Welcome to the Questionnaire Development System (QDS)

Your form or questionnaire may include a series of data collection items, questions, special instructions to the interviewer or interviewee, instructions regarding changing question sequence, automatically computed items, consistency checks, formatting, or comments. In QDS, all of these items are called 'Elements'. QDS has many useful features for creating forms, but for a quick start we will focus on the most important ones. To create your first form or questionnaire in QDS, just follow the instructions below:

Getting Help

There are several ways to access Help in QDS. The most general form of help is available from the Help menu item. You may get context-sensitive ("What's This") help for individual dialog items by clicking the right mouse button on the item of interest.

Creating your First Form/Questionnaire

The Design Studio: Creating your QDS Specifications File

First, launch the Design Studio by double clicking on the 'Questionnaire Design Studio' (or QDS.EXE) icon in the Studio folder located in your QDS directory. From the Main menu, select File|New, and enter the file name for your questionnaire. Your file will be saved with the extension '.QDS'. Note that your specifications file will retain a history of all the changes you make for documentation, and let you undo changes you have made. For options on retaining or discarding undo information, select File|Save a Copy As from the Main menu.

In this section, you will learn how to construct a form with a Unique Identifier, data collection items, instructions to the interviewer/ee, skip pattern, edit checks, comments, and formatting for paper forms.

Interview Option Defaults

After creating your file choose Options|Interviews. On the Study Configuration tab, select whether your study will be conducted -1) at multiple sites, 2) at a single site by multiple interviewers, or 3) by a single interviewer. Also check the appropriate box if your subject ID variable may be duplicated or, multiple interviews with the same subject are planned. Next, select the Identifier Variables tab. Depending on how your study is to be conducted different options are enabled. For example, if you plan a single interviewer study with only one data collection point per subject then only the SUBJECT ID box will be enabled. It is recommended for a quick start that you keep the SUBJECT variable, which is the QDS default. If you indicated that your study will have either multiple sites or multiple interviewers, you will need to enter a Site ID variable or Interviewer ID variable. If you checked that multiple interviews are planned then the 'Additional ID Variables' box will be enabled. You may always change these options at any time in the Design Studio.

Creating a Unique Identifier for your Survey (SUBJECT)

The first step in creating your form/questionnaire will be to create a unique identifier or SUBJECT element. Select the Insert New Element button from the toolbar or select the Edit|Insert menu item. Choose the Element Type 'Data', and click 'OK'. In the 'Text of Question' box, type in 'Unique Identifier' or another descriptive label. In the 'Variable Name' box you will see the default variable name 'V&Q'; type over this to enter 'SUBJECT'. Unless you change the QDS system defaults you MUST name your Unique Identifier 'SUBJECT.' Next, you may enter a label, such as 'Unique Identifier' into the 'Variable Label' box, which will be used when your data are managed and analyzed. In the Response Type box, choose 'Number'. At this point, you will probably want to define your response set; that is, you will want to set limits on the numbers that can be entered for your Identifier. Click the Response Set tab and enter minimum and maximum values in their respective fields. By default, QDS allows responses of 'Don't Know, 'Refused', and 'Not Applicable'. If you do not wish to allow these for the Unique Identifier (recommended), then 'uncheck' these boxes.

Entering your Data Collection Items/Questions

Next, you can begin entering your data collection items. Select the Insert New Element button from the toolbar or select the Edit|Insert menu item. Choose the Element Type 'Data', and click 'OK'.

Using the Data Element Tab

On the Data Element Tab, you will need to enter your 'Text of Question'; you may use the italics, bold, or underline toolbar formatting buttons to highlight portions of the text. Next, you will need to select the 'Response Type' from the following choices ('Yes/No' response is the QDS default):

• Yes/No
• Gender: Male or female
• Response Card: User defined response set for pick-one, check-each, or rating scale type
• Nominal-Pick One: Check only one
• Nominal-Check Each: Check all that apply
• Date: Any or all of month, day, and year, with a 2-digit or 4-digit year
• Time of Day: Any or all of hour, minute, and seconds, using 12- or 24 -hour clock
• Time Span: A length of time item in any combination of date/time units
• Local Currency: In dollars, cents, or other local currency
• Number: An integer within a specified range
• Numeric Rating Scale: A selected point along a numeric continuum
• Text: Any arbitrary text
• Pattern: Text matching a selected pattern, such as a phone number or SSN

