Sawtooth Software Exercises

This article will show you how to integrate Sawtooth Exercises into Cmix

Background

Though you can program a Conjoint Exercise (also called Discrete Choice Model - DCM) in Cmix, some clients use Sawtooth Software for these as well. Sawtooth Software can be used to program Conjoint Exercises hosted within the Sawtooth platform (outside of Cmix). These can be integrated in Cmix easily. You will program your survey in Cmix as you normally would and you will set it up so that a respondent will be redirected to Sawtooth and once he/she is done, they will be redirected back to the Cmix survey to continue where they left off. The directions below will help you set this up. 

Sawtooth Integration

1. Program your Conjoint Exercise within the Sawtooth Software
   
   1. You will need to be able to capture the respondent passcode from Cmix so you can pass it back when they are done. This is what will allow them to come back to the Cmix Survey and resume where they left off. It will also be the way for you to link data between both systems.
   2. Program any variables needed that will be sent from Cmix to Sawtooth via the url.
      1. At a minimum you will need to be able to receive the respondent passcode. Normally we call that 'sid' within Cmix
   3. Obtain the final link for respondents to be sent to begin the exercise. This looks something like this: http://www.XXXXXXXXXX/cgi-bin/ciwweb.pl?studyname=1234&sid=XXXX
2. In Cmix
   1. Program your survey on Cmix as you normally would and add the following:    
      1. Create a variable called 'RCODE' with the following specifications:
         • Add a response list with just one punch and the label should be something to the effect of, "RETURNED FROM SAWTOOTH"
         • In the 'URL PARAMETER' field also add RCODE. This will allow this variable to be set from the url when returning back from Sawtooth
           
           
   2. Add a page where you want the respondent to be sent to Sawtooth.
      1. On this page, add a static element. 
      2. In the static element you created, add the following code to the 'ADD JAVASCRIPT' section. Here you will replace the placeholder link with the specific one you obtain from Sawtooth (Step 1.c) and append the respondent passcode as well as any other variables needed. 
         

         querystring = 'http://www.XXXXXXXXXX/cgi-bin/ciwweb.pl?studyname=1234&sid=[[RESP_TOKEN]]';
         
         window.location.replace(querystring);
         			

      3. Go into the settings of the 'Static Element' and add the following to the 'SKIP IF' section. RCODE=1. This is what will allow a respondent to return where they left off and bipass the Sawtooth exercise since they completed it already
   3. Go to the 'SURVEY LINKS' tab on the Dashboard (under the Fielding category) and get the base link where respondents will be redirected back to when they have completed the Sawtooth exercise. 
      
3. Go back to Sawtooth and add that base url and and append both the passcode as well as the return code (RCODE).
   1. This will look something like this: https://survey.cmix.com/XXXXXXXX/YYYYYYYY/en-US?RCODE=1&sid=PASSCODE
      • After the base url, make sure to add a '?RCODE=1'. 
      • Replace the PASSCODE with the respondent passcode using the appropriate Sawtooth piping syntax
4. Make sure to test thoroughly and make sure that the necessary variables are being capture both on the Sawtooth side as well as the Cmix side