How to configure header rows

Some survey exports include multiple header rows. For example, the first row might contain question codes (like Q5_satisfaction), while the second row contains the full question text (like "How satisfied are you with our service?"). AddMaple automatically detects these multi-row headers, but you can override this setting if needed.

Configure header rows in Project Settings to control how many top rows are treated as column headers. This ensures your data is imported correctly and preserves important metadata from additional header rows.

When to use this feature

You should adjust header rows when:

• Survey exports have descriptive second rows — Platforms like SurveyMonkey or Qualtrics often include question text in a second header row
• Auto-detection is incorrect — AddMaple might miss multi-row headers or incorrectly treat data rows as headers
• You want to preserve both labels — Keep both the technical column name and the human-readable description

Accessing header row settings

1. More → Settings from the dashboard
2. Select the "Manage Project" tab
3. Scroll to the "Header rows" section

You'll see a dropdown showing the current number of header rows (1–5).

How header rows work

Single header row (default)

When set to 1 header row, AddMaple treats only the first row as column names:

• Row 1: participant_id, age, satisfaction
• Row 2: Data starts here

Result: Columns named participant_id, age, satisfaction

Multiple header rows

When set to 2 header rows, AddMaple combines both rows into descriptive column names:

• Row 1: q5_ease, q5_value, q5_support
• Row 2: Ease of use, Value for money, Customer support

Result: Columns named q5_ease - Ease of use, q5_value - Value for money, q5_support - Customer support

The original technical name (Row 1) is preserved in the column metadata so you can reference it if needed.

Changing header rows

When you change the header row count:

1. Select a new value from the dropdown (1–5)
2. A confirmation dialog will appear with the message: "Changing this will remove any project configuration and reload the project"
3. Click "Apply and Reload" to confirm
4. AddMaple will:
   • Save the new header row count
   • Clear existing column configuration (names, types, groups, merges)
   • Reload the project with the new setting

Examples

Example 1: Survey with descriptive headers

Your survey export has:

• Row 1: Question codes (screener_2_market_r, screener_2_ux_research)
• Row 2: Full text (Market research, User, UX, product, design, or HCI research)

Solution: Set header rows to 2 Result: Columns display both the code and description: screener_2_market_r - Market research

Example 2: Simple CSV with one header

Your data file has:

• Row 1: Name, Email, Age, Country
• Row 2: Data starts here

Solution: Keep header rows at 1 Result: Columns named exactly as shown in Row 1

Example 3: Incorrectly detected headers

AddMaple mistakenly treated your first data row as a second header:

• Row 1: Headers
• Row 2: Data (but was treated as a second header)

Solution: Change header rows from 2 to 1 Result: Row 2 is now treated as data, and you don't lose any responses

How to tell if header rows are wrong

If header rows are incorrectly configured, you'll see symptoms in your charts and dashboard:

Too few header rows (e.g., set to 1 when file has 2)

• Dashboard shows extra columns with generic names like "Row 2: Options (matrix, checkbox)"
• Charts include header text as data — You'll see descriptive labels appearing as data points in your visualizations
• Row counts are off by one — Your dataset appears to have one extra row
• Column names are technical codes instead of human-readable labels

Too many header rows (e.g., set to 2 when file has 1)

• First data row is missing — Your actual first respondent's data is treated as a second header
• Row count is one less than expected
• Columns may have strange combined names if the first data row was merged with the real header
• Values in charts don't match your source data

Visual check: Open a simple chart or the data table. If you see text that should be a column name appearing as data (or vice versa), adjust your header row setting.

Troubleshooting

My column names look wrong

• Check if your file has multiple header rows
• Increase header rows to 2 if you see descriptive text in the second row
• Decrease to 1 if data is being treated as headers

I see header text appearing in my charts

• Your header rows setting is too low
• Increase by 1 and reload to treat those rows as headers instead of data

I'm missing my first data row

• Your header rows setting is too high
• Decrease by 1 and reload to treat that row as data instead of a header

I lost my column configuration

• Changing header rows clears configuration by design
• You'll need to reconfigure columns after the reload
• Calculated columns are preserved

The confirmation appears every time

• This is expected when changing from the saved value
• Once saved and reloaded, the new value becomes the baseline

Second row information is missing

• Ensure header rows is set to 2 or higher
• Check that your source file actually has a second header row with content
• Combined names will include both rows separated by -

Key points

• Header row detection is usually automatic
• Override when survey exports include multiple descriptive rows
• Changing this setting clears column configuration but preserves calculated columns
• Multi-row headers are combined into readable column names with preserved metadata