QDS will assign defaults for Variable Name and Variable Label, but it is strongly recommended that you change these to aid in later data management and analysis. Variable Names must begin with a letter, be no longer than 8 characters, and may only contain letters, digits, underscores, or substitution tokens. The default variable names are related to the question number; for example, the default variable name for Question #1 is VQ1. If question order is changed or new questions are inserted, all the variable names will change accordingly. The variable naming conventions enable export to SAS/SPSS format, which only accepts 8 digit variable names. Variable labels are displayed as the QDS element list identifier label and are also used in database or statistical software applications.

Using the Response Set Tab

After you have chosen your 'Response Type', click the Response Set tab (the last tab on the right). The options seen on this tab depend upon the response type. All of the response types include default values for special codes, which include responses of 'Don't Know', 'Refused', and 'Not Applicable'. The key items to note and possibly modify for your specific item include:

• Yes/No: Can modify assigned values for 'yes' and 'no' (default: 1=yes, 0=no)
• Gender: Can modify assigned values for Male and Female (default: 1=male, 2=female)
• Response Card: (see Response Cards under more More Advanced Design Tools)
• Nominal-Pick One: Add descriptions of categories and code values
• Nominal-Check Each: Add descriptions of categories and can modify value if/not checked
• Date: Choose date format, and may set earliest and latest dates allowed
• Time of Day: Choose time format, and may set earliest and latest times allowed
• Time Span: Choose time unit/s (year, month, day) and may set minimum/maximum values
• Local Currency: Choose monetary unit (dollars, cents), and may set minimum/maximum amounts
• Number: Can modify minimum/maximum values, number of decimal places
• Numeric Rating Scale: Can modify low value, number of scale points, text for anchors
• Text: Can modify maximum number of characters to allow
• Pattern: Choose pattern type (i.e., telephone number, SSN, Zip code)

You will notice that there are several other 'tabs' between the Data Element tab and Response Set tab; at this point, you can leave these at their default settings. In fact, in many cases you will never need to modify any other options. After you have completed modifying options, click 'OK.' At any time, you can go back to view/edit element options by selecting the Element View button from the toolbar or double clicking on the element in your QDS file element list. You may use the Next Element and Previous Element buttons on the toolbar to move quickly between different element specifications. You can now enter the next item in your form/questionnaire.

Inserting Any Other Element Type

To insert any type of data collection Element, you will always select the Insert Element button from the toolbar or Edit|Insert from the menu; the new element will be inserted above the highlighted element. Other types of QDS elements for forms/questionnaires include:

• Information: Text to be presented to the interviewer or respondent, with no reply expected
• Skip: Conditional branch out of the normal form sequence
• Edit: Consistency check to be performed and a reconciliation process
• Marker: A destination point for a branch instruction
• Section Header: Instruction to begin a new section of the form/questionnaire
• Format: Formatting instructions for a paper form/questionnaire
• Table: A two-dimensional table for repeated data collection items
• Automatic Variable: Value to be entered automatically into the data file (i.e., today's date, computed value)
• Comments: Informational text for the form/questionnaire designer

Copying and Deleting Items/Elements

To delete an element, select the Delete Element(s) button from the toolbar or choose Edit|Delete from the menu. You can copy any element(s) from within your form/questionnaire or from any other QDS form/questionnaire. You may want to do this if you have similar data collection items (e.g., demographic information). To copy element(s) within a QDS file, highlight the element or group of elements you want to copy using conventional Windows commands; select the Copy or Cut Element(s) button from the toolbar or choose Edit|Cut|Copy from the menu. Highlight the Element where you would like the items inserted, and select the Paste Element(s) button from the toolbar or Edit|Paste Element(s). If you wish to copy Element(s) from a separate QDS file, simply open up that other file(s) and follow the same steps.

Adding Formatting and Informational Elements

After entering all your data collection items, you may choose to add special formatting and instructions. The type of form or questionnaire that you intend to create (i.e., if it will be a paper form or a computer administered questionnaire) will partially determine the type of formatting and informational elements needed.

