New Optimized Database Format

Confirmit 12.5 features the initial version of a new database format which will be the platform for the modern, multimodal data collection platform that will be introduced in the next version of Confirmit. This database format:

Provides excellent scalability - stores multiple surveys in a single survey database.

Improves performance - databases can be generated more quickly, and retrieving all survey data for large and complex surveys is faster.

The new database format can be utilized on selected projects in Confirmit 12.5.

This new database format is a survey-level setting which can be specified in the wizard for a new project, or on the project overview page. Projects can be switched between the new optimized database format and the existing database format until the database is generated for the first time, after which it will be fixed to the selected format.

A company-wide setting is available to enable or disable the ability to use the new database format.

Multis, Answer Lists, and New Data Types
This new database format is able to handle external, dynamic answer lists, and very long answer lists in all question types. It supports Boolean (True/False) and Date variables (using calendar control) in addition to the existing data types supported in Confirmit 12.

Confirmit 12.5 also provides an alternative way of storing multis and grids by referencing an answer list in loop. A new front-end searching capability is available for new multis.

Call Block Support
Another new feature is support for call blocks, a new and separate authoring node which allows a section of a specified questionnaire to be defined and then called at any time. This feature gives authors the ability to re-execute questions that have already been asked, thus reducing authoring time.

The call block features can be used to provide menu-style access to different sections, such as household or diary information capture, which can then be completed, edited, or re-completed later. It also provides the ability to verify or recapture data captured at a previous point in a questionnaire.

The new call blocks can be used to temporarily ask a section of the questionnaire (located elsewhere), then continue from the point where the call block was launched. This can be done with a single command, removing the need for complicated redirects. When a call block is launched, the elements of the questionnaire within that block are displayed to the respondent. The same call block can be launched any number of times through the survey.

Call blocks for the start and end of interviews can also be defined to ensure that certain activities always happen at the beginning or end (or both) of each interview. These start and end blocks allow standardized introduction and exit routines, and are particularly useful as a greeting when returning to a partially completed survey, or for reducing repetition of an existing section survey section.

Survey Versioning
The survey versioning function within Confirmit 12.5 provides automatic storage of previous versions of runtime files for the survey engine and XML survey definitions. As a result, users can launch a survey and allow active live interviews to remain in the version they are currently using, or force a launch to make the new version of the survey the current one used. Furthermore, they are able to see the changes made to previous versions of the survey and rollback those changes, if erroneous.

Survey versioning also gives users the ability to compare and merge different versions of a survey from the XML definition. In addition, the Continuelink is more robust for re-launches between the first and second entries.

New Optimized Database Format

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