TolaData integrates with SurveyCTO for improved monitoring & evaluation

Intro

Our latest integration enables the automated and seamless transfer of data from SurveyCTO directly into TolaData.

TolaData was created with the vision to allow users the freedom to work with the data collection tools that work best for them, leveraging the tools’ respective powers. That is why on top of our own data collection features, we have always put emphasis on building integrations with other applications.

SurveyCTO is a powerful mobile data collection tool, with highly flexible options for building forms. Developed by researchers and fieldwork practitioners in 2012, SurveyCTO has been used by tens-of-thousands of users from organizations in the not-for-profit, government, NGO, and private sectors.

Accordingly, we are very excited to share that we have teamed up with SurveyCTO to develop an integration of our two tools. This integration allows a seamless flow of data from SurveyCTO into TolaData, where users now can connect data tables from SurveyCTO to indicators, reports and dashboards in TolaData. The automation of this workflow eliminates the need for manual updates, exports and imports, and greatly increases speed and accuracy of the data reporting process.

How the two softwares are integrated?

Organizations that use SurveyCTO for data collection and TolaData for monitoring and evaluation can now take advantage of a streamlined integration that automatically channels data from SurveyCTO into TolaData. This will enable easier visualization, real-time monitoring, and more efficient project management than ever before! The integration is quick to set up: users simply need their SurveyCTO server name and the form ID(s) they’d like to connect. To suit different workflows, data can be synced in real time using webhooks or through scheduled manual updates. Whichever method you choose, this integration simplifies how you manage and monitor your M&E projects. In addition, this automatic data flow enhances TolaData’s auto-pull feature, which allows you to use SurveyCTO data to calculate the values for project indicators—offering even more efficiency to M&E professionals. For more information on how to set up this integration, see our guided support article.

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The Integration

Automate and speed-up your data flow with the SurveyCTO & TolaData integration

This integration between SurveyCTO and TolaData brings new levels of speed, accuracy, and efficiency to M&E workflows. By automatically syncing data from SurveyCTO into TolaData, you can eliminate manual transfers and spend more time analyzing insights and demonstrating impact.

With this integration,
you can:

Save time

by removing the need to manually export and import data between platforms.

Increase efficiency

by streamlining your data pipeline and keeping projects moving.

Reduce errors

by minimizing human input and preserving data integrity from the point of collection.

Uphold data quality

by ensuring that the high-quality data collected in SurveyCTO flows directly into TolaData without disruption.

Demonstrate impact

more easily with real-time dashboards and updated visualizations that make reporting smoother and more compelling.

Thousands of organizations—along with their field teams and enumerators—trust SurveyCTO and TolaData to strengthen data collection, enhance monitoring and evaluation, and ultimately drive greater project impact. If you haven’t tried the integration yet, now is the perfect time to explore how it can streamline your workflows and free up time for what matters most.

How to set up a seamless
data flow between SurveyCTO & TolaData ?

Setting this integration up is straightforward and requires just a few steps

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Step 1: Prepare a SurveyCTO form

To set up this integration, you’ll need to have a form in SurveyCTO that you want to collect and stream data from into TolaData.

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Step 2: In TolaData: Import your SurveyCTO form

Next, go into your TolaData account and enter your SurveyCTO server and login information into the fields shown in the image below:

New to SurveyCTO? Learn how to create your first form.

No need to use your full URL/server address–just the name of the server in which the form you are using lives.

Then:

1- Click “Data tables” on the lefthand menu.

2- On the righthand menu, under the green “Import table” button, select “SurveyCTO.”

3- Once you’ve selected SurveyCTO, you will need to select the SurveyCTO server information you entered previously to begin the import. Please note that TolaData lets you add multiple SurveyCTO forms to your TolaData user profile, but if only one set of SurveyCTO credentials has been added to the TolaData user account, that will appear to be pre-selected.

4- Enter the ID of the form that you want to import from SurveyCTO.

5- Click “Import.”

Your form ID is not the title, it is the unique identifier for your form that you set up when you create it. While the form title can have spaces and can be changed from time to time, the form ID must not contain spaces and remains fixed for the life of the form. The form ID must also begin with a letter, and can only include letters, numbers, underscores, and hyphens (no other punctuation or special characters).