Information to Interviewee/Interviewer

To add information intended for the interviewer or respondent, insert an Information Element by selecting the Insert New Element button from the toolbar or selecting Edit|Insert and choosing Information. For example: to respondent: 'Thank you very much for your time. You have now completed the interview', or to interviewer: 'Remember to verify the respondent's birth date with an ID card'. For self-administered forms, information for the interviewer is not applicable.

Question Numbering

Each Data Element has an associated Question Number that is determined partly by QDS and partly by the user. A Question Number has 3 parts: Prefix, Integer, and Suffix. For example, the question number A1a contains the following components: A=Prefix, 1=Integer, and a=Suffix.

• The Prefix may be omitted or may be set and changed with the Section Header Element.
• The Integer will be determined automatically by QDS. You can override QDS by specifying a new starting Integer with a Section Header Element or Format Element.
• The Suffix may be omitted, or may be any string of characters you indicate in the 'Question Suffix' field on the Data Element tab. The first character may not be a digit.

Question numbers in tables are repeated for each category of the table. QDS automatically extends the Suffix for each table question, adding a letter corresponding to the category.

Section Headers

Adding a Section Header Element will begin a new section of the form/questionnaire at the point where it is inserted. When computer assisted forms (CAPI, ACASI) are administered, the section headers will not be apparent. They will appear in printed questionnaires and in form documentation (codebook). On the Section Header Element tab, you may choose to reset the question number integer, prefix, or add a page break.

Formatting

With the Format Element, you may add a page break, reset the question number integer, or specify to draw a border around a given number of elements in a paper form.

Comments

With the Comments element, you may add a line of descriptive or explanatory text visible only within the Design Studio. This is frequently used to document where a question came from (e.g., used a question from the national NHIS survey) or to document changes.

Using More Advanced QDS Design Tools:

Automatic Variables

An automatic variable allows you to have QDS enter information automatically into your data file, such as today's date, current time, or a numerical calculation. To add an automatic variable, select the Insert New Element button from the toolbar or choose Edit|Insert. Choose 'Automatic Variable', and click 'OK'. You will need to specify a variable name, type of data to be stored, and variable label. If storing a numeric/string expression or character string, you will also need to enter that information in the appropriate field. One common numeric expression is to calculate age from Date of Birth (a previously collected data element) and today's date (a previous automatic variable), which is written as AGE (DOB,TODAY) in the numeric calculation box.

Skip Instructions, Markers, and Branching

In most cases, one item will follow another in order throughout your form/questionnaire; however, there may be some cases where you want to skip certain item(s) based upon a previous response. There are two primary methods for doing this in QDS™:

• Branch if yes or no option on the Data Element Response Set tab: For Data Elements that have a Yes/No, Pick-One, or Check-Each response type, you may specify a branching instruction on the Response Set Tab. For the Yes/No response type, select 'If Yes, Branch to' or 'If No, Branch to'; next, specify the number of elements to skip or a Marker (see below). For example, if your form asked 'Do you eat apples?' you would not want to ask the next question 'Have you eaten any apples this week?' if the first response was no. Instead, you would choose the 'If No, Branch to' option and then select 'Skip 1 element'. NOTE: When deciding how many elements to skip, keep in mind that all elements (including comments, section headers, etc.) need to be counted. With paper questionnaires, the skip instructions would be written out for the interviewer/respondent. Automated forms/questionnaires (CAPI, ACASI, Data Entry) would automatically skip the second question and the data for that element would be recorded as 'not applicable'.
• Skip Instruction Element: On occasion, you may want to skip an item(s) based upon a response that is not a Yes/No, Pick-One, or Check-Each response type. In these cases, you will need to insert a Skip Instruction Element using the Insert Element button from the toolbar or Edit|Insert, and click 'OK'. Insert this skip element after the data item that the skip is to be based upon. On the Skip Element tab, enter your expression in the 'If' field, enter your expression. Finally, in the 'Branch to:' field, select the number of elements you would like to skip or a Marker (see below). For example, if your form asks 'How many pets do you have?' you would only ask 'What types of pets?' if the first answer was one or more. In the 'If' field, you would enter the expression 'PETS >= 1', where PETS is the variable name for the first question element.
• Marker Element: If you would like to skip several items, or you believe that the number of items to be skipped may change throughout the course of development, then it is often best to use a Marker Element as the destination point of your skip instruction, rather than specifying a set number of elements to skip. To insert a Marker Element either click the Insert New Element button from the toolbar or select Edit|Insert and click 'OK'. Name your marker and, if you choose, include a description (e.g., 'marks end of drug use section'). There is one predefined Marker ID, NEXTCAT, that can be used inside a table to branch to the next category in the table. The NEXTCAT marker must be used in an inserted skip element rather than on an embedded branching element on the Response Set tab.

