Tracking studies that carry themselves forward
The codebook defines variables, nets and formulas once — new waves import and recode automatically. Trends with real smoothing, wave-over-wave significance and consistent weighting. ISO 27001-certified hosting, GDPR-compliant, made in Munich.
In DataLion the codebook defines variables, value labels, net rows and formulas once; new waves are imported and recoded automatically, so everything stays consistent across waves. The trend is shown as a timeline with SMA/EMA smoothing, wave-over-wave differences are tested at 80–99%, and weighting stays consistent per subgroup.
- 🇩🇪 Made in Munich
- GDPR-compliant
- DPA included
- Hosted in Germany
Trusted by research, insights & media teams
- scheduled automatic wave import
- SMA/EMA/WMA smoothing & projection
- 80–99% wave-over-wave significance
- auto-recode consistent variables
Why tracking waves eat so much time
- Every wave is re-imported, recoded and the deck rebuilt by hand.
- Manual recoding introduces errors that only surface late.
- Changes get interpreted without testing for significance.
Defined once, computed every wave
In the codebook you define variables, value labels, net/top-box rows and derived metrics as formulas — once. That definition applies to every new wave, so KPIs like NPS or funnel conversion are computed consistently and automatically.
New waves come in via scheduled imports and are recoded automatically (multi-response to 0/1, recodes, nets). The most common source of error in tracking — recoding by hand each wave — is gone.
- Codebook defines variables, nets & formulas once
- Scheduled imports for new waves
- Automatic recoding (recodeMax/recodeBinary)
- KPIs computed consistently wave after wave
Timelines that separate signal from noise
Show the trend as a timeline and smooth it with a moving average (SMA) or an exponentially weighted average (EMA) — at a freely chosen window.
For projections, weighted and simple moving methods (SMA, WMA, EMA) and moving sums are available — so you separate the real trend from sampling noise and outliers.
- SMA/EMA smoothing with a freely chosen window
- Projection via SMA, WMA and EMA
- Moving sums for cumulative trends
- Trend vs. noise cleanly separated
Real change or chance?
Whether a metric really rose, DataLion checks right in the table: wave-over-wave and segment differences are tested at 80%, 90%, 95% and 99% via z, chi² or t-test and shown as stars or letters.
Nested tables keep the analysis consistent even across many waves and subgroups.
- Wave-over-wave and segment significance
- z, chi² and t-test, pairwise and complement
- Confidence at 80/90/95/99%
- Nested tables, consistent across waves
Representative — in every wave
To keep waves comparable, you weight to your sample frame. Weighting is recalculated automatically on every filter change, so each subgroup is correctly weighted in every wave.
Weights come from the dataset, from a separate table, or are computed in DataLion to a target distribution — more on data preparation.
- Weighting consistent per subgroup and wave
- Recalculated on filter change
- Weights from dataset, table or computed
- Weighted bases per question
Brand, NPS and KPI tracking
The same engine carries any recurring study type: brand tracking with funnel and image, NPS tracking over time, or a continuous customer and KPI tracker.
The only difference is the metrics in the codebook — the mechanics of auto-import, smoothing, significance and weighting stay the same.
- Brand tracking: funnel & image over time
- NPS tracking: score and drivers wave after wave
- Customer and KPI tracking for portals
- Multi-client ready for institutes and agencies
What you can build with DataLion
See DataLion with your own data
Start a free trial or book a personal demo — from raw data to a finished dashboard.
We now work much more efficiently, giving us more time to take care of the derivations and insights from the data for the customers.
The platform in detail
Go deeper
Common questions about tracking studies
How does a tracking study stay consistent across waves?
Which smoothing methods are available for the trend?
Is wave-over-wave change significance-tested?
Does weighting stay consistent across waves?
Is this suitable for institutes and agencies?
Ready to automate your tracking waves?
Try DataLion free with your own tracking study — codebook defined once, every wave automatic. Or book a personal demo.