Migration FAQ for Online Surveys Admins

General

What is Online Surveys v3?

Online Surveys v3 is the third iteration of the Online Surveys application. It replaces Online Surveys v2, the previous version of the application.

Online Surveys v3 was released in September 2023.

How can users log in to Online Surveys v3?

All active v2 users that were in your account in September 2023 were added under to Online Surveys v3 at that time. Online Surveys v3 uses passwordless login, a more secure way to authenticate. Users simply enter their v2-registered email address and request an authentication link by email. This new method of authentication provides an opportunity to us Multi-Factor Authentication, which can be enabled on your email client.

Can users still use Online Surveys v2 after Online Surveys v3 is released?

The two versions ran in parallel from September 2023 until July 31, 2024. Online Surveys v2 was taken offline on July 31, 2024.

Three months prior to Online Surveys v2 being switched off, the ability to create new surveys in Online Surveys v2 was disabled to encourage users to transition to the new version.

What happened to the surveys in my organisations account in Online Surveys v2?

There was no migration of surveys from Online Surveys v2 to Online Surveys v3.

Tools were provided to import existing survey structures into the new version and users have been encouraged to export any data sets they wish to keep in good time ahead of the Online Surveys v2 switch off.

Why wasn't survey response data migrated from Online Surveys v2 to Online Surveys v3?

Despite the technical challenge, Jisc’s initial intention was to migrate survey data. Every effort was made, but the value of a full migration became disproportionate to the time and cost of the continued effort. A full migration would also have meant constraints for developing Online Surveys v3. To ensure Online Surveys can continue to develop to support the education sector and bring value to other sectors for many years to come, Jisc felt that – on balance – it was more important to ensure we can continue to offer Online Surveys at a price that is welcome in the sector, to be able to release the new version this year, and to ensure that we aren’t limited when developing the application. 

Jisc consulted with users about survey data migration via an open invitation on the Online Surveys v2 Dashboard in 2022. We understood from the information gathered that, for some users, the ability to retain survey data for long periods of time was important. We also understood that, where a data migration could not occur, a reasonable period of notice should be given to users to ensure there is time for users to save any data that needs to be retained. This is why, in this circumstance where a data migration wasn’t feasible, we provided six months’ notice to users.

Features in Online Surveys v3

Is Online Surveys v3 much different to Online Surveys v2?

Online Surveys v3 follows the same concepts as its predecessor, but a new user interface has been designed to be more intuitive and more familiar to users of modern web applications.

You’ll be able to search our Help and Support pages to familiarise yourself with how the new version works.

How will I know when new features are introduced and what features are coming?

You can view our Release pages. Here you can see a history of what has been released. The release notes also include previews of future releases.

Managing your account

Which users will be migrated to the new version?

In September 2023, a snapshot of your active Online Surveys v2 users (a user who has registered their user account after being invited) was taken and added to Online Surveys v3.

These users continued to persist independently in both versions until the closure of Online Surveys v2.

Adding new users

We did not prevent new users from being added to Online Surveys v2 after the launch of Online Surveys v3, but we recommended that any new users only be added to Online Surveys v3 after the migration in September.

How will I pay for my licence renewal?

Up until August 2024, licence renewals continued to be actioned in Online Surveys v2. From September, admins will renew their licences through our new integrated process in Online Surveys v3. Admins will be notified by email.