questions as column headers and answers in the respective columns.
    • Export Capabilities: Survey responses can be exported using the platform’s standard export options, allowing data extraction in tabular form for external use.
    • Metadata Display: The database view shows instance ID, assignee, and task by default. Additional dates such as start, due, expiry, and completion dates can be shown if configured.
    • Limitations: The view supports up to five active metrics by default. It is not available if there are more than five active metrics, no responses, or over 100,000 responses (unless the view is already open). Multiple records per survey instance may appear for ranking or multiple-choice questions.
    • Data Synchronization: Changes to survey configuration or metadata (e.g., adding or removing metrics) trigger an event (survey.resultsview.updated) to help users keep the database view synchronized.

    Practical Considerations for Customers

    • Use the database view to simplify reporting and exporting survey response data without complex queries.
    • Be mindful of the limitations on the number of active metrics and response volume to ensure availability of the view.
    • After modifying survey structure, monitor for synchronization events to maintain data accuracy in the database view.
    • For ranking or multiple-choice metrics, expect multiple records for a single survey instance, which may affect reporting approaches.

    You can view survey responses in a database view for reporting purposes. For each survey instance, you can view the instance as a single row and the answers to each survey question (metric) in the corresponding columns. Analyze the responses easily and, if you want, export the survey responses.

    You can create a database view on the Survey Definition form. After the database view is created, you can either export the survey response using the standard capabilities of the ServiceNow® platform or choose to create a report of the survey responses using the Reporting module.

    Use the View Responses in Rows related link on the Survey Definition form to view each survey instance response in a separate row and each survey question as the name of the corresponding column. The answer to the question is displayed in that column. To export the survey response in a tabular form, in the context menu, click Export.

    The first three columns of the form show the number of the survey instance (instance ID), who the survey is assigned to, and the task. A maximum of five active metrics are displayed in the view by default. The Survey Definition form doesn’t show the View Responses in Rows related link when the following conditions occur.
    • There are more than five active metrics.
    • There are no responses to the survey instance.
    • There are more than 100 K responses for that particular survey. To view this database view of the survey responses, the number of responses must be less than or equal to 100 K. But, the database view is still accessible for more than 100 K responses when it’s already open in a new tab.
    The database view can show the start date, due date, expiry date, and completed date, but this information is not available by default. If the survey instance is triggered, then the trigger record is displayed in the Task column. The total number of survey responses isn’t displayed in the database view. For the ranking and multiple-choice metrics, based on user survey responses, multiple records are displayed instead of one record per survey instance.
    Note:
    Any change or update to survey configuration or metadata (For example, addition or deletion of a new metric or category) might affect the database view. In such cases, an event (survey.results_view.updated) is generated so that users can take necessary actions to synchronize the data.