Version handling in Metadata Model to Quantum
Questionnaire definitions usually contain versions, which record any changes to the content of the questionnaire. Typically, when the questionnaire definition changes (for example, a variable or category is added or deleted) a new version is created and when the changes are complete, the version is locked.
When you open a questionnaire definition (.mdd) or other type of metadata file or database in Metadata Model to Quantum, the version or versions that you select controls the variables and categories that you will see in Metadata Model to Quantum. You won't be able to see variables and categories that existed in other versions and Metadata Model to Quantum won't allocate them card, column, and punch definitions. Similarly, when you export a Quantum specification or a data map file, the Quantum specification and the data map will include the variables and categories in the selected versions only. However, any card, column, and punch codes allocated to the variables and categories that exist in any other versions will be retained in the questionnaire definition and cannot be reused unless you choose the option to overwrite all existing allocations.
When you open an .
mdd or other type of metadata file or database that contains more than one version, Metadata Model to Quantum automatically displays the Metadata Versions dialog box (see
Version Selection). This lets you choose the version or versions on which you want to work. By default, the version or versions that you selected last time will automatically be selected, but you can easily select a different version or set of versions. After you've started working, you can easily view a list of all of the available versions and change the selection by choosing
Select Versions from the Tools menu.
When you export case data to a Quantum-format ASCII file, you will often want to export all of the case data at the same time regardless of which version of the questionnaire definition was used to collect it. However, if variables and/or categories have been added or deleted between any of the versions used for collection and the version used for the export, you are likely to encounter validity errors that may cause the export to fail. The solution to this problem is that when you export the data, you select all of the versions of the metadata that were used to collect it. Alternatively you can create a special merged version of the questionnaire definition for use for the export. You can do this using the
Metadata Model Version Utility, which you can open from the Metadata Model to Quantum Tools menu.
For best results, use the following steps:
1 At the start of your project, create the questionnaire definition in your authoring tool (the Build activity in UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer - Server Admin, the UNICOM Intelligence Professional interview option, or
UNICOM Intelligence WordCapture) as usual.
2 When the questionnaire definition is ready for collecting data, open it in Metadata Model to Quantum and do the following:
▪allocate card, column, and punch codes
▪export the Quantum specification.
3 When you add questions or categories to the questionnaire definition, go into Metadata Model to Quantum and allocate card, column, and punch codes to the new variables and categories. If necessary, you can use the Metadata Model to Quantum log file to assist you in manually editing the Quantum specification that you exported previously.
4 If you want to export case data collected using different versions to a Quantum-format ASCII file, either select all of those versions for the export or use the MDM Version Utility to create a merged version of all of the versions for which you want to export case data. Then use this merged version when you export the case data.
See also