Data entry

[Claire Loe]

Hi all,
I was wondering what folks prefer to use for data entry.  Excel?
Access? Does SPSS have a data entry package? I don't like using Excel
because of the ease of making errors and I am on a Mac which doesn't
support Access, though I have access to Access. What do y'all do?
Thanks,
Claire

[Sebastián Daza]

Claire:

I didn't have a good experience with SPSS Entry (very slow). I recommend you the cspro, available free in: http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/cspro/index.html. It is a very versatile and flexible program.

Greetings.

[kim.barchard]

Hi Claire,

I use Excel because it makes it so much easier to check that I have entered
the data correctly.  I have my research assistants enter the data twice,
and then Excel compares them.  If the two series of entries are identical
and no values are outside the allowable range for those items, then the
data is probably correct.   Once the two sets of entries agree for all
participants, then it is easy to copy and paste the data into SPSS for
analysis.

The basic idea of typing the data twice and making sure that the two sets
of entries agree can be easily implemented in any spreadsheet program and
in any operating system, and setting up the system from scratch is pretty
easy, once you have the basic idea.

To make it even easier, I have an Excel template that I give to graduate
students, so they can set up data entry spreadsheets for their own studies.
I'll send a copy of the template to your personal email address.  If anyone
else wants a copy of it, just email me directly. I can also send you a
conference presentation in which I talk about this template.

Best regards,

Kim


Message from [hidden email]

Hi all,
I was wondering what folks prefer to use for data entry.  Excel?
Access? Does SPSS have a data entry package? I don't like using Excel
because of the ease of making errors and I am on a Mac which doesn't
support Access, though I have access to Access. What do y'all do?
Thanks,
Claire

[Pirritano, Matthew]

I've found Access to be the way to go.

I create Forms in which data can be entered for each of my measures. I
create allowable values for each Form so that out of range values CANNOT
even be entered. A little dialog box pops up saying 'invalid entry.'
Having a Form that contains all of the questions for just one
questionnaire arranged on one page makes data entry go quite quickly.

The data from all of the Forms are linked via participant ID numbers.
The data is then stored in spreadsheets that include all info and can be
very easily transported into SPSS.

Before research assistants enter data they go through the measure and
total up the responses and write that total number on the actual
questionnaire. Then after they have entered their data and double
checked each entry they hit a button in the Form that totals up what
they have entered as a double check to be sure that what they have
entered agrees with the total that they had already calculated.

The double check of the totals takes a little more time. But added to
the preprogrammed acceptable values it drastically reduces data entry
errors. Of course, within range errors can still occur if data entry
folks are not careful but there's only so much that you can do.

Also, perhaps the greatest advantage of this system is that you can have
multiple people entering data into the same database simultaneously to
speed things along. I believe that you can also do all of these things
in excel but I still think Access is best.

I worked on a 3 year longitudinal grant with some folks that had been
professional financial data entry operators and they provided a lot of
the design of this method. Apparently financial institutions are
extremely averse to data entry errors. Go figure.

My two cents.

Matthew Pirritano, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Smith Hall 116C
Chapman University
Department of Psychology
One University Drive
Orange, CA 92866
Telephone [phone]
FAX [phone]

-----Original Message-----
From: SPSSX(r) Discussion [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of
[hidden email]
Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2007 2:26 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: Data entry

Hi Claire,

I use Excel because it makes it so much easier to check that I have
entered
the data correctly.  I have my research assistants enter the data twice,
and then Excel compares them.  If the two series of entries are
identical
and no values are outside the allowable range for those items, then the
data is probably correct.   Once the two sets of entries agree for all
participants, then it is easy to copy and paste the data into SPSS for
analysis.

The basic idea of typing the data twice and making sure that the two
sets
of entries agree can be easily implemented in any spreadsheet program
and
in any operating system, and setting up the system from scratch is
pretty
easy, once you have the basic idea.

To make it even easier, I have an Excel template that I give to graduate
students, so they can set up data entry spreadsheets for their own
studies.
I'll send a copy of the template to your personal email address.  If
anyone
else wants a copy of it, just email me directly. I can also send you a
conference presentation in which I talk about this template.

Best regards,

Kim


Message from [hidden email]

Hi all,
I was wondering what folks prefer to use for data entry.  Excel?
Access? Does SPSS have a data entry package? I don't like using Excel
because of the ease of making errors and I am on a Mac which doesn't
support Access, though I have access to Access. What do y'all do?
Thanks,
Claire

[Mark Webb-3]

Try EpiData.
www.epidata.dk

Get more help from Http:
----- Original Message -----
From: "Claire Loe" <[hidden email]>
To: <[hidden email]>
Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2007 10:01 PM
Subject: Data entry

> Hi all,
> I was wondering what folks prefer to use for data entry.  Excel?
> Access? Does SPSS have a data entry package? I don't like using Excel
> because of the ease of making errors and I am on a Mac which doesn't
> support Access, though I have access to Access. What do y'all do?
> Thanks,
> Claire
>
> __________ NOD32 2206 (20070420) Information __________
>
> This message was checked by NOD32 antivirus system.
> http://www.eset.com
>
>

[Beadle, ViAnn]

Although certainly not free, SPSS Data Entry has important features for collecting error-free data. The features fall into two categories: those which catch data errors during entry and those which find data errors post-data entry.

Features which support error free entry:

Form or spreadsheet fill-out. Forms support text fields, radio buttons, check boxes, lists, and drop-downs. Radio buttons, lists, drop-downs and check boxes constrain entry to enumerated values for variables.

Rules for skipping which bypass fields when some logical condition is met (e.g., if gender eq "male" then set everpregnant to missing and jump to variable age).

Features which support catching errors already committed during data collection:

Rules for testing value ranges or cross variable relationships. Once rules are defined, they can be used to batch report violations or to traverse through the file setting focus to variables in error.

