Is there a maximum number of variable KoBo can handle?

[Lavinia]

Hi Community,

I have created a form which includes over 1700 variables.
Not all variables are used at the same time. We want to collect data 6 times in the year, so combining groups and relevant function, I created a long form. Each collection should be engaging 150 - 300 variables.

The xls form is ready but when I upload it to KoBo, (using the build xlsForm function), it keeps on loading over and over for more than 5 minutes and then KoBo shut it down. No error message is shown.

I was wondering if there is an issue with the number of variables that KoBo is able to handle, or should I look for another mistake?

Thanks!

[stephanealoo]

Hi @Lavinia
I highly suspect that there is an error that is probably not being noticed. Do you mind sharing the XLS form so that I try it on my end?

Stephane

[Lavinia]

Hi Stephan,

Would like to share it privately,
Is this possible to send the xls form with you only?

Sorry community, my boss would not appreciate it.

Lavinia

[stephanealoo]

Hi Lavinia
Definately, please share privately.

Stephane

[Lavinia]

Hi Stephan,

Here is the form.
Hope this message is private, I am not sure.

Thank you for your support!

Lavinia

(the files has been removed)

[Kal_Lam]

Hi @Lavinia,

There is a good way of testing your xlsform if it has any syntax errors with it. Try using the Online XLSForm Validator, It should solve your issue.

Have a quick look at our xlsform i see that it contains syntax errors:

Please feel free to reach us back if you still require our support,

Have a great day!

[Lavinia]

Dear Kal and Stephane,

Thanks to the Online XLSForm Validator, I made some progress on my file, yet I got this message you see below, which I do not completely understand.

What is this error message indicating exactly?
Is the relevant option? or the group (begin - end) that miss something?

"Error: ODK Validate Errors:

Something broke the parser. See above for a hint.
Dependency cycles amongst the xpath expressions in relevant/calculate"

[Kal_Lam]

Hi @Lavinia,

Would you now share your xlsform (through a private message if you feel that your xlsform should treat confidentially) so that we could have a quick scan and help you figure out the issue.

Have a great day!

[Kal_Lam]

Hi @Lavinia,

A quick suggestion, could you use the select_one_from_file question type for the cascading select question (as outlined in post shared below) as i could observe that you have a choice list more than 400. This should slow down the data collection performance.

For your ease, you could follow the instructions outlined in the post that has been discussed previously:

Select_one choice filter from another select_one

Hi @esmatullaharifi, Welcome to the community! You could design your survey form with the cascading select question to get what you have tried for by following the support article here. As a backup you could also have a look at the post that has a simple workaround that should help you understand the concept of cascading select question: But looking at your xlsform, i see there are more then 800 choices which should affect your data entry performance. Thus a solution for this could be design…

Have a great day!

[Lavinia]

Dear Kal,

I read about the select_one_from_file in the post below:
https://support.kobotoolbox.org/en/articles/592422-adding-cascading-select-questions

However I also read that:
At the moment, this feature is only available using XLSForms and the data can only be entered through Enketo and is not supported by ODK or KoBoCollect.??

Also I am not sure on how the cvs file will be downloaded in the smartphones devises?
Is it automatic process?
I do not have physical access to the devices…
Thanks again for your suggestions,
Lavina
Do you have another solution?

[Kal_Lam]

Hi @Lavinia,

Regarding your first query:

@Lavinia

At the moment, this feature is only available using XLSForms and the data can only be entered through Enketo and i s not supported by ODK or KoBoCollect . ??

Yes, if you wish to use select_one_from_file question type in your survey project you should be able to collect data for that project only through Enketo (aka web forms).

Regarding your second query:

@Lavinia

Also I am not sure on how the cvs file will be downloaded in the smartphones devises?
Is it automatic process?

Yes, it is done automatically (by the system). You need not do it manually.

However, as advised by @wroos, you could still use the normal cascading select question type that should be able to work with both KoBoCollect android app as well as Enketo. The only thing you have to decide is the total number of choices that you have for your survey project. If you feel it’s too large try out with select_one_from_file combining it with the cascading select question else if you think it’s manageable you could try it with the normal regular approach.

Have a great day!