Logging Using Survey123

[Tony_DLR22]

Anybody using Survey123 to conduct Well or Meter readings?

I'm want to pre-populate the previous related record's reading into a new form, but can't find a solution for this using Survey123.

Has anyone "fetched" a previous record (either via relationship class or matching field) with Survey123?

[abureaux]

Monitoring Wells, yep. As well as all manner of other environmental consulting-type data.

Honestly, I'm not 100% sure what it is you are looking for. Are you able to provide more details?

[Tony_DLR22]

Hi Abureaux,

Let's just say yesterday you collected data in Survey123 like this.

Date: 09/18/2024

Well #: 1

Yesterday's read: 100

Today's read: 102

Then today you open up Survey123 and collect data with the following:

Date: 09/19/2024

Well #: 1

Yesterday's read: 102 (automatically populated from the last record)

Today's read: 107

We want to pull the last record's "Today's read" and pre-populate it into this record's "Yesterday's Read" field. 

[abureaux]

The easiest solution, by far, would be to use the Inbox feature. This requires accounts. If you already have accounts for field staff, problem solved.

If you don't have accounts, there are a few solutions. If you only need a small number of fields, like that example, my top pick would be to use automations like Power Automate and send an email to the user with a summary of today's readings, and a link to "Continue Collection".

Another option is to set up a web map and use URL parameters to launch form there.

EDIT: Basically, URL parameters are the solution if you don't have the accounts for the Inbox.

[Tony_DLR22]

Thank you for the solution! We have both a full enterprise deployment (10.9.1) and ArcGIS Online and all staff have their own user login. We're still trying to figure out which route would be the simplest/most streamlined for the end-user.

I'll need to look more into using the Survey123 inbox function. Do you have any links or references handy that can help with this solution? Thanks.

[abureaux]

I could have sworn there was a blog post on it, but I can't find it right now. There is this post though, and it at least covers the username WHERE clause.

There isn't too much to cover though, so here is what you need to get started:

• In Connect, go to the "Options" tab (along the bottom) and toggle OFF the "Sent" folder. The Inbox and Sent folder shouldn't be used side-by-side.
• In the same location, toggle ON the Inbox. Also toggle the inbox specific options as desired. The default should suffice for most uses though.
• In the same location, you will see a text field for the "WHERE clause". This allows you to filter the Inbox based on specific criteria. Here are a few WHERE queries to get you started in the right direction. The left side of the equation is a field within your survey.  The right side is the value of that field within the Feature Layer. Using prime_stage='Review' as an example, ${prime_review} is a field in my survey, and when the inbox is refreshed, all surveys where that field equals "Review" (caps sensitive) will be retrieved.
  
  • prime_stage='Review'
  • prime_stage='Deployed' or prime_stage='New' or prime_stage IS NULL
  • username_email_h=LOWER(${username})
• If users already downloaded the survey and submitted to it, they will still see the "Sent" folder even after you disable it. They need to empty their Sent folder for it to disappear. New items will not be added to the Sent folder, even if it's visible.
• For the end user to interact with the data properly, they need to open the survey, go to the Inbox, and press "Refresh". I have a surprising number of users that still don't know this...
• If it's in the Inbox, it's on the server. If it's open on your device or saved to Drafts, it's local to your device. While this sounds obvious, it's good to keep in mind. End users don't always understand this, so you need to remember it for them.

Beyond those basics, the "Inbox" isn't really much different from the "Sent" folder. Good luck.