[DDI-users] ability to track parent/contingent variables?

[Wendy Thomas]

opps didn't read to the end of your question. sorry.

I'm not sure what other relationship they would have...No relationship? If 
so, you wouldn't complete the RecordRelationship section. Remember that 
these describe logical records so if you are talking about a physical 
segment of a logical record that is described in the physicaldatastructure 
and implies that you are just stringing the variables in physical segment 
order.

Grouping variables is a lot looser concept and has little to do with the 
relationship between logical records. I could create a group of 
variables and use that group to reference the variables contained in a 
logical record. I could also group variables in just about any way I 
wanted, e.g. topic, source, complexity, weights, etc.etc. etc. In other 
words, they do two different things. I can have multiple logical records 
and describe their relationship without ever using VariableGroup. I can 
group variables that all belong to a single logical records that has no 
relationships because there is only the single record.

Wendy


On Wed, 10 Dec 2008, Katherine McNeill wrote:

> I had a researcher who asked me if the DDI has the capability of tracking relationships among variables (i.e. parent/child, other kinds of contingencies).  I thought for sure that 3.0 must and am trying to confirm the specifics.
>
> I searched through the Help Center and found something that says:
>
> <xs:simpleType name="RelationCodeType">
> <xs:restriction base="xs:NMTOKEN">
> <xs:enumeration value="Parent">  </xs:enumeration>
> <xs:enumeration value="Child">  </xs:enumeration>
> <xs:enumeration value="Sibling">  </xs:enumeration>
> </xs:restriction>
>
> Is this serving that function?  Are there other contingencies that can be specified other than parent/child sibling?
>
> And how if at all does this relate to the ability to group variables.
>
> Thanks
>
> ___________________________________________
> Katherine McNeill
> 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