home features documentation pricing contact us

Features — Data management

Questionnaire modifications during data collectionunlimitedThere are no constraints to questionnaire modification once the data collection is started. One can add or delete questions, reorder them, modify response categories or text, etc. All of these modifications can be done as participants are filling out questionnaires.
Number of records in a projectunlimitedThere is no limit, other than those imposed by the hard drive, on the number of records comprising a data collection project. If the administrator elects to provide aotomatic reusable access codes to each user, the number of entries in the data base is limited to 24 million (unless the access code is lengthened).
Data saved with each new screenokThe information is saved on the server hard disk with each new screen throughout the data collection. This has a number of advantages, including the following one:
  • in case of a power failure, the data entered up to then will be available once the system is back on line;
  • users can complete the data collection in several sessions if personal passwords were given to them;
  • partial information is available for incomplete records.
Stop and resume operationsokFor projects with individual access codes, it is possible to stop a data collection at any time. Answers provided in earlier sessions will be automatically available to any following data collection session using the same access code.
Prepopulation with known dataokPrior to the data collection, it is possible to insert in the data base information on participants to the data collection. It could be the name of the city of residence, a telephone number, the name of an employer or an employment category. These data are available in real time during the data collection to feed into calculations or skips. They could also be displayed, validated or modified by the user.
Recall of prepopulated data in real timeokIf known data were inserted in the data base prior to the data collection, they can be used in the text of questions or in any other context described in the paragraphs on recalls, computations and skips.
E-mailing of dataokOnce the data collection is completed for a given record, it is possible to e-mail all of the data captured to one or more addresses. This mechanism can add another layer of data backup and also serve as warning that one more questionnaire was completed.
Data storage formatMySQLThe data are kept on the server in a MySQL data base. This data format, which is common to a variety of Internet servers, is renown for its sturdiness and provides extremely fast data access. Textual data are stored in ANSI format.
Direct data accessokIndividual data collected online are directly accessible using a Web interface. It is possible to select individual records using a sophisticated selection menu. Data are read- and write-protected by password.
Calculation of frequency distributions and descriptive statisticsokOne of the CallWeb Web-based utilities produces frequency distributions and descriptive statistics — univariate and two-way. This feature, used in conjunction with a sophisticated selection menu, allows for interesting preliminary analyses of the data, in real time, as the data are collected.
Fixed-column format data exportokThe collected data can be exported to a rectangular fixed-column file which is readable by any computer application, as well as to a comma-delimited file accessible directly with Excel.
Production of SPSS, SAS and StatXP code to read and label dataokThe system can automatically generate a file containing the SPSS, SAS and StatXP statements required to read the data exported in fixed-column format. The code also produces variable and value labels compliant with these pieces of software.
Comma-delimited data exportokOver and above the fixed-column format, the system can export the data in "comma-delimited" format which can be directly read using the Excel spreadsheet software. The first line of the output file contains the variable names and the following lines, the data themselves.
francais