Causes and Recovery of Corrupted CAPI Data Files

Causes of Corrupted CAPI Data Files

If the CAPI program is not properly shut down, the interview data file can become corrupted. To prevent improper shutdown:

  • Do not close CAPI using Ctrl+Alt+Del key combination or the Windows Task Manager.
  • Always make certain to keep laptop, tablet or other interview device sufficiency charged during interviews.
  • Do not leave laptop, tablet or other interview device unattended for long periods of time during an interview, as it could enter "sleep" mode resulting in an improper termination.
  • Do not keep CAPI Control Files (*.QPI) on a shared, network, cloud drive or any other type of external drive (e.g., USB drive); if the connection is interrupted during an interview, this can result in an improper termination.

Data File Recovery

If you attempt to begin a new interview following an interview that was terminated improperly, CAPI will display the message "An interrupted interview is pending from your last session. How do you want to proceed?" with three choices 1) Resume Interview (continues the interrupted interview to repair the data file), 2) Discard Interview (asks for confirmation and then deletes the previous incomplete interview if you confirm), 3) Cancel (exits CAPI without making a change to the data file). You should always attempt to resume the interview.

Message "An interrupted interview is pending from your last session. How do you want to proceed?" with three choices

After selecting Resume interview, complete the following steps:

  1. Complete the interview or follow proper steps to terminate the interview and close CAPI.
  2. Open the .QAD data file in the Warehouse Manager. If the data file was properly saved, you should be able to open it in the Warehouse Manager without error.

Tip: When an interview is improperly shut down, values for Automatic Variables prior to the point of the interruption are not written out to the data file. These variables can be recalculated by going back to the beginning of the interview using the Previous Question button and then using the Next Question button to go forward to the point of interruption. If this procedure is not followed Automatic Variables prior to the point of the interruption will have missing data.

You can also directly resume the interview; see Resuming a CAPI Interview.

If the interview cannot be resumed (e.g., there is an error message during the resume process), contact QDS technical support: support@novaresearch.com.