[DDI-users] questions about a couple of DDI elements

[Wendy Thomas]

Kate,

A few notes interspersed below. Hope they help.

Wendy

On Fri, 6 Jul 2007, Katherine McNeill-Harman wrote:

> Hi there,
>
> We're doing our first project of actually creating a DDI codebook (in 
> 2.1) to a study (hand-coding, it's a one-time project on a very small 
> data set).  I've been on the theoretical end of things up until now, so 
> I have a couple of nitty-gritty questions to ask as I go over the 
> elements.  I don't see much action on this list, so if this isn't the 
> right place to post my question, please let me know.  And if any of 
> these questions lend themselves more to a phone call than an email 
> exchange, I'm happy to chat.
>
> 1) Our data file is tab-delimited, rather than fixed field.  Element 
> 3.1.6, Data Format, does let us specify that.  However, when I get to 
> element 4.3.1, Location, I only see the ability to specify the start/end 
> of a variable (as you'd do in a fixed-field dataset).  The tag library 
> says for that element "Note that if there is no width or ending 
> position, then the starting position should be the ordinal position in 
> the file, and the file would be described as free-format."  Is that the 
> way we'd handle tab-delimited?  And if we do use "ordinal position in 
> the file," then would we just put as the value the sequential number of 
> the variable (i.e. 1 for the first, 2 for the second, etc.)?
>
Yes, delimited files (with any form of delimiter) use the StartPos to 
provide their array number in the record. You can use width to indicate 
maximum width.


> 2) The data file is based on a qualitative study (coded interviews) so 
> many of the fields have text in them.  Am I missing somewhere the 
> ability to specify if a variable is numeric, alpha, alphanumeric, etc.?
>

varFormat 4.3.23 has a type attribute (characer | numeric) with a default 
of numeric

> 3) The DDI codebook is intended to describe the data as we've published 
> it in a single tab-delimited file.  However, we will distribute in the 
> same venue other versions of the data, namely some subsets of the data 
> and versions in other software formats, such as FileMaker Pro (note: for 
> various reasons I won't go into here, we're not taking the time to 
> describe those in detail in the DDI).  These other files will not be 
> documented by the DDI but I'm wondering where to refer to them.  We're 
> using Other Study Materials in 2.5 to refer to a textual report that 
> goes with the data file; would that be an appropriate place for these 
> other files?  From my reading of the elements, I wouldn't think they'd 
> belong in Other Related Materials in 5.0 or 2.4.1.4, Extent of 
> Collection, but I'm not sure.
>
2.4.1.4 seems to be more of a summary of the size of the collection rather 
than allowing for explicit identification of files. In reading the 
description in the DTD I'd say 2.5.2 is where you'd put them.

<!-- 2.5.2 Related Studies.                                           -->
  1370 <!-- Information on the relationship of the current data
  1371       file to other data files (e.g., predecessors, successors,
  1372       sequels, abridgements) or to other editions of the same
  1373       data file. This would include the names of additional
  1374       data sets generated from the same data collection
  1375       vehicle plus other data sets directed at the same
  1376       general topic. Can take the form of bibliographic citations. 
-->


> 4) As this is my first time doing this, might there be a volunteer out 
> there who'd be willing to look over my file before we publish it?

If you don't find other volunteers I'd be happy to review them, however, 
someone else may have more flexible time and have their head more firmly 
in 2.1 than mine is.

>
> Thanks,
> Kate McNeill-Harman
>
> ___________________________________________
> Katherine McNeill-Harman
> Data Services and Economics Librarian
> Dewey Library for Management and Social Sciences
> Massachusetts Institute of Technology
> mcneillh at mit.edu | 617-253-0787
> http://libraries.mit.edu/guides/subjects/data/
>
>
>
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>

Wendy L. Thomas                          Phone: +1 612.624.4389
Data Access Core Director		 Fax:   +1 612.626.8375
Minnesota Population Center              Email: wlt at pop.umn.edu
University of Minnesota
50 Willey Hall
225 19th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455