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CensusIO CensusIO Guide

Imports and syncs

Importing a file

Section titled “Importing a file”

Before anything is saved, the wizard reads the file and shows a preview. Problems show up there.

  • “That sheet has no data rows. The first row must be column headers.” The sheet is empty or has only a header. Add at least one data row and re-upload.
  • “Could not read any columns from that sheet.” The header row has no column names. Check the first row.
  • “That sheet could not be read.” / “That file has no sheets to read.” The file is not a readable spreadsheet. Re-export it as CSV or XLSX from Excel or LibreOffice and try again.
  • “That .dbf file has no data rows.” / “…has no columns.” The shapefile’s attribute table is empty or malformed. Re-export the shapefile from your GIS tool with its attributes.
  • “too many rows (N); import up to 2000 at a time”. Split the file into pieces of 2000 rows or fewer and import them in turn. (A Kobo or ODK connection pages large datasets for you; a file import does not.)
  • “this survey type has no usable schema yet; open it in the builder first”. The survey type has no fields. Open it in the builder, add fields, save, then import.

Rows that fail validation

Section titled “Rows that fail validation”

The preview shows a count like “120 of 130 rows valid, 10 with errors” and lists the failing rows with the reason on each field. The reasons are the same field checks used everywhere; see records and review for what each one means. Fix the values in your file (or adjust how you mapped the columns) and import again. Valid rows can be saved while you sort out the rest.

Syncs and collectors (Kobo, ODK, ArcGIS)

Section titled “Syncs and collectors (Kobo, ODK, ArcGIS)”

A sync brings records in on a schedule; a collector receives them from the field. Both keep any failures on the survey type’s failures page and let the good submissions through, so one bad record never blocks a batch.

Common messages:

  • “connection failed” or an authorization error when you test a connection. The token or credentials are wrong, the server URL is off, or the form or layer does not exist. Re-check each, regenerate the token in the source tool if needed, and test again.
  • “The target survey type no longer exists.” / “…has no usable schema yet.” The survey type the sync points at was deleted or is empty. Point the sync at an active survey type that has fields.
  • A submission’s value fails a field check. The field is shown with a note like “No match was found.” or “This field is required.” The submission’s data does not match the survey type. Fix it in the source tool, or adjust the survey type, and it lands on the next sync.
  • A field could not be mapped. The source form has a field that does not line up with the survey type. Adjust the mapping or the survey type to match.