Distribution & Fieldwork
Understanding the Survey Status Machine and Valid State Transitions
Updated
Learn the four survey statuses and which transitions between them are allowed, so you can manage fieldwork confidently.
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Overview
Learn the four survey statuses — Draft, Live, Paused, Closed — and which transitions between them are allowed, so you always know what a given action will do.
The statuses
| Status | Accepting responses? | Editing |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | No | Full — reorder, delete, change types |
| Live | Yes | Safe changes only (reword, add options, append) |
| Paused | No (temporarily) | Safe changes only |
| Closed | No (permanently) | Locked; data remains available |
Valid transitions
- Draft → Live — launch, manually or on schedule.
- Live → Paused — temporarily stop new responses; resume later.
- Live → Closed — end fieldwork for good.
- Paused → Live — resume collection.
- Paused → Closed — end fieldwork from a paused state.
Tips
Tip: Use Paused whenever there's any chance you'll collect more later — it's fully reversible. Reserve Closed for "we're done", because it's meant to be final.
Note: Going Live is the moment editing locks down to safe changes only. Get question order, deletions, and types right in Draft — those can't be changed once responses start arriving.
Related articles
- Manually Launching a Survey from Draft to Live Status — the Draft → Live step
- Scheduling Your Survey to Open and Close at Specific Dates and Times — automated transitions