What does the Qualtrics error code ESDEF10 mean?

ESDEF10 is a "Data validation failure" returned by the Qualtrics survey-definition service during QSF import. The response body lists ValidationErrors with the exact field path, the expected type, and the value that was rejected.

Why does Qualtrics say "Something went wrong and the project wasn't created"?

That is the generic Projects-page message shown when the underlying import request fails. The specific cause — often an ESDEF10 validation error — is only visible in the network response, so inspect the failed request or validate the file structure directly.

Can SurveyBrandID be null in a QSF file?

No. Qualtrics validates SurveyEntry.SurveyBrandID as a string with minimum length 1. Both null and an empty string are rejected. Use any non-empty placeholder; the importing account's own brand takes over after import.

Does the ESDEF10 response show every problem in the file?

In practice Qualtrics reports the first validation failure it encounters, so fixing one field can reveal the next error on retry. Validate the whole SurveyEntry block against a real Qualtrics export to fix all fields in one pass.

Qualtrics troubleshooting

Fixing the Qualtrics QSF Import Error ESDEF10

ESDEF10 ("Data validation failure") means Qualtrics rejected the QSF file at field level before creating the project. The response names the exact field — most commonly a SurveyEntry field with the wrong type, such as a null SurveyBrandID.

Validate a QSF file SurveyEntry field reference

What the error looks like

The Projects page only shows “Something went wrong and the project wasn't created; to try again, select Create project.” The real diagnosis is in the API response of the failed import request:

{
  "Code": "ESDEF10",
  "Message": "Data validation failure",
  "ValidationErrors": [
    {
      "Context": "(root).SurveyEntry.SurveyBrandID",
      "Description": "Invalid type. Expected: string, given: null",
      "Element": "SurveyEntry",
      "Field": "SurveyBrandID",
      "Value": null
    }
  ]
}

Read the Context path: it points at the exact JSON field the validator rejected, so you can fix the file precisely instead of guessing.

Validation rules confirmed against real imports

Field	Rule	Rejected values	Fix
SurveyBrandID	String, minimum length 1	null and "" are both rejected	Any non-empty string; the importing brand overrides it
SurveyDescription / DivisionID / Deleted	Nullable	—	null is accepted (matches native exports)
SurveyID	SV_ + 15 alphanumerics	Malformed IDs	Match the native pattern, e.g. SV_5daiDxkcWrKnqbI
SQ PrimaryAttribute (QID)	Unique per question	Duplicate QIDs	Assign QIDs by position; never reuse a QID for two questions
QC SecondaryAttribute	Question count as string	Count mismatch invites editor corruption	Must equal the number of SQ elements

Repair workflow

Capture the ESDEF10 response (browser dev tools → Network → the failed import request) and note every Context path.
Compare the named fields against a fresh export from your own Qualtrics account — the export is the authoritative template for types and formats.
Fix type mismatches first (strings vs null), then structural issues: duplicate QIDs, blocks referencing missing questions, question-count mismatches.
Re-import into a blank project. Because validation stops at the first failure, repeat until the file passes, or regenerate the file with a converter that mirrors native export structure.

If the QSF came from a document converter, the faster path is usually regenerating the file with a converter whose output follows the native Qualtrics layout — including all seventeen SurveyEntry fields, a Trash block, and per-question payload fields — rather than hand-editing JSON.