Edit Instructions

There may be times that you want to check internal consistency of your data. For instance, if your questionnaire asks 'How many times have you traveled out of the country in your lifetime?' [TRV_EVER] and 'How many times have you traveled out of the country this year?' [TRV_YEAR] -- you can use a Skip Element to skip the second question, if the answer to the first is 0, but you will have to use an Edit Element to check for consistency between questions.

Select the Insert Element button to insert an Edit Element immediately following the second question ('How many times have you traveled out of the country this year?').

In the 'If' field, enter the condition 'TRV_YEAR > TRV_EVER'. This will cause the edit element to display an error message if the respondent reports that that they have traveled out of the country more times this year than they have in their lifetime.

You should now enter the message you wish to display. For instance, 'The number of trips for the last year can't be more than the number of lifetime trips.'

Finally, you need to tell the program how to reconcile this error. You may choose the 'Loop back to prior element' reconciliation process and indicate the number of elements to go back. This will allow the respondent (or interviewer) to reenter the incorrect information.

When determining how many elements to loop back, keep in mind that all elements (including comments, section headers, etc.) need to be counted. Edits may also be resolved through additional reconciliation elements or with only a message.

Before we discuss Table Elements, it is important to introduce another important QDS feature…

Substitution Tokens

There are several places in a set of QDS specifications that call for or allow a Substitution Token. These include Variable Names, Variable Labels, and Question Text. A Substitution Token always begins with the & character and indicates that a text substitution will be made at that point. The valid Substitution Tokens are:

&Q Question Number &P Question Number Prefix &N Question Number Integer &S Question Number Suffix &C Table Category Suffix &LBL Table Category Label &TXT Table Category Text &ALT Table Category Alternate Text &[var] Value of variable named var

In the following Table example, Substitution Tokens will be used to represent the category names and labels.

Tables

Table Elements are used for questions (elements) repeated for a set of categories. For example, if you wanted to ask the questions:

Q: 'Have you ever eaten apples…pears…grapes…bananas?' If yes, ask…
Q: 'How many times did you eat apples. …pears…grapes…bananas… in the last week?'

you could create a Table to ask these two question elements for all the different categories of fruit.

To add a table, select the Insert New Element button from the toolbar or Edit|Insert. Choose the Element Type 'Table', and click 'OK'. Start by double-clicking in the category box to enter information for each table category. In the label and text boxes enter each fruit category and appropriate label. Next, enter the number of elements and click 'OK'; our example here will contain three elements (two questions and one skip instruction). Now, for your data element items (questions) you will need to use what QDS calls substitution tokens. These stand-in for the names of the categories (fruit types in this example).

For the first data element you would enter: Text of Question: Have you ever eaten &TXT? Question Suffix: &C Variable name: EVER&C Variable label: Ever eaten &LBL Response Type: Yes/No

 

For the skip instruction specification you would enter: If*: EVER&C=0 Branch to: Skip 1 element

 

For the second data element you would enter: Text of Question: How many times have you eaten &TXT in the last week? Question Suffix: &C Variable name: WEEK&C Variable label: Eaten &LBL last week Response Type: Number

By default QDS will ask all categories for all questions. If you would like to skip a category(ies) for a given question you may specify this on the 'Applicability Tab' for that data element. For example, if you did not want to ask 'How many times did you eat grapes in the last week?' then you would choose the 'Exclude from Categories' option and type 'C' (the category for grapes) in the 'Categories' field. QDS would then skip the 'Grapes' category for the second element in this table.

