Add & Replace Columns in Your Dataset

Use Add & Replace to update specific rows or columns in your dataset

The Add & Replace function allows you to update existing rows in your Caplena dataset using a new file upload, without losing any manual coding or topic assignments.

This is especially helpful when refreshing or correcting your data while preserving previous work.

When Should You Use “Replace Columns”?

The Replace Rows feature is ideal in the following scenarios:

1. You want to add a new column (Both TTA and Non-TTA)

(TTA = Text to Analyze)

Example: Add a demographic variable, metadata field, or custom tag that wasn’t included in the original dataset.

Use case: Add new columns without re-uploading everything from scratch.

2. You want to update values in a TTA column

If you’ve corrected or enriched your open-ended responses:

Use case: Replace rows while preserving existing coding or AI analysis.

3. You want to update values in a non-TTA column

Example: Fixing or completing metadata like Gender, Age, or Brand.

Use case: Update values without re-uploading the whole dataset.

How to use Replace Rows

1. Open your project

   Go to the Data section by clicking the 📄 document icon in the left sidebar.

2. Click "Replace Rows"

   In the top-right corner, click the Replace rows button.

   
3. Upload your new file

   Upload a CSV or Excel file that contains the updated rows and/or new columns.

4. Match columns

   In the column matching screen:

   Select the identifier column (e.g. “ID”) — this is required. Caplena uses it to match the new rows to your existing dataset.

   If no identifier is selected, the system won’t know which rows to update, and the replacement process will not be possible.

   When combined, these fields can form a unique identifier for each response.\

   You can select multiple identifier columns if your dataset doesn’t contain a unique response ID. For example, a combination of Date, Name, and Open-end content can together form a unique identifier.

   

   Then select only the columns you want to update — columns that stay the same don’t need to be selected.\

   

   When creating a new TTA column, don’t forget to enable it by selecting the TTA checkbox.

5. Validate and finalize

   Click Validate to preview changes, then click Finalize to complete the replacement.

   

   Done! Your dataset is now updated while all existing work (coding, topics, etc.) remains intact.