The Ultimate Guide to Recovering ArcGIS Survey123 Data from Your Phone - Part 1
Have you ever run into a situation where you couldn’t access your ArcGIS Survey123 data from your phone or tablet? Don’t panic—you’re not alone and we’re here to guide you through it. In this blog post we will delve deep into the process of recovering ArcGIS Survey123 data from your phone. To make sure when it happens to you, you know how to recover it.
Have you ever run into a situation where you couldn’t access your ArcGIS Survey123 data from your phone or tablet? Don’t panic—you’re not alone and we’re here to guide you through it.
Data loss can happen for several reasons: changes to the survey schema, a sudden performance issue or simple data corruption. When this happens to you after a long day of data collection, resubmitting all that information manually can feel like an uphill battle. In this blog, we will make this process easier and take a deep dive into the different methods outlined in our support article for recovering your ArcGIS Survey123 data right from your phone.
Whether you're looking to retrieve lost data or simply want to be prepared for the unexpected, we've got you covered! In this blog, we will go over how to retrieve ArcGIS Survey123 data from your phone. If you already have your data retrieved, please refer to part 2 of this blog where we go over how to upload the recovered data back to ArcGIS Online.
Recovering the Survey Form
If a survey was downloaded to the ArcGIS Survey123 mobile app, the survey’s XLSX sheet can be recovered by going to the appropriate file directory in the device.
Using Android:
Plug your device into your computer and go through the following file path to find your survey’s XLSX form.
Inside this file directory, you will be able to see the skeleton of the survey including: the XLSX sheet, the media folder, the thumbnail, etc.
Location of xlsx
Using IOS:
Download a file browser that works for iOS Devices (such as iTunes or Apple Devices) and go to the Survey123 application by following the directions below:
iTunes: Click on Devices, then select your phone’s name and tap the phone icon in the top left corner. Next, pull up File Sharing. Find and click on Survey123, then select ArcGIS. Scroll down to the bottom and click Save. This will allow you to save your Survey123 files to a location on your computer. Once the download is complete, navigate to the file path below to locate the XLS file.
Survey123/ArcGIS/My Surveys/<form global ID from ArcGIS Online>/esriinfo (Full demonstration below).
Recovering the Survey Data
In all data recovery methods, it is required to get the SQL database from the phone. This file will contain all entries this phone submitted whether successfully or not.
First, make sure to fix your database in the ArcGIS Survey123 field app. This will ensure your data is properly configured and ready to export.
This workflow is the same for both iOS and Android users:
To fix the database, follow these steps:
- Open the Survey123 field app and select your profile picture
- Go to Settings
- Tap on Storage
- Choose Fix Database and then confirm by selecting Yes.
How to fix a database
Once you have fixed your database, you can export your SQL database file to your computer. To do this, follow the same procedure as outlined in the ‘Recovering the Survey Form’ workflow. However, instead of navigating to the specific survey ID folder, head to the database folder located in the “My Surveys” directory. This folder will contain your SQL database.
Retrieving Data Stuck in a Device (ArcGIS Survey123 Outbox)
If you are having trouble sending surveys from your phone to ArcGIS Online, this could be due to an issue with your phone’s connectivity or some form of data corruption.
Thankfully, there is an easy fix for this one! To resolve the issue, start by connecting your phone to a computer. Once connected, you can retrieve the SQLite database that stores your survey data. If your survey includes any attachments, be sure to also grab the folder titled ‘My Survey Attachments’ from the ArcGIS Folder in your phones directory.
Location of survey attachments
Once you have these files, download the ArcGIS Survey123 field app on your computer.
- Log in and Download the Survey
Open the Survey123 app on your computer, log in to the appropriate account and download the target survey.
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Access the Database from Your Computer
Close the application and navigate to your computer’s file explorer, with the following path:
Here, you’ll find the current database of your surveys. If you haven’t sent any surveys using your computer, there shouldn’t be any files in this folder. If there are any files, you can either delete them or back them up (if it contains important data).
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Replace the Database
Once you have cleaned up the folder, add in your SQLite database (that was retrieved from your phone earlier).
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Transfer Attachments (if any)
If your survey has any attachments, you can add all the files to the ‘My Survey Attachments’ folder in your computer. (C:\Users\<username>\ArcGIS\My Survey Attachments).
Once your database and attachments are in the correct location, navigate back to the ArcGIS Survey123 field app and fix the database (as seen at the beginning of the ‘Recovering the Survey Data’ section).
Once everything is in place, check the survey in the app. You should see all the surveys from your phone, and you’ll be able to resend them using your computer instead of your phone.
Part 2 Continuation
Now that you have your data, we will cover how you can import this back into ArcGIS Online using a couple different methods. These steps will be covered in the second part of this blog post listed here. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you in Part 2 😊.