Notes: Questions within tables must contain a substitution token for the category (&TXT or &ALT). Separate variables are created for each category of each Data Element in the table. If you use skips in your tables you must use one of the following setups on the Table Element tab:

• One element per row, automated interviews: column first (QDS default)
• One element per column, automated interviews: row first

Response Cards

Sometimes in a form you may want to repeat of given set of responses for many items, such as a scale of 1 to 5 that represents strongly disagree to strongly agree. To add a 'Response Card', select the Tools|Response Card menu item. First, click 'Add'; next, type in your card name, description, and selection type. Finally, under 'description of category,' add your code values and category descriptions.

Once you have created a response card you can use it as many times as you like as a 'Response Type' for a data element.

Finalizing your Questionnaire for Testing

Validating and Correcting Building Errors

At any time during your form development you may conduct a 'validation' to check specifications that must be consistent across two or more elements. To conduct a validation, select Tools|Validate. If no errors are found, you will be notified in a simple message box.

If any validation errors are found, a new window will be automatically opened to report the errors. Each error will be identified on a separate line in the error report. To see an explanation of an error message, right-click the message line then request Explain. To correct the error, either double-click the message to open the specifications for the related element, or right-click the message, then request Fix. When you have corrected the errors, request a new Validation and the error window will be updated or a new message will appear telling you that no errors were found.

Creating a Data Collection Module (Data Entry, CAPI, ACASI)

You may also test your form at any point during development. This is recommended to ensure that your skip instructions, edit checks, and other elements are working as you intended. There are several types of data collection instruments that you may produce from the same specifications file:

• Interviewer Administered Paper Form
• Self-Administered Paper Form
• Data Entry Program: Application for entering data into a file from a paper form
• CAPI (Computer-Assisted Personal Interview): An interviewer reads the questions to the respondent from the computer screen and records the answers with mouse/touchscreen/keypad
• ACASI (Audio Computer-Administered Self Interview): The computer will read questions aloud (using a text-to-speech engine or recorded human voice audio files) to the respondent who enters responses into the computer with a mouse/touchscreen/keypad

Once you have decided upon the type of data collection module to produce, select that type from the Build menu. Next, a 'Save In' box will be displayed. At this point you may change the default file name or file location. There are also different build options associated with each type of data collection module. You may modify these by clicking on the Options button located at the bottom of the 'Save In' box. Lastly, select 'Save'; a dialog box will ask if you would like to try out your file. Now you are ready to test your form or questionnaire.

Testing Your Form / Questionnaire

It is recommended that you test your application to reduce the number of changes that you need to make to your form after beginning true data collection. Although QDS has the ability to reconcile different versions of your form in the QDS Warehouse Manager Module, having multiple versions of a form/questionnaire makes data management and analysis more complex.

Reviewing the Codebook

Once you have completed entering your items it is a good idea to produce and review your form 'codebook'. To build your codebook, select Build|Codebook. At this point you may change the default name or location of the file to be saved in Rich Text Format (RTF) which can be viewed or printed by your word processing software. The Codebook lists question numbers, variable names, variable labels, code ranges, and item length. This is a good time to check the following:

• Variable Names - Check that all variable names have been renamed from the QDS default.
• Variable Labels - Check that all labels have been entered and are correct.
• Code Ranges - For numeric items, check that ranges were set correctly; e.g., limiting 'Age' to a range of 18 to 74 years. For all items, review whether or not special codes are allowed. By QDS default, the special codes 1) 'Don't Know,' 2) 'Refused,' and 3) 'Not Applicable' are always allowed. If you wish to disallow any/all of these for a question, uncheck the appropriate box(es) on the Data Element Response Set tab. You may modify the QDS defaults on the Special Codes tab under the Options|Data Defaults menu and activate the new default by selecting Tools|Global Changes.
• Item Length - For numeric variables, item length is determined by the code range (i.e., a range of 1 to 100 will have a length of 3). Length for Text Variables is set on the Response Set tab of the Data Element.

