1. Paper  SNAP  Excel  SiR  Access / SPSS Viva Las Vegas or Getting data from A to B John S. Lemon

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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 ?”

5. 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 !!

6. 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

7. 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

8. Paper  SNAP  Excel  SiR  Access / SPSS Size of problem Form mainly tick boxes –OK But – –Free text –Id number

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. Paper  SNAP  Excel  SiR  Access / SPSS Viva (?) Las Vegas The ‘Eifle’ tower Adverts on the TOP of trains

21. Getting data from a corrupt Access data base SoS(r) Save our Student (records) Getting data from corrupt Access data base John S. Lemon

22. 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

23. 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 !!!

24. Getting data from a corrupt Access data base The problem All looks OK

25. Getting data from a corrupt Access data base Phew ! Still looks OK

26. Getting data from a corrupt Access data base Oh no !!! What happened ?

27. Getting data from a corrupt Access data base Try and get data out Simplest thing - EXPORT

28. Getting data from a corrupt Access data base Try and get data out Simplest thing – EXPORT to Excel

29. Getting data from a corrupt Access data base The cycle begins ! First message – what does it mean ?

30. Getting data from a corrupt Access data base The cycle continues Another error

31. Getting data from a corrupt Access data base Another message Have you ever got a reply ?

32. Getting data from a corrupt Access data base The cycle begins again ! No clearer second time around

33. Getting data from a corrupt Access data base The cycle continues Can get fed up with seeing this

34. Getting data from a corrupt Access data base Give up Uncheck this – and you can ‘escape’

35. Getting data from a corrupt Access data base No progress though Multiple copies !! Each iteration gives another copy All broken !!!

36. 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

37. Getting data from a corrupt Access data base The Import steps In SiR select ‘Import Records’

38. Getting data from a corrupt Access data base The Import steps Choose the data source

39. Getting data from a corrupt Access data base The Import steps Now choose the table to Import

40. Getting data from a corrupt Access data base The Import steps Now choose the table to Import

41. Getting data from a corrupt Access data base The Import steps Chance to correct default data typing

42. Getting data from a corrupt Access data base The Import steps Can save the code for repeated runs / editing

43. Getting data from a corrupt Access data base Success ? The results from running the code

44. Getting data from a corrupt Access data base A check for re-assurance Use Spreadsheet

45. Getting data from a corrupt Access data base A check for re-assurance Looks OK – bad records at top & bottom

46. Getting data from a corrupt Access data base The Epilogue It works Needs some experimenting to get right Again SiR saved the day