Hi JRKBM! Can you provide a bit more information here so other community members may better understand what you are looking for? Thanks!

this is a qualtrics bug.
using "add to xm directory" I cannot use transactional data on a distribution thereafter
but choosing directly "distribute survey" no problem

Hi JRKBM - we'd recommend following up with the Support specialist you were previously working with to report any issues you are experiencing. As they previously mentioned, it is intended functionality for transactional fields to only be used in the Directory to indicate the different interactions that a contact has had and to trace the history of these interactions. They cannot be used in the survey flow. If you'd like, you can submit this as a new idea in our Product Ideas category, so it may be considered as a feature enhancement by our Product Management team!