6- Next, you must specify how the import will work technically for this form, as you have some options. You may enable manual updates, or you may enable a webhook. Webhooks are recommended by TolaData, since this will automatically sync data in real-time between your data collection in SurveyCTO, and your M&E data management in TolaData.

7- Make your selection and click “Save.” You have now created a “data table” in TolaData, ready to receive data from your SurveyCTO form.

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Step 3 (webhooks only): In SurveyCTO: Set up a webhook

If you are using webhooks, you need to set this up in SurveyCTO.

1- Your first step is getting the webhook URL from the newly-created TolaData data table. Go to the “Settings” tab of the TolaData data table you’ve just created, where you will see a list of instructions for configuring the webhook in SurveyCTO. At the bottom of that list of instructions, you will find your Webhook URL.

2- Copy the Webhook URL, but do NOT click on “Complete” yet!

3- Next, go back into your SurveyCTO account.

4- Click on the “Export” tab and navigate to “New webhook connection.”

5- Name the connection, and paste the “Webhook URL” copied from TolaData into the “Webhook URL” space.

6- Click Save. Only click “Publish existing data” if you want to sync pre-existing data into TolaData–otherwise, make sure that option is not selected.

Congratulations–you now have a Webhook in SurveyCTO!

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Step 4: In TolaData

finalize your webhook

Now, go back into TolaData.

Finish the “New Webhook connection form” by clicking the “Complete” button:

The look of your SurveyCTO data streaming into TolaData

Once your data is streaming from SurveyCTO into TolaData, here are some snapshots of what you can expect. Results will vary depending on your own workflow and data, but you can expect to see something similar to the below example.

Data will sync from when you collect it in SurveyCTO, like above, to a corresponding TolaData data table in real-time, like below:

Submissions gathered with SurveyCTO will automatically update their corresponding TolaData data table, like below:

Additional option: configure TolaData auto-pulling rules to automatically update indicators based on a SurveyCTO form

There’s more you can do with your SurveyCTO – TolaData integration, if you want!

In TolaData, you can set up an auto-pulling “rule” for individual indicators that you are tracking for the programs you monitor and evaluate.

This auto-pulling rule defines how the indicator will be calculated, based on a given TolaData data table. Users can choose from a range of calculation methods and logical operators and also work with condition setting. This allows the user flexibility to match the calculation of the indicator to the data structure of the imported SurveyCTO form.

Once an auto-pull rule is set up, your entire data flow is automated from field to dashboard: SurveyCTO submission → updates TolaData data table → updates TolaData indicator(s) → updates TolaData dashboards/reports if you use them.

You can configure an auto-pull rule for as many indicators as you want, so that one SurveyCTO form can update multiple indicators in TolaData.

Below is a screenshot showing an auto-pull rule for an indicator:

And the real-time indicator updates (see the “Collected data” section):

If your data in the SurveyCTO forms stems from different time-periods (e.g. months or years), your indicator data in TolaData will reflect this, which allows an automated periodic analysis of your data.

How to activate the integration?

Interested TolaData users can reach out to their dedicated Account Manager to learn about how to activate the SurveyCTO Integration. For most of our existing clients, the feature would be treated as a paid add-on. New TolaData users can choose the SurveyCTO integration as a feature option when discussing their ideal TolaData package with our team as part of the contracting and setup process.

About TolaData

TolaData is a leading digital platform for Monitoring & Evaluation management, created by passionate development professionals and digital innovators to transform the way the not-for-profit sector monitors and evaluates projects. With over 120 clients globally, including prominent organizations like the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), the Salvation Army, and Fairtrade International, TolaData is used for managing thousands of projects around the world.

About SurveyCTO

SurveyCTO is a mobile data collection platform designed to fit a wide range of use cases, from monitoring & evaluation to international development impact evaluations to global digital health, agriculture, education, and more. Designed with security, data quality, interoperability, and offline functionality in mind, use SurveyCTO to transform organizations, programs, and lives.