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Paper SNAP Excel SiR Access / SPSS
Viva Las Vegasor
Getting data fromA to B
John S. Lemon
Paper SNAP Excel SiR Access / SPSS
Setting the scene• Support number of items of software –
major ones are:– SiR
– SPSS - statistical package
– SNAP - questionnaire / survey tool
• Contribute to the ‘support forums’ for both SPSS and SNAP
• Started with a message on SNAP forum
Paper SNAP Excel SiR Access / SPSS
Setting the scene• Request for help on scanning paper
forms
• SNAP reference site on scanning as have used SNAP scanning from day 1
• Replied with ‘standard’ answer of “Do’s” and “Don’ts”
• No idea where the other member was from
Paper SNAP Excel SiR Access / SPSS
Setting the scene• Response to my E-mail inbox
– “Can you provide a number for me to ring you at 1000 PDT ?”
• First clue as to where user was !!!
• Answered a number of technical questions
• Then came the crunch one– “Can you come and run the operation ?”
Paper SNAP Excel SiR Access / SPSS
Setting the scene• Next evening another call after Email
saying “Yes – I can go” • Given details of flights and hotel – Las
Vegas in December.• Also further details of the problem which
had been glossed over !!– Including
• Timescale• Potential numbers
• They kept quiet until I agreed !!
Paper SNAP Excel SiR Access / SPSS
Size of problem• 13,000 delegates
• 12 themes / streams
• 3 sub themes / streams– 36 different forms
• Seven parallel sessions over three days
• Optional response forms for each session attendee
• Potential for 30,000 forms
Paper SNAP Excel SiR Access / SPSS
Size of problem• Needed to track
– Session– Stream– Sub-stream
• Also link form to delegate
• Timing– Last session closed 1830– Results by 1200 next day
Paper SNAP Excel SiR Access / SPSS
Size of problem• Form mainly tick boxes
– OK
• But – – Free text– Id number
Paper SNAP Excel SiR Access / SPSS
Size of problem• SNAP designs forms and scans them
extremely efficiently but– Only one licence so no simultaneous use
– Temporary staff couldn’t use SNAP
– No way to link via Id number in SNAP
• Event was less than a month away
• Needed lateral thinking
Paper SNAP Excel SiR Access / SPSS
Lateral thoughts (?)• Temp staff know Excel
• Snap creates Excel files
• SiR can read Excel files
• SiR is a database with PQL so– Can link Id number on form to extra stored
data
– Report generation is easy
– Different data formats
Paper SNAP Excel SiR Access / SPSS
Preparations• Create 36 forms
– Letter vs. A4 paper size
– Change the scanner as specifications of original too slow
– Generate test forms
– Create SiR schema
– Start coding
Paper SNAP Excel SiR Access / SPSS
More problems• Data files on attendees changed format
almost daily
• Requests for further information from final customer ( NAPA ) were added every other day
• Problems when original printers had a fire
• Work area in hotel too small
Paper SNAP Excel SiR Access / SPSS
Almost there• Arrived in Las Vegas to find
– Even more requests for reports & output– Data collection starting earlier so little time
to recover from 18 hrs travel and arrival in Las Vegas at 0400 ‘Aberdeen time’
• However it meant– No time for slot machines– Chance to test out procedures before large
scale data collection– Time for training temp staff
Paper SNAP Excel SiR Access / SPSS
The outcome• SNAP scanned the
forms with no problems
• Transfer to Excel was fine– Except static blew two
memory sticks
• Temp staff corrected mis-scanned text and numbers
Paper SNAP Excel SiR Access / SPSS
The outcome - SiR• Read corrected Excel files perfectly
• Generated reports and output files
• Coped with twice-daily changes in requirements including– Summary statistics from the different
streams and sub-streams
– Pattern of requests
– Extra information from external sources
Paper SNAP Excel SiR Access / SPSS
SiR XS – good points• Despite being time critical used SIR/XS
• Like the ability to use longer names– Quickly realised that too many characters
is almost as restrictive as just eight.
• Interface is better
• “Look and feel” of new dialog boxes is better
• Function keys to run / edit are great
Paper SNAP Excel SiR Access / SPSS
SiR XS – not so good points• Would love a “Find” and “Replace”
facility in the editor
• Better ‘typing’ of SPSS variables
• Why– SPSS 14 procedures have restrictions
based on type ( Series, Ordinal, Nominal )
– 15 is much more restrictive
Paper SNAP Excel SiR Access / SPSS
Conclusions• Continuing theme of previous papers at
SiR conferences
• Use vPQL to manipulate different sources of data– Convert
– Process
– Re-format
– Merge
– Output
Paper SNAP Excel SiR Access / SPSS
The power of a badge !!• Get to front of queues
• Best seats for large scale ‘motivation’ sessions.
• Apologies to people from States but …– Star spangled banner– Pledge of allegiance
Paper SNAP Excel SiR Access / SPSS
Viva (?) Las Vegas• The ‘Eifle’ tower
• Adverts on the TOP of trains
Getting data from a corrupt Access data base
SoS(r)
Save our Student (records)
Getting data from corrupt Access data base
John S. Lemon
Getting data from a corrupt Access data base
The Prologue• Summer school for Access
– Pre-cursor for direct entry to University
• Collects own information
• Created Access data base
• Added ‘bells & whistles’
• Became ‘corrupt’
• Couldn’t find good backup
• Couldn’t ‘rescue’ with Access
Getting data from a corrupt Access data base
The Prologue• Couldn’t dump data into Excel
• Couldn’t do much of anything
• Try SiR and ODBC !!!
Getting data from a corrupt Access data base
The problem• All looks OK
Getting data from a corrupt Access data base
Phew !• Still looks OK
Getting data from a corrupt Access data base
Oh no !!!• What happened ?
Getting data from a corrupt Access data base
Try and get data out• Simplest thing - EXPORT
Getting data from a corrupt Access data base
Try and get data out• Simplest thing – EXPORT to Excel
Getting data from a corrupt Access data base
The cycle begins !• First message – what does it mean ?
Getting data from a corrupt Access data base
The cycle continues• Another error
Getting data from a corrupt Access data base
Another message • Have you ever got a reply ?
Getting data from a corrupt Access data base
The cycle begins again !• No clearer second time around
Getting data from a corrupt Access data base
The cycle continues• Can get fed up with seeing this
Getting data from a corrupt Access data base
Give up • Uncheck this – and you can ‘escape’
Getting data from a corrupt Access data base
No progress though• Multiple copies !!
• Each iteration gives another copy
• All broken !!!
Getting data from a corrupt Access data base
A Knight ( SiR ) to the rescue• Set up ODBC connection first of all – may be better
ways – but - it works
Getting data from a corrupt Access data base
The Import steps• In SiR select
‘Import Records’
Getting data from a corrupt Access data base
The Import steps• Choose the data source
Getting data from a corrupt Access data base
The Import steps• Now choose the table to Import
Getting data from a corrupt Access data base
The Import steps• Now choose the table to Import
Getting data from a corrupt Access data base
The Import steps• Chance to correct default data typing
Getting data from a corrupt Access data base
The Import steps• Can save the code for repeated runs / editing
Getting data from a corrupt Access data base
Success ?• The results from
running the code
Getting data from a corrupt Access data base
A check for re-assurance• Use Spreadsheet
Getting data from a corrupt Access data base
A check for re-assurance• Looks OK – bad records at top & bottom
Getting data from a corrupt Access data base
The Epilogue• It works
• Needs some experimenting to get right
• Again SiR saved the day