Using the dsc.useLabel directive
When using Surveycraft DSC, it is a good idea to set *attrib dsc.useLabel=1 in the Surveycraft specification because it allows you to identify all categories uniquely. For example, if the Surveycraft specification is:
Q1 SP Question ( Gender )
/Please enter your gender.
C1 MALE
C2 FEMALE
Q2 SP Question ( AGE dsc.UseLabel )
/Please select your age.
C1 10
C2 11
C3 +12
the element values in the .mdd file should be:
Q0001.Code_1 'MALE' value = 21
Q0001.Code_2 'FEMALE' value = 22
Q0002.Code_1 '10' value = 21
Q0002.Code_2 '11' value = 22
Q0002.Code_3 '+12' value = 23
If you try to compare the categories in Q1 with the categories in Q2, you will encounter problems because their native values are the same. To get around this, add the *attrib dsc.useLabel to the Surveycraft specification as follows:
Q1 SP Question ( Gender )
*attrib dsc.uselabel=1
/Please enter your gender.
C1 MALE
C2 FEMALE
Q2 SP Question ( AGE dsc.UseLabel )
*attrib dsc.uselabel=1
/Please select your age.
C1 10
C2 11
C3 +122
This will generate the following native values which will make comparisons easier.
Q0001.MALE 'MALE' value = 21
Q0001.FEMALE 'FEMALE' value = 22
Q0002._10 '10' value = 23
Q0002._11 '11' value = 24
Q0002._12 '+12' value = 25
This means that the responses for a question must be unique, and not like these ones shown below:
Q2 SP Question ( AGE dsc.UseLabel )
*attrib dsc.uselabel=1
/Please select your age.
C1 ABC
C2 ABC
C3 ABC
A tool is available that will add the uselabel attribute to all questions. Contact your Support Representative for details.
See also