> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.smartinterview.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Upload data to Data format

> Learn how to upload Excel or SPSS files to Pulse Classifier and configure which sheet, ID column, and response column to classify.

Before classification can begin, you need to tell Pulse Classifier where your response data lives. You can either upload a file from your computer or connect to an existing Smartinterview survey question. Once the data is loaded, you map the columns so the AI knows which text to classify and how to identify each respondent in the output.

## Supported file formats

Pulse Classifier accepts the following file types:

| Format         | Extension       | Notes                                                               |
| -------------- | --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Excel workbook | `.xlsx`, `.xls` | Supports multiple sheets; one sheet is selected for classification. |
| SPSS data file | `.sav`          | Variable labels are used as column names where available.           |

<Note>
  Files with very large numbers of responses may take longer to process and consume more tokens. See [token usage](/pulse-classifier/classify#token-consumption) for details.
</Note>

## Uploading a file

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Drag and drop">
    Drag your file from your file manager directly onto the upload area on the Pulse Classifier page. The file uploads immediately and the sheet list loads automatically.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="File picker">
    Click **Upload file** on the Pulse Classifier page, then select your `.xlsx`, `.xls`, or `.sav` file from the file picker dialog. The upload begins as soon as you confirm your selection.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

Once the file is uploaded, Pulse Classifier reads the available sheets and presents them in the configuration panel.

## Multi-column classification

If your file has several open-ended columns that each require their own topic plan, you can set up multiple **coding plans** — one per column group. Pulse Classifier automatically detects text columns in your file and groups them into an initial plan. Use **Add plan** to create additional plans with different topic sets and classification parameters.

<Tip>
  Assign each coding plan a descriptive name that matches the survey question it covers. This makes the exported output easier to navigate.
</Tip>

## Using an existing Smartinterview survey question

Instead of uploading a file, you can classify responses collected directly through a Smartinterview survey.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Select a survey">
    Choose a survey from the **Select survey** panel on the Pulse Classifier page.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select a question">
    Choose the open-ended question whose responses you want to classify. Only questions with text responses are shown.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Proceed to topic generation">
    Click **Continue**. Pulse Classifier loads the responses for that question and moves you to the topic generation step.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  When classifying a survey question, you do not need to configure a sheet or column — Pulse Classifier fetches the response data directly from the survey.
</Note>