Why Transition from Ona to CommCare?

Many organizations start their digital data collection journey with Ona because it is simple to use and offers flexibility for data collection projects. However, as programs expand, organizations often face limitations. Ona primarily supports form-based data collection, and as needs grow, it lacks robust case management features or the ability to track individuals over time. Managing users and access permissions can become challenging, especially for larger teams or those with complex data requirements.

As offline performance, security requirements, and support expectations increase, Ona’s platform may struggle to meet those demands. This is when many organizations transition to CommCare. They seek a platform that can scale with their programs, provide comprehensive case management, offer advanced offline capabilities, enable granular user permissions, and ensure enterprise-grade security and exceptional customer support.

Here is a summary of the common challenges with Ona and the benefits organizations gain by switching to CommCare:

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Data Collection	Each form stands alone, requiring repeated data entry across visits.	CommCare remembers your data over time. With case management, you can register individuals or entities once and update their records across visits without asking the same questions again and again on every form.
Data Workflows	Forms are standalone with limited logic and don’t share data, making it harder to track progress.	CommCare lets you build custom logic, skip patterns, and smart workflows that match how your programs actually operate, and easily adapt them as you grow. No more rigid forms that don’t work with each other.
Program Monitoring	No built-in tools to monitor field activities; often relies on manual updates or external tools.	CommCare’s pre-configured reports give you real-time visibility into user activities, submissions, and locations—so you can track your field teams without manual check-ins.
Data Management	Requires exporting multiple files and stitching them together manually, leading to time waste and potential errors.	Say goodbye to manual data pulls and playing Excel detective, trying to connect data from different submissions like you're solving a puzzle. CommCare’s built-in dashboards, automated exports, and live reporting make it easier to analyze and act on your data—without extra overhead.
Platform Support	Limited to a fixed number of survey submissions.	Unlimited submissions Data security through encryption, compliance with industry standards (HIPAA, GDPR, SOC 2)

Step-by-Step Instructions

This guide provides step-by-step instructions to help organizations easily transition from Ona to CommCare on their own.

1. Prepare for your Transition

Remember, case management doesn’t exist in Ona. If you think you may benefit from it, we recommend checking it out with CommCare!

2. Re-Build Form(s) in CommCare

Option 1: Recreate your forms Manually

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Check out this video on how to manually create a form on CommCare using the form builder:

Remember: For any multiple choice questions within your application, ensure that the value in the cell corresponds to the "choice value" in CommCare. If you imported your form from Ona via XML form, these values should presumably already be set correctly.

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Option 2: Upload your XML forms from Ona into CommCare

This option can potentially speed up the application building process. In order to do this you will need to export your form(s) from Ona in XML format. After you upload the XML form into CommCare it will recreate the form. Please note that due to differences between the systems, it is recommended that you revise the form after you upload the form on CommCare, eliminating any questions or hidden values that have no content.

To download forms from Ona Data:

• Navigate to the Project

• Click the drop down icon next to the form you want to export

• Select "Download XLSForm" to obtain the form as an XLSForm file.

• Use the ODK XLSForm Offline tool or the online one for transforming this to an XML file.

Terminology Differences: Ona vs. CommCare

When building new forms, or "app building" as we call it on CommCare, there are some differences in terminology between Ona & CommCare. The table below shows most of these.

Click Here to See All Terminology Differences

Open	Open	Notes

Open	Open	Notes
Form / Survey	Form (within a Module)	In CommCare, forms are nested within modules that group related workflows and share case types.
Form Preview	App Preview	In CommCare, "App Preview" allows you to test the entire app, including case logic and multiple forms.
Edit Form	Form Builder	CommCare’s Form Builder is more robust, with drag-and-drop tools, logic editors, and hidden values.
Project	Application	Ona uses “Project” to refer to a survey or set of forms; CommCare organizes work inside Applications.
Question Label	Display Text	The text shown to users when answering a question; used identically in both.
Data Column Name	Question ID	The internal name used to reference the question in logic, exports, and calculations.
Question Hint	Hint Message	A short prompt or description that appears under the question text.
Guidance Hint	Help Message	Optional help text that appears when a user taps a help icon in CommCare.
Mandatory Response	Required	Determines whether a question must be answered before the user can submit the form.
Default Response	Default Value	Sets the initial pre-filled value of a question when the form loads.
Appearance (advanced)	Appearance Attribute	Used to customize the visual layout or behavior of a question (e.g., minimal appearance, image-as-choice).
Skip Logic	Display Condition	Controls whether a question is shown based on answers to previous questions.
Validation Criteria	Validation Condition	Used to enforce data quality rules (e.g., “must be greater than 0”); shows an error if the condition fails.

