# Data Collection

All data collected through the Inquest3 platform is stored in a unified answer format primarily consisting of an alias, codedValue, and textValue, with additional metadata properties of isUnseen, isUnanswered, and other configuration options. The collected answers for a particular survey when returned from the Tempus API are formatted as a JSON object, with each individual answer represented by a key-value pair of the alias and answer object.

{
    "alias": {
        "inputAlias": "alias",
        "textValue": "A",
        "codedValue": 1,
        "isUnseen": false,
        "isUnanswered": false,
        "codeBooksValue": null,
        "isDeidentified": false,
        "deidentifiedText": null,
        "data": {}
    }
}

Field	Type	Description
inputAlias	string	This value is the same as the `alias`'s key within the answers object.
textValue	string	The text value of the selected/entered response option (if any).
codedValue	string or number	The coded value of the selected/entered response option. This may be a numeric or string value. If unseen or unanswered, this value will be null or an empty string.
isUnseen	boolean	A value indicating whether the input was hidden due to survey-based logic.
isUnanswered	boolean	A value indicating that the input was rendered but no answer was provided.
codeBooksValue	string or number	An aggregate value used by the Insight platform to streamline data display. This field typically has a value equivalent to the `codedValue` or one of the following string values: `Answered`, `Unanswered`, `Unseen`
isDeidentified	boolean	A value indicating that the input has been deidentified. This field is only used for questions that support open text responses.
deidentifedText	string	This value corresponds to the deidentified version of any text response provided. This field is only used for questions that support open text responses.
data	object	Additional data used by the Inquest platform for certain complex components.