Overview
The Match tool is designed to take two datasets, align them, and combine them into one file. It was designed with tracking studies in mind as with these studies both individual wave files and an overall master file are often required.
Match allows the user to align two datasets at the question/variable level and/or at the answer choice level.
How to access and use Match
Data Operations is a data workflow tool where you can add to, edit, and manipulate your data so that your data tables and variables display the way you need them to in Analysis & Reporting.
Using Data Operations, you can append, match, merge, and split out your data in a number of different ways.
Accessing Data Operations
Step 1: Data Operations can be accessed by clicking the “Add” button at the top of each individual project folder:
Step 2: Once Data Operations is selected, you’ll need to give the file a name and click “Create”
It will then open a blank workflow template for you to work in.
Step 3: Select the tool that you want to use by clicking on either of the “+” signs:
Step 4: Select the tool type that you want to use (Append, Advanced, Match).
Step 5: Give the tool a name and, if desired, tag it and/or add a description.
Step 6a: Click on “Input” and select the two datasets that you want to work with:
Step 6b: If required you can filter your datasets on cases that meet your required criteria. To do this, click on the “Select” button next to one or both of the Filter rows:
This will open the filter builder where you can set-up your required filter, by entering the required variable(s) (section 1, in the screen shot below). and answer choice(s) (section 2, in the screen shot below). You have the choice of doing this visually in the Visual section (3, in the screen shot below) or you can edit the filter in the Advanced section (4, in the screen shot below). The View total section (5, in the screen shot below) will tell you the number of cases that will be included in your filter. When you’re finished, click “Save”:
Step 7: Click on “Output” select the location where you want to save your files and give the dataset a name and description (optional). Then click “Create”:
Step 8: Once you have selected the two datasets you want to align and merge into one dataset, you will be presented with a screen like the below:
Top Row Menu: Left side:
- Match Tool: This is just letting the user know that they are working within the Match Tool.
- Enable/Disable: Once a question is selected, this will go from grey to black and the user can then decide to enable or disable a question or answer choice in their dataset.
- Auto matching: This drop-down list allows the user to match on labels and tests, IDs and texts, Texts, or Internal IDs.
- Options: This drop-down list allows the user to add and remove empty rows.
Top Row Menu: Right side:
- Full move toggle: turning this on will make sure that if you move a variable up or down in one dataset blank rows are inserted to maintain alignment between the two datasets.
- Edit tool: this will bring the user back to the main set-up outlined in steps 4-7.
Second Row Menu:
- Questions: These are all of your survey variables at the top level.
- Subquestions: This feature will be removed because it is redundant. However, if you use Walr’s Survey Builder and have a “Container” of questions with that use the same answer choices, this group (or container) of questions and their answer choices would appear under the Subquestions tab.
- Columns: If you have a grid question these may be relevant. This sub-heading will display the scale used for the grid.
- Rows: Relevant to all questions/variables, these are the answer choices for each question.