Available DSCs

Data source components (DSCs) are components of the UNICOM Intelligence Data Model that enable it to read and write data in different data formats. For an introduction to how the components of the UNICOM Intelligence Data Model work together to read and write data, see UNICOM Intelligence Data Model. Each DSC is specific to a particular type and format of data. However, regardless of the format of the underlying data, the UNICOM Intelligence Data Model always presents the data in a standard way. Each DSC has its own rules for interpreting and writing the underlying data.

DSCs can be case data source components (CDSCs), which read and/or write response data, metadata source components (MDSCs), which read and/or write metadata (which defines the questions and variables in your survey), or both CDSC and MDSC.

DSCs vary in their capabilities. For example, some DSCs (such as the SPSS Statistics SAV DSC) are both MDSC and CDSC, whereas some (such as UNICOM Intelligence Data File CDSC) are CDSC only. Some DSCs (such as the Quanvert DSC) can only read data, others (such as the SAS DSC) can only write data, and some (such as the Quantum DSC) can both read and write data.

The UNICOM Intelligence products read and write data using the DSCs. This means that understanding how a DSC interprets and writes data explains how the UNICOM Intelligence products interpret and write data. For example, if you want to understand exactly how UNICOM Intelligence Reporter interprets data in a IBM SPSS Statistics .sav file, you need to understand how the SPSS Statistics SAV DSC reads the data. Or if you want to understand how UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer - Paper/Scan Add-on Transfer defines the data when it writes your scanned data to a Quantum ASCII file, you need to understand the Quantum DSC.

The UNICOM Intelligence Data Model comes with a number of DSCs. However, it is possible to create your own, and you might want to do this if your data is in a format for which a DSC is not supplied. For information about creating a DSC, see Creating a Metadata Source Component (MDSC) and Creating a CDSC.

The UNICOM Intelligence Data Model comes with the following DSCs:

Reads and writes case data to an UNICOM Intelligence relational database. The RDB DSC currently supports SQL Server databases only. This is the CDSC that UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer uses to write response data.

Internal name: mrRdbDsc2

Reads and writes case data to a UNICOM Intelligence file-based database. The UNICOM Intelligence Data File CDSC has all the features of the Relational MR Database (RDB) CDSC, but does not require a separate relational database management system. The UNICOM Intelligence Data File CDSC therefore provides a simpler and more portable format for the storage of "offline" UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer data.

Internal name: mrDataFileDsc

Reads and writes metadata and case data in a IBM SPSS Statistics .sav file.

Internal name: mrSavDsc

Reads and writes case data in a Quantum-format ASCII file. Writes metadata in the form of a basic Quantum specification.

Internal name: mrPunchDsc

Reads metadata and case data in a Quanvert database.

Internal name: mrQvDsc

Reads case data and metadata in the standard Quancept QDI/DRS format.

Internal name: mrQdiDrsDsc

Reads standard UNICOM Intelligence log files.

Internal name: mrLogDsc

Reads case data and metadata from ADO files.

Internal name: mrADODsc

Reads Surveycraft case data and metadata.

Internal name: mrSCDsc

Reads and writes case data in a fixed-format or comma-separated text file that meets the version 1.2 or 2.0 Triple-S standard. Reads and writes metadata in a version 1.2 or 2.0 Triple-S XML file.

Internal name: mrTripleSDsc

Reads and writes tab-delimited, variable length, case data records to a text file.

Internal name: mrCsvDsc

Reads and writes case data to an XML file. Typically, you use this CDSC when you want to demonstrate or test the transfer of small volumes of case data. To transfer production data, use the UNICOM Intelligence Data File CDSC.

Internal name: mrXmlDsc

Writes files in the SAS version 7 for Windows, standard-extension format.

Internal name: mrSasDsc

Reads and writes metadata in an mrScriptMetadata file.

Internal name: mrScriptMDSC

Translates the routing section of an MDM document into the routing section of an interviewing script.

Internal name: mrRoutingScriptMDSC

Converts metadata to a Quancept script.

Internal name: mrQcDsc

Reads a UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer project's Sample and HistoryTable tables and creates derived categorical variables corresponding to the columns in those tables.