Most question types from Ona are available in CommCare. The table below includes a full list that compares the question types between both systems.

You can read more about question types in CommCare here: https://dimagi.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/commcarepublic/pages/2295791624

Open	Open	Notes

Open	Open	Notes
Select One	Multiple Choice	Radio buttons; allows one option.
Select Many	Checkbox	Checkboxes; multiple options selectable.
Text	Text	Free text input.
Number	Integer	Use Integer (whole numbers)
Decimal	Decimal	Numeric with decimal support.
Not Supported on Ona	Phone Number or Numeric ID	Allows numbers to start with '0'.
Date	Date	Calendar picker.
Time	Time	Time selection input.
Date & Time	Date and Time	Use separate Date and Time questions.
Point (GPS)	GPS Capture	Captures location coordinates.
Photo	Image Capture	Takes or uploads photos.
Audio	Audio Capture	Records or uploads audio.
Video	Video Capture	Records or uploads video.
Line	Not supported	CommCare does not support drawing lines on maps.
Not Supported on Ona	Signature Capture	Captures Signatures
Note	Label	Non-interactive display text.
Barcode/QR Code	Barcode Scan	Scans using device camera.
Acknowledge	Single Answer (Yes/No)	Can be replicated with a single-answer question.
Area	Not supported	Polygon drawing is not supported in CommCare but it's possible to do so with 3rd party integrations.
Rating	Simulated with Single Answer	Use a Single Answer with number labels (e.g., 1–5).
Question Matrix	Simulated with Groups	Group multiple Single/Multiple Answer questions.
Ranking	Not supported	Workaround possible with multiple select + instructions.
Calculate	Hidden Value	Auto-calculated logic field.
Hidden	Hidden Value	Invisible field to hold logic or values.
File	Attachment (limited support)	CommCare supports image, audio, video—not generic files.
Range	Not supported	No native slider input in CommCare.
External XML	Lookup Table	CommCare uses Lookup Tables uploaded via Excel or HQ.

3. Set up Case Management

Unlike Ona, CommCare supports case management, which is essential for programs that track individuals, households, or entities over time. In Ona, each form submission is separate, with no built-in way to link a follow-up visit to an initial assessment—fine for one-time surveys, but limiting for ongoing services, progress monitoring, or managing caseloads across staff.

Click to Expand

Partner A is running a community health program that tracks pregnant mothers and has been using Ona for their mobile data collection. When they decide to transition to CommCare, they move their data to a new CommCare project space to begin setting up the data model. They identify key indicators and data points from their old system and use these to define case properties and case types in CommCare. For example, they create a case type for "pregnant_mother" and include properties such as due date, number of antenatal visits, and risk factors.

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CommCare’s form builder allows partners to quickly replicate form content from other tools in an intuitive and robust user interface. 

Using CommCare’s drag-and-drop Form Builder, they then recreate their original forms from Ona. The intuitive interface allows them to replicate questions, logic, and workflows while also introducing improvements such as better validations or branching logic. This results in a more streamlined and robust data collection app.

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This is an example of a form deployed on Ona and an app on CommCare replicating the same structure.

This rebuild ensures that both future data collection and historic data mapping are aligned with the new CommCare structure, setting up Partner A for long-term success on the platform.

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4. Create Users

Unlike Ona where you often have shared logins or limited tracking, in CommCare:

• Each field user has a unique login (username + password)

• Users can be manually created or bulk uploaded via spreadsheet

• Users can be grouped and given different permissions

5. Migrate Existing Data into CommCare

As you transition from Ona to CommCare, you may want to bring over data previously collected—especially if you're continuing to work with the same individuals, households, or other tracked entities. While migrating data is optional, it's highly recommended for programs using case management, where you want to continue following up with the same cases or carry forward key information.