Qualitative surveys service: Frequently asked questions

What do I need to know before I start?  

• To use the Qualitative Surveys service in My DNB, you need eHerkenning with authorisation to use the DNB Reporting service.
• An eHerkenning user who has the appropriate rights (DNB Reporting service) can authorise colleagues who have a My DNB account for each survey. (See FAQ How can I complete a survey together with a colleague who does not have eHerkenning?)
• Anyone can easily create a My DNB account. (See FAQ How do I create a My DNB account?)
• A person with eHerkenning (with DNB Reporting service authorisation) cannot authorise another eHerkenning user for the surveys. (See FAQ I have eHerkenning with the appropriate rights (DNB Reporting service). Can I authorise another eHerkenning user?
• The authorised person with a My DNB account can complete the survey but not submit it. (See FAQ I am an authorised user. Why am I unable to submit the survey?)

See below for more these and other FAQs in greater detail. 

Which eHerkenning authorisation do I need to see my institution's qualitative surveys?

To use the Qualitative Surveys service in My DNB, you need eHerkenning with authorisation to use the DNB Reporting service. A My DNB account is not sufficient to access the surveys. However, an eHerkenning user who has the appropriate rights (DNB Reporting service) can authorise colleagues who have a My DNB account for each survey.

How can I collaborate on the survey with a colleague who does not have eHerkenning?

You can authorise your colleague for each survey separately. The user you wish to authorise must have a My DNB account. Next to the relevant survey, you will find an “Authorisations” button. If you click this button, you can enter you colleague's contact email address and My DNB ID. Your colleague can find their My DNB ID under “My details” (top right of the screen). The My DNB ID consists of a code with letters and digits. The contact email address can also be found under “My details”, under “Contact details”.

After filling in the details, you will immediately see whether the authorisation was successful. The authorised person must log in again, after which the survey will be available. Note that you must notify your authorise colleagues yourself, as they will not receive an automatically generated message.

How do I create a My DNB account?

You can create a My DNB account in just a few steps, free of charge. A step-by-step instruction can be found here.

Why can't I receive a survey in Excel? 

Since 2023, the surveys have been made via My DNB, Qualitative surveys service. The surveys are created directly in this application and we no longer have Excel lists. We understand the need for a tool to facilitate collaboration on the surveys. During the development of the new application, a solution was sought in consultation with various Mijn DNB users. The new application therefore offers the possibility to authorize one or more colleagues.

I have been authorised to answer questions in a qualitative survey, but the survey is not listed.

Log in again on My DNB.

Check with an eHerkenning user who has the appropriate rights (DNB Reporting service) whether the qualitative survey has already been submitted.

Check with an eHerkenning user who has the appropriate rights (DNB Reporting service) whether you have been authorised as a user for the relevant survey with your My DNB ID and contact email address.

If you still do not see the relevant survey listed, please send us an email at kwalitatieve.uitvragen@dnb.nl. State the name of the survey and the Chamber of Commerce number of the institution submitting the survey.

I am an authorised user. Why am I unable to submit the survey?

Only an eHerkenning user with the appropriate rights (DNB Reporting service) can submit the survey.

I have eHerkenning with the appropriate rights (DNB Reporting service). Can I authorise another eHerkenning user?

If you have eHerkenning with the appropriate rights (DNB Reporting service), you cannot authorise another eHerkenning user who does not have the appropriate rights (DNB Reporting service) for all surveys at once. You can authorise your colleague for each survey separately. The user you wish to authorise must have a My DNB account.

How can I collaborate on the survey? 

The survey can be opened and completed by multiple users. However, it is not possible to work in the survey at the same time. So working together on the survey can only be done sequentially.

The survey can be opened and completed by another user as soon as the current user has released it by clicking the “Close” button at the top right of the survey. If you want to proceed with a survey that has not yet been released by another user, you can also unlock the survey. If you do so, answers that have not been saved may be lost.

How can I see all questions in a survey? 

Relevance rules apply to the survey that make certain questions (answer options) visible only in response to a previous answer. You can use the print button to create a printout with relevance rules; all questions are then visible. 

I want to share the survey. What should I do? 

You can share the survey using the print button. You are given the choice between sharing the survey with or without the answers. Most browsers will offer the option to “print to PDF”, which allows you to save the survey locally without printing. 

Note: once you have submitted a survey, you can no longer share it.  

I am a consultant, filling in a survey on behalf of an institution. What is the most convenient course of action?

Authorise colleagues to complete part of the survey (or ensure that colleagues are authorised by someone with appropriate eHerkenning).  
Ask each colleague to make a printout of the survey after completing it with the answers filled in up to that point. Withdraw this colleague's authorisation and authorise the next colleague.
Once all answers are in, check them against the questions and printouts.
Submit the form Only an eHerkenning user with the appropriate rights (DNB Reporting service) may submit the form.

Why are last year's answers already provided for some questions?

The answers your institution gave to certain questions in last year’s survey may still apply. If they do, you can copy them. For most questions, you will see the predefined value. For tabular questions, you will see three dots  you can click on to show the predefined value.

These are provided as guidance only. Your institution is responsible for answering each question correctly. So make sure to check your answers carefully.

We have added last year’s answers to help institutions complete the surveys as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Why do certain questions not provide answers from last year?

Each year, we make questions specific and relevant in order to respond to current events. Questions may have been added, merged or answers changed. In these cases, answers from last year are not shown.

The Behaviour & culture, governance and risk management survey does not show last year’s answers.

Why can't I copy some of the answers?

We have switched to a new survey method. As a result, it is not always technically possible to copy the answer value using the button. In these cases, you can manually enter the correct value.

I do not see any surveys. What should I do?

You will only see the survey(s) in the application that apply to your institution. If you expect a survey in My DNB but cannot see it, please contact us by email at kwalitatieve.uitvragen@dnb.nl or by telephone at 0800 020 1068 (freephone in the Netherlands) or +31 20 524 91 11 (if you call from abroad).

The description for a tabular question is not fully visible. What should I do?

For tabular questions of more than 3 or 4 columns (which are mainly found in IRAPs), the description is sometimes too narrow and therefore not fully readable. Use your browser's zoom function to fix this. It would seem that a zoom percentage of about 67% is the optimal ratio in terms of space usage and readability in the layout.

Why is the tile for Qualitative surveys greyed out? 

If the Qualitative surveys tile is greyed out, you are not yet authorised for the DNB Reporting service in eHerkenning. You can apply for this service with your eHerkenning provider. 

It takes a long time for the surveys to load, what should I do?

It may take several minutes for surveys to load. If this takes more than 10 minutes, please contact us. You might want to try using a different browser.

I see a survey in English and one in Dutch. What should I do?

We have made surveys available in both English and Dutch for all payment and exchange institutions. You may choose to complete either. We will remove the unused version after the submission deadline. 

If you cannot find the answer to your question in this document,

Your account supervisor will be happy to answer any substantive questions you may have.

Feel free to contact our survey support team directly by email. The team will be available over the next few week as we are issuing many new surveys simultaneously. Your account supervisor will be happy to answer any substantive questions you may have. 

If you prefer to call us, please contact our Information Desk at 0800 020 1068 (freephone in the Netherlands) or +31 20 524 91 11 (if you call from abroad). The Information Desk is available on business days between 9:00 and 15:30.