Testing Your Paper Form and Data Entry Application

From the Build menu, select Questionnaire (Interviewer-Administered) or Questionnaire (Self-Administered). Next, a 'Save In' box will be displayed. After you save your paper form, QDS will ask 'Would you like to open the RTF document now?'; select Yes. Your Word Processor will open up the form for you to review, print out, and enter sample responses. Next, return to the Design Studio and select Build|Data Entry Application. After saving your file you will see an 'Open' file dialog box. The default name for the data entry control file is the name of your specifications file name plus 'DE' with an extension of 'QDE'. For example, the 'Displaying Values.QDS' form will produce a Data Entry application named 'Displaying Values DE.QDE'. At this point you may choose to: 1) Enter new interviews 2) Verify prior interviews, or 3) Browse Interviews (read only). In addition, you may assign a 'Batch' designation for this file. Batch names may be any series of letters or numbers. This is especially useful when data forms will be entered onto multiple computers in sets of multiple files. For example, you could assign the Batch code A1 to the 'Displaying Values' Data Entry Application which might represent computer/data entry operator 'A' and '1' for the first set of forms to be entered. The resulting file name with the batch code assignment will be 'Displaying Values DE A1.QDE'. If you do not assign a batch code, all your data-entry files for a given QDS application will be named the same.

For initial testing, select Enter New Interviews (default), assign a Batch code, and select Open. You will now see the Data Entry Screen. You may use the toolbar buttons to enter (where appropriate) the special code responses of 'Don't Know' (.D), 'Refused' (.R), 'Not Applicable' (.N), and 'Missing' (.), and 'Checks' ('clear checks'). To view/choose the acceptable response codes for an item choose Code|Show List or select the Code List button. You will not need to record skip codes for correctly bypassed questions; QDS will automatically skip and fill these items. Once you have completed entering a form, QDS will automatically open a new blank form. The information bar along the bottom will tell you which case in the batch you are on, the Data Entry status, and the Subject ID code (e.g., Interview 2 of 2, Partially Entered, 100). You may use the options from the Interview menu to navigate to or delete/undelete a particular case. You may stop entering and save data at any point by selecting File|Exit. Each partially or completely keyed interview will be written to a Paper Interview Data file (extension .QPD) for subsequent processing by the QDS Warehouse Manager.

To continue entering data into the same file at a later point launch the Data Entry Application by double clicking on the 'Questionnaire Data Entry' (or QDE.EXE) icon in the Data folder located in your QDS directory. Choose Enter New Interviews and type in the batch code for your file (A1 in the prior example). QDS DE will open to a blank new data entry form.

To verify (blinded double-keying) your previously entered data launch the Data Entry Application by double clicking on the 'Questionnaire Data Entry' (or QDE.EXE) icon in the Data folder located in your QDS directory. Choose 'Verify prior Interviews' and type in the batch code for your file (A1 in the prior example). QDS DE will open to the first interview not yet verified. In verification mode QDS will compare the two independently entered values; when those two values differ the program will beep, then re-prompt for the correct value. QDS does not require key verification of text fields; these fields will be viewable during the verification process and should be proofed visually. QDS will maintain a RTF log of any changed values that may be reviewed in your Word Processor. In our example, the log would be named 'Displaying Values DE A1.Log'.

Testing your CAPI/ACASI Application

From the Design Studio Build menu, select CAPI or ACASI Application. Next, a 'Save In' box will be displayed; the ACASI choice has an additional tab under Options for Audio specifications. After you save an ACASI Automated Interview Control File, QDS prompts 'A Script file has been produced. Would you like to open the RTF document now?'. You can use this Script File to record the audio files for each question or information text to be read to the respondent. If you choose to use only the computer generated speech, you can ignore the Script File. If you do plan to use human voice recordings, it's best to wait until your specifications have been finalized before making the recordings (in order to avoid re-recording items each time the questions are modified). For both CAPI and ACASI Automated Interview Control Files, QDS will ask 'Would you like to try out the control file now?'. Select Yes to begin testing.

You will now see an 'Open' file dialog box. Your automated interview control file will be named QDS file name + en CAPI/ACASI + .QPI. For example, the 'Displaying Values.QDS' form will produce the CAPI application named 'Displaying Values en CAPI.QPI'. At this point you may choose to 1) Begin a new Interview or 2) Resume a Prior Interview. Once you begin the CAPI/ACASI interview enter item responses using your keypad, mouse, or touchscreen. Where applicable, buttons will be enabled for 'Don't Know,' 'Refuse to Answer,' 'Not Applicable,' 'Previous Question,' 'Next Question,' and 'Repeat the Question' (only for ACASI). At the end of your form QDS will ask you if you would like to save the data from the interview and then begin a new interview. Your data file will be saved as QDS file name + en CAPI/ACASI + .QAD. For example, the 'Displaying Values.QDS' form will produce the CAPI data file named 'Displaying Values en CAPI.QAD'. If you plan to conduct interviews on multiple computers/files you will need to rename your files to unique names before data processing in the Warehouse Manager. Otherwise all your Automated interview data files will be named the same for a given QDS application.

