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Implementing Web Based Surveys

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Web surveys or questionnaires allow collection of information via forms. In this article I look at some of the issues to consider when implementing a web based compliance audit.

The primary issues to consider relation to implementing any web based survey are:

  • Simplicity/Cost: How easily and quick can solution be implemented and what are the associated costs.
  • Scalability: Relates to the ability to develop and expand system to meet future demands.
  • Connectivity: Relates to the ability, or lack thereof, to complete the survey while off-line.
  • Persistence: Ability to retrieve data or store partially completed surveys (i.e. what happens once the users leaves the web page)
  • Data Storage/Analysis: Relates to how the data is stored, how easy it is to retrieve and how well it can be analysed.

It is in relation to the above three criteria that I will look at the technologies that could be employed to develop web based compliance audit software.

Simple Web Forms

Simple web based form, that users would fill in and submit back to site. Often users are required to fill in whole form in one sitting.  Some systems address the persistence issue by storing partially completed forms as cookies.  Inexpensive or free tools, such as JotForm, significantly simplify the form creation process.

Rating_Three Simplicity/Cost

Rating_One Scalability

Rating_Three Connectivity

Rating_Three Persistence

Rating_Three Data Storage/Analysis

Host Web Surveys

More sophisticated than simple forms in that the information entered is generally stored within a database for later analysis. There area a large number of companies, such as Apian, SurveyMonkey and ZapSurvey offering hosted survey design and management software. Prices usually start at around US$20 / month. Not all of these services will necessarily provide the ability for users to log in and re-retrieve their surveys or complete partially completed surveys prior to final submission. SurveyMoney, for example, will store partically completed surveys data as coockies. Depending on browser type and settings, cookies may be restricted or dumped on exciting the browers.

Simplicity/Cost Rating_Two

Rating_Two Scalability

Rating_Three Connectivity

Rating_Three Persistence

Rating_Three Data Storage/Analysis

PDF Forms

Users download a pdf form and return it via e-mail on completion, either with or without first saving it to their own computer. One advantage is the ability to save the form for later off-line completion. This is one of the simplest ways to implementing sophisticated form, but for some reason it does. The form can be e-mailed on completion (without saving). Printing the form for “in-the-field use” is also simple as pdf is often better at preserving layout then HTML. The pdf form design process, using Adobe LiveCycle Designer is relatively simple and offers incredible design flexibility, including the ability to hyperlink to web pages. Despite the many advantages, there is a reluctance by web designers to use pdf forms. One of the reasons might be that it is more difficult to extract data from a form, although I do believe automated methods do exist.

Rating_Three Simplicity/Cost

Rating_Three Scalability

Rating_Three Connectivity

Rating_Three Persistence

Rating_Three Data Storage/Analysis

Survey Database

Involves development of a custom on-line database store survey and user information and a web interface.  The system could be implemented using any number of technologies, but no matter which one is chose, it will require a considerable amount of development, both in terms of the front and as well as the back-end database.

Rating_Three Simplicity/Cost

Rating_Three Scalability

Rating_Three Connectivity

Rating_Three Persistence

Rating_Three Data Storage/Analysis

One method of simplifying the design process would be the use of XML The diagram bellow depicts the ER diagram for a simple multi user, multi survey database using XML which could be implemented using the ASP.NET WebSurvey control available from the CodePlex website.

SurveyDatabase

The primary advantage of XML is the edibility to more easily store data in a tree format, which traditional databases do not. The drawbacks of XML data is that it is primarily a data interchange format, rather than a storage format, and hence it is difficult to query and navigating large datasets.


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