Comparing coded datasets

Posted by JKRockStomper on Dec 28, 2010; 4:30pm
URL: http://spssx-discussion.165.s1.nabble.com/Comparing-coded-datasets-tp3320418.html

Hello All

I have been browsing the list serve for some time now and I have a question that prolly is redundant but I am wanting to bring it up again if possible to get some new opinions.

I have been giving two datasets, 2004 and 2006 of criminal history.  The 2004 dataset was collected and coded by a prior organization and the 2006 dataset is coded in house.  My job is develope a set of standards/programs to determine if the 2006 dataset is similar to the 2004 dataset.  I do not have the code that produced the 2004 dataset but I do have the code for the 2006.  

I figured that I could run a few basic statisitics to see how these independant samples were different but on many variables this is very true and I can not determine if the programming behind the 2006 dataset is correct or not.  Are there any ideas/opinions that can help in this hunt?  Are there some procedures that you use to varify the datasets before you begin your analsis?