When QDS Creates Different Versions

Following the testing of your form it is likely that you will update your specifications. Keep in mind that a new 'version' of your form will be created every time you rebuild your Paper/Data-Entry or CAPI/ACASI applications (even if you haven't made any changes to the specifications). It is recommended that most modifications be made prior to real data-collection and in batches once real data-collection has begun. This will reduce the number of form versions that you need to work with in data management and analysis.

QDS Design Studio and Application Files and Extensions

The table below lists the files produced by the Design Studio and data collection modules.

Extension Description Example File Name QDS Questionnaire Specifications File Example.QDS QDO User Options File Example.QDO QDE Data Entry Application Control File Example DE.QDE QPI CAPI Application Control File Example en CAPI.QPI QSI ACASI Application Control File Example en ACASI.QSI QAD Automated Interview Data File Example en CAPI.QAD Example en ACASI.QAD QPD Data Entry Data File Example DE XYZ.QPD* LOG Data Entry Verification Log Example DE XYZ.LOG*

* XYZ = Batch code 

Managing Data Collected with QDS

Working with Your Collected Data in the Warehouse Manager

With the Warehouse Manager you will add all your collected data into a single 'Warehouse' file for data processing and management. Within this file you may add data, modify, delete, and view data, as well as reconcile different form versions. Finally, you may export your dataset to various other software programs such as SAS, SPSS, and Microsoft Access.

Creating a New Warehouse

Once you have begun data collection for your form or questionnaire you can begin processing data with the QDS data management tool, Warehouse Manager. Launch the Warehouse Manager Application by double clicking on the 'Questionnaire Warehouse Manager' (or QWM.EXE) icon in the Data folder located in your QDS directory. Select File|New Warehouse and enter the name of your Warehouse file. For the Quick Start Guide example we will assume that data collection and management are being conducted at a single site. You will need to create a separate warehouse for each QDS form that you created in the Design Studio; however, data collected in different ways (Paper and DE, CAPI, ACASI) may be put together in one warehouse. Note that the Local Warehouse window will show status (complete, incomplete, duplicate, deleted, resumed, transferred, shipped), version, date and time recorded, subject ID, date in, date out (for deleted cases), and date changed (for modified cases). The Source Data window shows the first four items for each case.

Adding New Data

After creating your new Warehouse it will appear as an empty window. To begin adding data select File|Open and choose Files of Type. To add data that was collected on paper and subsequently data-entered, select 'Paper Interview Data Files (*.QPD); for data that were collected with CAPI/ACASI select 'Automated Interview Data Files (*.QAD). Next, choose which data file you would like to add first and select Open. You will now see the empty Local Warehouse window as well as a new Source Data window that contains the data for the file you selected. Select the cases you would like to copy from the source file to the warehouse. To select all interviews in the source file, choose Edit|Select All. To select a group of interviews, click the first interview in the group then hold the shift key down while clicking on the last interview in the group. Note that you can rearrange the list of interviews using the Sort By command in the View menu.

Once you have selected the interviews to be copied to the warehouse, use the Copy to Warehouse command in the Edit menu to transfer them. Note that the status of these interviews changes to 'transferred' in the source file as they are copied. Dragging and dropping can also transfer selected interviews. Click anywhere within the group of selected source interviews with the left mouse button, hold the button down while dragging the group to the Data Warehouse window, then release the mouse button.

Deleting Cases

You may delete cases from within either the Source File or the Local Warehouse. Select the case to be deleted and choose Edit|Delete or the Delete button from the toolbar. Note that although the status of the case changes to deleted you may still view data. It is also possible to undelete the case.

Modifying Data

You may also modify data from within either the Source File or the Local Warehouse. To modify the response value for one or more variables in a data form, choose the case from the warehouse list, then either (a) double-click its row or (b) highlight it then select Details from the View menu. Select the Variables tab then find the variable to be updated. Double click the variable name. A window will show the current numeric code and/or display value. Change the code and/or value as needed:

• Enter a numeric value or numeric code in the field labeled 'Numeric Code,' or
• Enter a text string in the field labeled 'Display Value,' or
• Check 'Don't Know,' 'Refused' or 'Not Applicable' if appropriate.

