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Uploading a survey participant file (Diagnose)

Learn how to upload a survey participant file in PI Diagnose, so you can send a survey to employees and track organizational feedback over time.

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This article applies to organization admins and Diagnose admins in the PI2 platform.

A survey participant file upload is one of two survey distribution methods available in PI Diagnose.

This method lets you track and monitor long-term engagement trends across your entire employee base.

Tip: Looking to update data in your employee directory? Read our article on uploading organization data to PI Administration.

Why should I use this method?

Uploading a survey participant file allows you to analyze engagement trends on both a macro (organization-wide) and a micro (team-wide) level.

When sending out a survey based on a survey participant file, each manager at your organization with at least five direct reports will receive their own personalized team report.

Note: This is the only distribution method that offers personalized manager reports.

What’s the downside to this method?

Uploading a survey participant file tends to be the most time-intensive distribution method. While we provide a template you may use, there’s still a baseline of prep work and organizational coordination required on your end.

For this reason, you may decide it’s more convenient to use a faster distribution method, like a quick link.

What fields does a survey participant file upload capture?

A survey participant file upload captures the following fields:

  • EmployeeEmail

  • FirstName

  • LastName

  • ManagerEmail

  • Department

  • DateOfBirth

  • DateOfHire

  • Gender

  • Location

  • EmployeeLevel (e.g., manager, individual contributor)

  • EmployeeType (e.g., full time, part time, contractor)

Note: "Race" demographic data is not captured during this process. If you would like to understand engagement data by race, you can do so by adding a custom field to your spreadsheet.

How to upload a survey participant file in Diagnose

  1. Select Diagnose from the top navigation bar.

  2. You will land on the Survey Center.

  3. Select a survey draft you wish to send (or create a new draft).

  4. Select the Distribute tab.

  5. Select "Survey participant file upload."

  6. Read the requirements, then click "Upload an organization file."

    Note: If you've uploaded a file before, you will see slightly different button prompts.

    • Click "Use this data" to use the same data you've already uploaded. (You'll then be prompted to schedule your survey.)

    • Click "Upload new data" if you need to make updates.

  7. If you choose to upload a new file, a pop-up will appear titled "Upload a File."

  8. Click the screen. Your file manager will open, allowing you to select your completed org file.

    Note: Need help formatting your org file? Download our template file as a starting point.

  9. Follow the guided instructions within the software to ensure your file is error-free. (Having trouble with a particular error message? Click here.)

  10. Once satisfied with your data, select "Import."

  11. Your organization data will populate. (Take another moment to review, if needed.)

  12. Select "Use this data" to proceed.

  13. You will be prompted to schedule your survey. (See next section.)

How to schedule your survey

Once you’ve uploaded your survey participant file, you’ll want to schedule your survey and send it out to your employees.

From the Distribute tab:

  1. Select the start and end dates for your survey.

  2. Set a reminder email date. (This only applies to the PI Employee Experience Survey.)

  3. Click "Schedule Survey."

Note: On each of the dates you set, an email will be sent to all survey recipients on behalf of The Predictive Index.

FAQs

Org file troubleshooting

I’m having trouble uploading an organization file. What should I do?

Once you click Upload an organization file, you’ll be presented with a series of screens to walk you through the data upload. (Note: This process is powered by a third-party tool, OneSchema.)
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Below is a detailed step-by-step you can follow to troubleshoot any issues:
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1. Upload a file: Upload an Excel or CSV file containing the required data. (Note: Diagnose provides a template file you can download to make this process easier.)
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2. Select header row: Specify which row in the spreadsheet is your header row. (In most cases, the first row is the header row.) If OneSchema automatically detects your header row, it’ll skip this step. Once finished, click Next.
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3. Map columns: Specify the columns uploaded via spreadsheet that correspond to the “template columns” required by Diagnose. If OneSchema detects an exact match, it will automatically map those columns for you. Once finished, click Confirm mapping.
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4. Review & finalize: You’ll be presented with a spreadsheet-like view of your organization data. Use this screen to fix any validation errors within your file, either manually or automatically. Once satisfied with the changes, click "Import."
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5. Your organization file will be uploaded and ready to use.

Tip: Having trouble with specific OneSchema errors? Read our article on formatting your organization data file.

I'm getting errors from my Diagnose data file that I don't know how to solve. What now?

Here are the most common issues we see when uploading a survey participant file to Diagnose:

  1. If you list an employee's manager email, that manager must also be listed in the file. (The manager must have their own row.)

  2. If an employee doesn't have a manager (e.g., the CEO), you must enter their email in both the "EmployeeEmail" and "ManagerEmail" fields.

  3. All emails in the "EmployeeEmail" and "ManagerEmail" fields must be formatted the same way. (We recommend entering all emails in lowercase format.)

  4. Your org file must include all of the following column headers:

    • EmployeeEmail

    • FirstName

    • LastName

    • ManagerEmail

    • Department

    If you do not include these columns, along with data for each employee, your file will receive an error.

Tip: For more detailed help with these errors, read our article on formatting your organization data file.

The "Upload new data" button is greyed out. Why?

Only organization admins and Diagnose admins can upload organization data to Diagnose. If you do not have admin permissions, either:

  • Request that an existing admin upload a survey participant data file on your behalf.

  • Ask an existing admin to modify your access levels.

Template file

I can’t find the template file to upload my data. Where is it?

From the Survey Center in Diagnose:

  1. Select the survey draft you wish to send (or create a new draft).

  2. Click the "Distribute" tab.

  3. Select "Survey participant file upload" on the left-hand side.

  4. Click the hyperlink titled “download our template.”

​Note: If you've previously uploaded an organization file, you will no longer see this option. However, you can click the "Download" hyperlink to get a copy of your existing data file.
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Data security & anonymity

Is the organizational data I upload secure?

Any data you upload is strictly confidential. The data is stored on secure servers, all of which comply with industry-standard data security protocols.
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For more on PI’s data security protocols, visit our Trust Center.

Are employee responses anonymous?

Employee data is fully anonymized, and survey responses are only viewable in aggregate form. These measures help reduce the risk that managers of smaller teams might identify quantitative (i.e., open-ended) answers when reviewing a team report.
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​Learn more about user anonymity and data confidentiality.

Additional support

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