> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://support.pears.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://support.pears.io/plan/surveys/mark-a-survey-as-active.md).

# Mark a Survey as Active

Learn how to activate, deactivate, or revert a survey to draft status in PEARS.

Surveys must be marked as **Active** before they can be attached to program activities or used to collect responses. The status page allows you to transition a survey between Draft, Active, and Inactive states.

## Survey Status Lifecycle

* **Draft** — The survey is being designed. Questions and settings can be freely edited. The survey cannot be attached to program activities.
* **Active** — The survey is available for use. It can be attached to program activities and used to collect responses. Some fields become read-only.
* **Inactive** — The survey is no longer available for new attachments, but existing response data is preserved and included in reports. An inactive survey can be marked as active again from the progress panel.

## Activate a Survey

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

#### Navigate to the Mark as Active Page

From the survey detail page, click **Mark as Active** in the progress panel. Or, after completing the Permissions step, PEARS directs you to the **Mark as Active** page automatically.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Review and Confirm

PEARS displays a confirmation message. All sections must be complete before the survey can be activated:

* General information is filled in.
* At least one question has been added.
* The Permissions step has been saved, whether or not you share the survey.

If a section is incomplete, PEARS asks you to finish it instead of showing the confirmation. Click **Mark as Active** to activate the survey.

{% hint style="warning" %}
**NOTE:** Once a survey is active and has collected responses, its questions can no longer be modified. Ensure all questions are finalized before activating.
{% endhint %}

![Screenshot: The Mark as Active page for a survey with the confirmation message and the Mark as Active button, and the Progress panel showing General Information, Questions and Permissions complete](https://2560412328-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Ff0820LrBGQ9ZA8SC4BR1%2Fuploads%2FmYk2AZA5MOonr646h1sf%2Fsurvey-mark-as-active-confirmation-v2.png?alt=media)
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## Deactivate a Survey

Once an active survey is attached to program activities or performance review plans, it can no longer return to draft. To prevent it from being attached to new records while preserving existing data, mark it as **Inactive**:

1. Open the survey detail page.
2. Click **Mark as Inactive** in the progress panel.
3. Click **Mark as Inactive** to confirm the status change.

{% hint style="info" %}
**TIP:** Inactive surveys and their response data are still included in reports. Surveys that are already attached to program activities can still be used to collect responses.
{% endhint %}

## Revert to Draft

If an active survey is not attached to any program activities or performance review plans, you can revert it to **Draft** status for further editing:

1. Open the survey detail page.
2. Click **Mark as Draft** in the progress panel.
3. Click **Mark as Draft** to confirm the status change.