Card and Column preferences

Enter the number of columns required for the serial number field. The default is 10. The serial field is used to store the serial number variable (typically Respondent.Serial) and is stored on every card.

Enter the number of columns required for the card number field. The default is 2. The maximum possible value is 9. The card number is stored on every card.

Enter the total number of columns on each card. Leave blank to indicate that one card of unlimited length is to be used. The default is 80. If you are using more than one card, the maximum possible value is 1000.

If you want Metadata Model to Quantum to allocate extra columns to categorical variables for use if categories are added, enter the number of spare columns you want allocated. Be careful not to enter a very large value, because this can result in variables not fitting on to a card at all. The default is zero, which means that no spare columns will be allocated.

When selected, all categoricals are allocated as numerics by default.

When selected, this option causes zero (0) characters to be added to the left for all categoricals allocated as numerics.

Using more than one shared list for a question, and using the same shared lists in other questions, can result in errors. The errors are the result of Metadata Model to Quantum being efficient in terms of file size and time to allocate. Efficiency is achieved by allocating card, column and punch values on the shared list object. The allocations made on the shared list objects can overlap when the shared list is used with other shared lists (in different combinations).

When this option is selected Metadata Model to Quantum allocates card, column, and punch values separately for each question, instead of allocating the shared list. The process is time consuming, but ensures that the allocations are unique. When the option is not selected, Metadata Model to Quantum usually allocates card, column, and punch values on the shared list object, which is more efficient but can result in overlaps.

Open-ended questions generally have an associated Codes variable to store the coded responses. Select this check box if you want Metadata Model to Quantum to allocate these variables to one or more separate cards. Deselect this check box if you want Metadata Model to Quantum to allocate the Codes variables in their normal sequential position. This option is ignored when the Max Card Length text box is left blank to indicate that a single card of unlimited length is to be used.

This controls whether the system variables are allocated before or after the other variables.

Defines the punches that can be used in a multicoded column (the punches that can be used with other punches) and the order in which they should be used in the Quantum bitfield.

▪QC style (1/9, 0/9, ...). In this system, the first column used to store data for a categorical variable uses the codes 123456789, and the second and subsequent columns use the codes 0123456789. You can export multiple response questions as multicoded columns using this system.

▪Traditional (1/&, ...). This option corresponds to the default Quantum coding system of 1234567890-&. However, note that Metadata Model to Quantum assigns the next available code to the special responses of No answer and Don't know and not the - and & characters that are used in Quancept CATI and Web .dat files. You can export multiple response questions as multicoded columns using this system.

▪Custom. If you select this option, you can enter a string to define the punch mask. The punch mask must not contain more than 12 characters. All of the characters must be printable, and an asterisk (*) must not be used. Typical punch masks are 0123456789XY, &-0123456789, and 0123456789.

Select this option if you want to use multiple single-coded columns for the responses to a multiple response question rather than one or more multicoded columns. Using this option means that each category in a multiple response variable is allocated a separate column. However, because each variable has to fit on a single card, this option is not suitable for use in questionnaires that contain one or more multiple response questions that have more categories than the number of columns available on each card. (The number of available columns can be calculated by subtracting the number of columns used for the serial and card number fields from the card length.) Similarly Explode Multipunch Questions is not suitable when the Quancept Coded(X) option has been used and X has a value greater than the number of available columns on each card. For example, when has X is greater than 73 and you are using the standard Quantum settings of card length of 80, serial number in columns 1-5, and card number in columns 6-7.