Bringing existing data to any tool can be a complex task. We have prepared guidance and a practical decision tree (linked in this article), that will help you choose the most convenient way to bring data to Kinaki and make the process as efficient as possible.

Go throw the detailed decision tree for every Data Collection Tool (DCT) to make the decision.

Note: Use the cursor to navigate through and focus on particular points in the Decision Tree. Click on the Miro link!

Bringing Data to Kinaki – Decision Tree

Let’s go over some of the most common scenarios show in the decision tree:

You know how the data was collected for the Data Collection Tool (DCT) under consideration

• Online surveying tools (Survey Monkey, Google Forms, Microsoft Forms etc.), 
• Harvest your data tools
• Excel or 
• Paper (digitized and accessible through Excel now)

For all the above methods, you should be able to import questions / fields to Kinaki via Excel with some additional formatting of your data prior to the import. The following article: Data Import Overview will guide you through the process and you can learn about data formatting by following this article: Kinaki Data format.

However, the best approach may be scheduling a quick Support call with Kinaki helpdesk, to determine the best approach for data import.

• Kobo Collect/ ODK/Survey CTO

For Kobo, the options depend on how you want to proceed with future data collection cycles.

For continuing future data collections through Kobo: 

If you have access to the Kobo account (or the Form in XLS format from Kobo) that was used for collecting data and that still contains the data and forms, then importing both questions (Form) and existing data from Kobo or similar tools is likely the most suitable approach to bring data to Kinaki. Learn how to do this by going to this resource: Kinaki and Kobo Toolbox: Data Import (Option 1).

If you do not have access to the Kobo account (or the Form in XLS format from Kobo) then importing only Existing Data from Kobo Collect, is likely the most suitable approach to bring data to Kinaki. Here is the step by step guide:  Kinaki and Kobo Toolbox: Data Import (Option 2) Note: Please make sure not to make any changes to questions or data in Kinaki (e.g. fixing typos) to avoid issues with matching data uploads in future.

For switching to Kinaki Online Forms for future data collection cycles: 

If you wish to transform this DCT into using Kinaki Online Forms to collect data in the future, instead of Kobo, then you have a few options. 

If you do not have any existing data, then you can easily recreate your DCT manually in Kinaki if it’s easy (for e.g., less than 10 questions). Learn how to do this by reading this article: Questions for Kinaki Online Forms. If it’s more than ten questions or will require a lot of effort, then import to Kinaki is a better option. In this case, if you have access to the Kobo account (or the Form in XLS format from Kobo), you can import the questions from Kobo to Kinaki by following this article: Kinaki and Kobo Toolbox – Data Import (Option 1).If you do not have access to the Kobo account or Form, you may be able to import questions / fields to Kinaki via Excel or you may need to re-create questions / fields into Kinaki on the questions page. The following article will guide you through the process: Questions for Kinaki Online Forms.   

If you have existing data, and have access to the Kobo Account (or the Form in XLS format from Kobo) that was used for collecting data and that still contains the data and forms, you can import the questions and data from Kobo to Kinaki by following this article: Kinaki and Kobo Toolbox – Data Import (Option 1). If you do not have access to the Kobo account (or the Form in XLS format from Kobo) then importing only Existing Data from Kobo Collect, is likely the most suitable approach to bring data to Kinaki. Here is the step by step guide:  Kinaki and Kobo Toolbox: Data Import (Option 2). Note: Please make sure not to make any changes to questions or data in Kinaki (e.g. fixing typos) to avoid issues with matching data uploads in future.

You DON’T know how the data was collected for the Data Collection Tool (DCT) under consideration

• You have access to a data set from the DCT 

Consider data import from Excel 

• You don’t have access to a data set from the DCT

Consider using Manual Results Input (MRI). For more information read: Manual Results Input (MRI) Overview

Note: If you are deciding on data collection methods for project indicators, and want to consider tools that are compatible with Kinaki, read the following article: Data Collection Methods for Output Indicators.