Click the OK button then continue with the next variable to be updated. Under Options from the View menu in the Local Warehouse you may specify file to maintain a data corrections log.

Duplicate cases

The Warehouse Manager status box will indicate if a case is a 'duplicate' according to the Subject ID variable. In addition, when you are adding cases to a Local Warehouse from a Source file you will be prompted whether or not to overwrite duplicate cases.

Exporting data

Data that have been added to the Local Warehouse may be exported to other software for further statistical analysis. Keep in mind that only those cases that are the 'Standard Version' will be exported. In addition, all the standard version cases will be exported; you may not select a subset of these from the Local Warehouse for export. To see how many cases you have ready for export select View|Versions; highlight the standard version (the number with the bull's eye) and click the Details button. You may change which version is the standard by highlighting that version and clicking on the Standard button. After making changes click the OK button.

Select File|Export Interviews, and choose the type of file you would like to export:

• SPSS System File (.SAV)
• SAS Transport File (.XPT) for SAS 6.12 or SAS 8
• MS Access Relational Database (.MDB)
• MS Access Flat Database (.MDB)

For each of these export types you may click the Options button to specify 1) including question number in variable label (SAS and SPSS) 2) changing the exported value of the special codes ('Don't Know,' 'Refused,' 'Not Applicable,' 'Skipped,' and 'Missing'). After modifying any options, click 'OK'. Type a filename for your export data and click the Save button. A dialog box will tell you how many interviews have been exported to your file.

For exporting data to an ASCII file, you do not need the Warehouse Manager. Launch the Questionnaire Data Application by double clicking on the QDA.EXE icon in the Data folder located in your QDS directory. Select the type of file you would like to convert (.QAD or .QPD), the filename, and click 'Open'. A dialog box will tell you how many interviews were copied to the ASCII file, which will be given a .TXT extension.

Warehouse Manager Advanced Features

Reconciling Different Questionnaire Versions

As previously mentioned the QDS Warehouse Manager has the capability of reconciling different versions of your form. This is a powerful, but complex process; therefore, you should try to minimize the number of versions that you will produce. A different version of your form/questionnaire will be produced every time you rebuild an application; forms administered in different languages will also be different versions.

Working with Data Collected from Multiple Sites

The QDS Warehouse Manager also includes special features targeted to studies where data are collected at multiple sites and then sent to another location for central data management. To send a copy of data you have collected from your local site to a central data management site, you can create an Interview Shipment file. In the Local Warehouse select File|New Shipment to initialize a new file in which to ship interviews. To transfer the interviews you want to send select Edit|Ship from Warehouse. Note that the status of the transferred interviews changes to 'Shipped' as they are copied. Dragging and dropping can also transfer selected interviews.

When you have finished adding cases to your Interview Shipment file, send the shipment file (*.QTD) to your Data Coordinating Center. When the Data Coordinating Center receives your file, they will copy the interviews to their Central Data Warehouse and return a Shipment Receipt file to you. When you get the Shipment Receipt file, open it in your local Data Warehouse and select Edit|Post Receipts; this will automatically mark the interviews as having completed the transfer.

QDS Warehouse Manager Files and Extensions

The table below lists the files produced by the Warehouse Manager.

Extension Description Example File Name QWM Data Warehouse Example.QWM QSR Data Receipt File Example.QSR QTD Data Shipment File Example.QTD QVR Reconciliation File Example.QVR

Other Files Produced/Used by QDS

Extension Description Produced by DIC DECTalk Dictionary WinDic.EXE MDB Access Database Warehouse Manager (QWM.EXE) RTF Rich Text Format; format used for paper questionnaires, codebooks, and change history Design Studio (QDS.EXE) SAV SPSS System File Warehouse Manager (QWM.EXE) XPT SAS Transport File Warehouse Manager (QWM.EXE) TXT ASCII File QDA.EXE (Data to ASCII utility)

Watch this site for a PowerPoint presentation that will introduce you to the QDS system, structure, and some of the features available with QDS.