XLS form size, or number of rows limitation

Question

Hi,

What is the maximum XLS file size and/or the number of rows limitation? Accordingly latest few versions of Excel has issues with importing files with number of rows just over 1 million. Will this also be the limitation for the XLS file for Survey123?

What I'm trying to ask is if there is a range of rows for which XLS form starts to function poorly, it might be better to consider structure the data with external choice sheet/CSV files rather than the primary choices sheet?

Thanks

SW

Siew_WeiGoh2 · Answer

Hi Phil,

Thank you for getting back to me. It is good that Survey123 can be queried against a number of csv files.  However, I still have some missing data issues which I am addressing in a separate thread:

https://community.esri.com/message/729463-re-prepopulate-text-type-with-pulldata-is-not-showing-on-mobile-but-is-showing-when-view-from-a-computer?commentID=729463&et=watches.email.thread#comment-729463

Thanks again

SW

Anonymous User · Answer

Hi SW,

All of the items in the media folder are downloaded and on the device when the survey is downloaded when online, all the files are then available offline. By queried I mean when Collect new survey is selected and opened, there is different behaviour in how the survey loads and what the app queries internally, depending on if choices are in normal choice lists versus external lists. You will generally see improvement in speed with external choice lists.

As for a limit of the number of csv files in media folder, there is no limit, however like with anything, the more you have and the larger they are, the more data there is that has to be loaded and queried when using the survey, so the slower the survey may respond. It also depends on the device type, OS and specs, the faster and newer the device, the more likely it will respond better.

Phil.

Siew_WeiGoh2 · Answer

Hi again,

Due to the large number of assets and their respective defects for each assets (total assets of approx 16,000 and a total active defects of 60,000 counts) I may have to create individual forms for each asset type (would have preferred to have a concentric form but...). However even so, for an asset type, the largest list is still about 10,000 and the largest count of active defects for an asset is up to 12,000 (the later number will change as defect cases are created or closed/completed).

Ideally, I would have the Asset list and the Defects in the primary choices sheet and enabling the cascading select on the defects with respect to the asset. This is because the external choices sheet only have a 1-1 relationship, which wouldn't work on cascading select function.

Will there be any problem or potential problem if I have a number of external/csv files stored in a form's media folder? ie one for the corresponding assets attribute, another CSV for defects details and possibly other CSV files like locations LUT? The reason is because I am trying to work out whether which method will work quicker in extracting external data, whether it is quicker to have all fields in just one huge CSV file or it might be quicker to separate the attributes into different CSV files, ie drawing primary asset information, will look at asset.csv and location will look at location.csv, defects will pull from defects.csv etc.

You also mentioned that the external choice list means "means they only get queried and loaded when that question is activated (in focus) versus loading all the choices every time the survey is loaded"

Just to confirm, what does that means when a surveyor is in an area without internet connection? I'm thinking disconnect means when a person download a Survey Form, everything including all the various csv files in the media folder will get downloaded at the same time. Is that correct?

If that is how Survey123 works (hence the offline capability), then this would follow with issues on the size of a form (including all the external files sizes) given that there may be space capacity limitation on their phones. Is that what one has to be aware of as well?

Just want to confirm a few line of thoughts before I get myself too deep into this form creation.

Thanks

SW