PDF exports for ALL responses

Since this doesn't seem to be a native feature, my standard workaround uses the data export (to csv, xlsx, or the like) and then using Word's Mail Merge feature to generate pages for each response. My method assumes you use Excel and Microsoft Word, but I believe there are similar features in Google Sheets/Drive and Apple Pages/Numbers. The benefits of this are that it doesn't require scripting or accessing the API, it allows lots of flexibility in the resulting PDF, and it's much faster than copy/pasting responses.
I've tried to be exhaustive in these instructions in case you've never used Mail Merge, but it's a quicker process than the number of steps makes it appear!

1. From the Data & Analysis page, click on the "Export & Import" menu, select "Export Data..." and export to a CSV, Excel, or XML file. Make sure you select "Use choice text" rather than "Use numeric values."


2. Open the resulting file in Excel. Make sure the first row is the set of question text or numbers: this is how you'll identify the field over in Word. If there's a second line with one or the other (text or numbers), delete the one you don't want. If you're using question text and have any particularly long but similar question names (e.g. a long question name for a multiple choice + other free text), rename those columns to something shorter and distinct.


3. If you have any fields that are likely to be over 255 characters, create a dummy row for the first row that includes filler text over 255 characters. I typically go to a lorem ipsum filler text generator site and just paste that filler text into any appropriate fields. This is important: if you don't do this, and the first row of data doesn't have any text responses, Mail Merge will cut off the response at 255 chars.


4. Save the resulting Excel file.


5. Open a new document in Word. Create a template (not a "Word Template", just text): I typically just write in one word or a few words that identifies the question, followed by a colon, but use whatever makes sense to your application.


6. Navigate to the "Mailings" tab in Word, click the "Start Mail Merge" menu, and select "Step-by-Step Mail Merge Wizard..."


7. In the wizard, select document type "Letters" and click "Next: Starting document". Select starting document "Use the current document" and click "Next: Select recipients". Select recipients "Use an existing list", and then click "Browse..."


8. In the dialog box that opens, navigate to your Excel data file, and click "Open". Choose the appropriate sheet (there's usually just one), make sure "First row of data contains column headers" is checked, and click "OK". On the next screen you can omit any unnecessary responses: you can omit the dummy row, if you made one, on this screen. Click "OK". Back in the wizard, click "Next: Write your letter".


9. Place your cursor where you want to insert the answer text, and in the wizard, click "More items..." to insert Database Fields into your template. Choose the appropriate one, and click "Insert".


10. Repeat step 9 for each field. You can also insert fields more quickly by using the "Insert Merge Field" menu in the "Mailings" tab of the ribbon.


11. Once you've added all the fields, click "Next: Preview your letters" in the wizard. This allows you to scroll through responses and make sure the formatting is as you want it. Once you're satisfied, click "Next: Complete the merge".


12. To export to PDF, click "Print..." and print to a PDF. To save as a Word document, click "Edit individual letters..." and save the resulting document.


13. If you save the template, you can reuse it with other surveys!

You can return to any step of the wizard as needed, and you can edit your Mail Merge template as necessary. If you edit the Excel sheet while in the midst of doing the merge, Word may hang or throw an error. If you change any field names in the midst of doing this, I recommend going back to the "Select recipients" screen and choosing "Select a different list..." to re-import the data file: it shouldn't erase any of your other work, but Word may prompt you to choose a different field name if there's no longer a matching name in the data.

Based on the replies, I'm going to submit this as a Product Idea. I'll post here what the # is so you can upvote it (if you so choose)

Pritesh_Z , I'm not sure this is it. "User-submitted files", I believe, refers to files that are uploaded by respondents (using the File Upload feature - which is a paid one), not PDF reports of the survey results (which is what we want).

Hey Sopwith and mklubeck sorry for the confusion, I misread this thread.

We did an export to Excel, cleaned it up a bit with a macro, then did a mail merge with a word document, and printed to PDF. That works...but it was not trivial. Especially since there are a few limits that we ran into. 1. being the number of fields you're allowed to mailmerge. That answer is 255. We had 1,007. So I concatenated fields. And eliminated others. Easily got below the required amount. Also had to do some date formatting so they printed as a date rather than a julian number. I SO want this feature...but with my luck, they'll add it but not to the Core XM.

Hi, need help on the URL for export to PDF file. 

The pattern looked like below. 

https://qualtrics.com/responses/surveys/{survey name}/responses/${e://Field/ResponseID}/pdf/exports/9af055a0-9af0-42bf-a18f-e67baeba700b/stream?fileName=${e://Field/ResponseID}

 

The part “/9af055a0-9af0-42bf-a18f-e67baeba700b/”, I am not sure what it is. 

Every time we make change and publish survey, it changes. I want to use URL in post survey email. 

Thanks a lot!