Mapping CDL with Surveys

1: Summary

Use Mapping CDL to rename or restructure survey content when combining multiple surveys or standardizing schema across projects. The mapping autocombined entity supports mapping:

• Questions

• Loops

• Items (e.g., grid prompts, lists, response options)

This mapping ensures consistency across surveys even if internal naming differs.

2: Declaring a Mapping CDL Block

mapping autocombined #auto {
  mapping survey {
    surveys: "survey1", "survey2"
    // mapping logic here
  }
}

2.1: Key Properties

Property	Description
surveys	A list of survey IDs or names that this mapping applies to.
mapping question	Maps question names (IDs).
mapping loop	Maps loop names.
mapping item	Maps specific objects (e.g., question options, lists, grid prompts).

3: Mapping Questions

Renames questions from one schema to another:

mapping question {
  mapping {
    from: "gender"
    to: "sex"
  }
}

This remaps question identifiers during data merge or transformation.

4: Mapping Loops

Remaps loop entity names:

mapping loop {
  mapping {
    from: "location"
    to: "place"
  }
}

5: Mapping Items

Items include questions, gridPrompts, gridScales, lists, and loops.

5.1: Example: Mapping Question Options

mapping item {
  questions: "sex"
  mapping {
    from: "gender"
    to: "sex"
  }
}

5.2: Example: Mapping Grid Prompts

mapping item {
  gridprompts: "mygrid"
  mapping {
    from: "one"
    to: "1"
  }
  mapping {
    from: "two"
    to: "2"
  }
}

5.3: Example: Mapping Lists

mapping item {
  lists: "list1"
  mapping {
    from: "yes"
    to: "1"
  }
  mapping {
    from: "no"
    to: "0"
  }
}

5.4: Example: Mapping Loop Items

mapping item {
  loops: "l1"
  mapping {
    from: "location"
    to: "place"
  }
}

6: Full Example

mapping autocombined #auto {
  mapping survey {
    surveys: "p123", "p456"
        mapping question {
      mapping {
        from: "gender"
        to: "sex"
      }
    }
       mapping loop {
      mapping {
        from: "location"
        to: "place"
      }
    }
         mapping item {
      gridprompts: "mygrid"
      mapping {
        from: "oldPrompt"
        to: "newPrompt"
      }
    }
      mapping item {
      lists: "orgList"
      mapping {
        from: "yes"
        to: "1"
      }
    }
  }
}

7: Best Practices

• Use consistent to names across surveys when standardizing.

• Avoid ambiguous or overlapping mappings—each from must be unique.

• Use mapping item for deeper customization (e.g., specific grid rows).

• When mapping lists, always double-check that values align logically.