If you already have a spss data file, open it in data entry to create checking rules and clean up rule violations.

File compare for finding mismatches during double entry. You can randomly check or bypass specific variables (useful if saving operator ids to the file).


MAJOR DISCLAIMER: I am an employee of SPSS.

[kim.barchard]

Dear ViAnn,

I think the SPSS Data Entry system sounds great.  I certainly agree with
SPSS that data entry is important.  I would like to strongly encourage SPSS
to include their Data Entry system with the Base System.  People will use
software if it is already on their computer or provided by their
institution

Kim


Kim Barchard
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
4505 S. Maryland Parkway
Las Vegas, NV 89154-5030
[hidden email]

Message from "Beadle, ViAnn" <[hidden email]>


Although certainly not free, SPSS Data Entry has important features for
collecting error-free data. The features fall into two categories: those
which catch data errors during entry and those which find data errors
post-data entry.

Features which support error free entry:

Form or spreadsheet fill-out. Forms support text fields, radio buttons,
check boxes, lists, and drop-downs. Radio buttons, lists, drop-downs and
check boxes constrain entry to enumerated values for variables.

Rules for skipping which bypass fields when some logical condition is met
(e.g., if gender eq "male" then set everpregnant to missing and jump to
variable age).

Features which support catching errors already committed during data
collection:

Rules for testing value ranges or cross variable relationships. Once rules
are defined, they can be used to batch report violations or to traverse
through the file setting focus to variables in error.

If you already have a spss data file, open it in data entry to create
checking rules and clean up rule violations.

File compare for finding mismatches during double entry. You can randomly
check or bypass specific variables (useful if saving operator ids to the
file).


MAJOR DISCLAIMER: I am an employee of SPSS.

[Björn Türoque]

I would like to second Kim's suggestion to include more options in the base
system, especially the base install sold to colleges and universities. This
would give students the opportunity to learn these packages, in addition
to the base SPSS system.  As a graduate student I often use the Data Entry
System and the Custom Tables Add on as well as a few other Add-ons that my
institution is lucky to have access to. At this point, using these add-ons
is almost second nature, and I find myself upset when I work on systems that
do not have them.

I was doing an internship a few months back and the company only had the
SPSS base install, which to me was very frustrating. At my urging, the
management decided to buy the custom tables add on, which was a huge relief
to me. The point being that once an individual is used to using these
add-ons it can be difficult to go back to not using them. Thus it might make
some sense to include more of these add-ons in the base install sold to
colleges and universities so that students can become acclimatized to using
them, and hopefully act as ambassadors for the product when they enter the
working world.

Don


On 4/20/07, [hidden email] <[hidden email]> wrote:

>
> Dear ViAnn,
>
> I think the SPSS Data Entry system sounds great.  I certainly agree with
> SPSS that data entry is important.  I would like to strongly encourage
> SPSS
> to include their Data Entry system with the Base System.  People will use
> software if it is already on their computer or provided by their
> institution
>
> Kim
>
>
> Kim Barchard
> Assistant Professor
> Department of Psychology
> University of Nevada, Las Vegas
> 4505 S. Maryland Parkway
> Las Vegas, NV 89154-5030
> [hidden email]
>
> Message from "Beadle, ViAnn" <[hidden email]>
>
>
> Although certainly not free, SPSS Data Entry has important features for
> collecting error-free data. The features fall into two categories: those
> which catch data errors during entry and those which find data errors
> post-data entry.
>
> Features which support error free entry:
>
> Form or spreadsheet fill-out. Forms support text fields, radio buttons,
> check boxes, lists, and drop-downs. Radio buttons, lists, drop-downs and
> check boxes constrain entry to enumerated values for variables.
>
> Rules for skipping which bypass fields when some logical condition is met
> (e.g., if gender eq "male" then set everpregnant to missing and jump to
> variable age).
>
> Features which support catching errors already committed during data
> collection:
>
> Rules for testing value ranges or cross variable relationships. Once rules
> are defined, they can be used to batch report violations or to traverse
> through the file setting focus to variables in error.
>
> If you already have a spss data file, open it in data entry to create
> checking rules and clean up rule violations.
>
> File compare for finding mismatches during double entry. You can randomly
> check or bypass specific variables (useful if saving operator ids to the
> file).
>
>
> MAJOR DISCLAIMER: I am an employee of SPSS.
>

[Richard Ristow]

At 07:21 AM 4/20/2007, Beadle, ViAnn wrote:

>Although certainly not free, SPSS Data Entry has important features
>for collecting error-free data. [Including] file compare for finding
>mismatches during double entry. You can randomly check or bypass
>specific variables (useful if saving operator ids to the file).

Bundling Data Entry with Base would be absolutely wonderful, but I have
suspicions how much Marketing would like the idea.

I join with Art Kendall, though, in asking that file compare be moved
to Base. Base is still the data-handling portion. File comparison isn't
a specialized tool for data entry; it's a very important
general-purpose tool.

-Good wishes,
  Richard

[Eugenio Grant]

Hi Clare:

If you are working with big databases and need to validate information on
many tables as well as the logic between them the best way to go is
definitely Visual FoxPro.

Regards,

-----Mensaje original-----
De: SPSSX(r) Discussion [mailto:[hidden email]] En nombre de
Claire Loe
Enviado el: Jueves, 19 de Abril de 2007 02:01 p.m.
Para: [hidden email]
Asunto: Data entry

Hi all,
I was wondering what folks prefer to use for data entry.  Excel?
Access? Does SPSS have a data entry package? I don't like using Excel
because of the ease of making errors and I am on a Mac which doesn't
support Access, though I have access to Access. What do y'all do?
Thanks,
Claire