3. Create a good data file, including downloads for data file templates.

1. What is a data file and how does it work?

The data file is extremely important for a successful GAIS survey. It is therefore a good idea to consider how to create the file before you start, and to work on its structure thoroughly and systematically.

Regardless of whether you use an organization or not, surveys are based on a data file to get participant data into the GAIS platform. The data file contains all the relevant participant information that will later be used to create separate reports or to filter data.

Note: You can find the data file templates for GAIS Pro and Premium/Enterprise at the bottom of the article.

When the file is uploaded to the platform, the information will be imported into the system exactly as it appears in the data file. The participants will be created based on their email address and associated information. A data file will consist of a number of rows, where each employee has 'their own' row, and a number of columns (with unique names), corresponding to the different pieces of information that need to be entered into the system, as shown below:

Mail	Favorite Fruit	Favorite Colour	Country
Testperson1@gais.dk	Banana	Blue	UK
Testperson2@gais.dk	Apple	Green	UK
Testperson3@gais.dk	Apple	Blue	UK
Testperson4@gais.dk	Banana	Yellow	UK
Testperson5@gais.dk	Pear	Blue	UK
Testperson6@gais.dk	Apple	Blue	UK
Testperson7@gais.dk	Apple	Green	UK
Testperson8@gais.dk	Apple	Blue	UK

Each person is created with the information that appears next to their email address.

Mail	Favorite Fruit	Favorite Colour	Country
Testperson1@gais.dk	Banana	Blue	UK

How filtering and data segments work

If you choose to filter by favorite fruit: “Apple” in the example, you will see the combined responses for the people who have 'Apple' as their favorite fruit.

A data segment is a smaller part of a survey, for example, a specific department or participants in a certain age group. It is a good idea to create segments reports when you want to share a part of a report with others but don't want to give them access to the entire report. Segments can be created using a single filter or by combining several filters (e.g., job function and location).

Participant information cannot be corrected after an answer is given

Once a participant has completed a surveyt, their response is saved. It is not possible to change participant information afterward if the participant has already responded. It is therefore crucial that the data file contains all relevant and correct information when the surveybegins. If there is information that the administrator does not have, it is recommended that the column is still included in the data file, but that 'Ask employee' is selected during setup.

2. Who should be included in the data file?

See our recommendations for who should and should not participate in the survey.

3. What information should be included in the data file?

Below is an overview of the mandatory and recommended information for the data file. Each row corresponds to a column in the data file. The larger the organization, the more of the recommended information you will typically include.

Note: Response categories with at least five participants: Be aware that GAIS has an anonymity threshold of five. This means there must be at least five responses in a filtered view and a data segment to be able to generate a report. The response categories under each column should therefore ideally contain at least five participants each.

Required Information Information required to keep track of who should be invited to the survey.	Name	Enter the full name in a single column. Make sure there are no extra spaces in the name.
	Email	The column is called: Email. Do not reuse email addresses. It is best not to use private email addresses.
Mandatory Information Information that is mandatory on the GAIS platform and is collected for statistical purposes.	Birth Date	Used to calculate age intervals. Format: dd-mm-yyyy (remember to use the same date format throughout).
	Age	Filled in based on the birth date. Provided in intervals, e.g., 18-29 years, 30-39 years, 40-49 years, etc. It's important not to have groups that are too narrow or simply use the person's exact age, as this makes filtering difficult if there are very few people in each group. In GAIS Premium/Enterprise, GAIS offers to calculate these intervals.
	Gender	It's always recommended to fill in the data file with gender (Male, Female, Prefer not to say) or, alternatively, with N/A.
	Position	It's always recommended to fill in the position or, alternatively, with N/A.
	Country	Filled in with the country where the individual participant's physical workplace is located (if nationality is also desired, a separate column is required).
Information about the Manager Information that links the relationship between employees and managers. Used for a range of functions	Direct Manager	Enter the direct manager's name here. This enables several features, such as the option for (anonymous) dialogue between the manager and employees, and showing the direct manager's name to the individual participant in the survey. Note: Ensure the spelling is identical to the name in the Name column.
	Direct Manager Email	Enter the direct manager's email here.
Information for filtering Information to be used for independent sub-reports or for filtering data in various ways. Choose what makes sense for your organization.	Organization	Create a column for each level of reporting you want (e.g., Division, Department, Team). The number of columns is defined by the part of the organization with the most levels. The columns are named according to what the company calls the different organizational levels. For managers, write N/A in the unit they directly manage, while filling in all reporting levels above it (this way, the manager's response is not included in the unit they manage but is included in all levels above it). For example, if an employee is not part of a team but is in a department that is part of a division, write N/A in the "Team" column, the department name in the "Department" column, and the division name in the "Division" column.
	Location	Specify the location here if you need to be able to view separate locations.
	Employment Type	If the company has many hourly employees, it can be beneficial to be able to divide them into categories such as hourly, salaried, apprentice.
	Employment Date	Used to automatically calculate seniority intervals.<br>Format: dd-mm-yyyy (remember to use the same date format throughout).
	Seniority	Filled in based on the employment date. Provided in intervals, e.g., 0-2 years, 3-5 years, 6-9 years, 10+ years, etc. In GAIS Premium/Enterprise, GAIS offers to calculate these intervals.
	Role/Function	Used to filter data by function. Allows you to see reports for management groups at different levels. For example: Executive Management Head of Department Team Leader Employee
Preference Information Information that specifies how the individual should receive and participate in the survey.	Language	Enter the language the participant should use to complete the survey. The GAIS platform's default language is English, so even if all employees speak Danish, it is important to include the language column to ensure that all automated emails are sent in the correct language.
	Distribution Method Only available in GAIS Premium/ Enterprise.	Fill in with "code" or "mail" (use lowercase). You can write "code, mail" if you want them to receive both (for example, if employees do not use the email address they have).

4. Checklist: How to Ensure Data File Quality?

Review our checklist to avoid errors and get tips and tricks on how to find and correct them.

5. Data File Templates

Attached you will find data file templates for:

GAIS Pro
GAIS Premium/Enterprise

6. Update the Data File Before the Next Survey

When you have completed your survey and need to update the data file before the next one, there are several things you should be aware of. Read more here.

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