Before you create an analysis project in UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer - Server Admin, you must make sure that any data files that are required are ready for uploading. You can upload files individually or in a .zip file. Using a .zip file is recommended when you upload large files. If you use a .zip file, UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer - Server Admin automatically unzips the .zip file and deletes it after it has been uploaded. You can upload files from your computer or the network.

UNICOM Intelligence Reporter uses the UNICOM Intelligence Data Model to access the underlying data, which can be, for example, an SPSS .sav file, a Quanvert database, a relational MR (RDB) database, Quancept data stored in .qdi and .drs files, and so on. The UNICOM Intelligence Data Model handles case data (which stores the actual responses) and metadata (which describes the case data and stores the question and category texts, and so on.) separately. UNICOM Intelligence Reporter requires a metadata source as well as a case data source. The metadata source can be an UNICOM Intelligence Metadata Document (.mdd) file or any other metadata format for which a suitable read-enabled Metadata Source Component (MDSC) is available. The case data can be in any format for which a suitable read-enabled Case Data Source Component (CDSC) is available.

Although UNICOM Intelligence Reporter can read metadata in any format for which a suitable read-enabled MDSC is available, there are performance advantages in using metadata in an .mdd file. This is because when the metadata for the project is stored in an .mdd file, UNICOM Intelligence Reporter caches the metadata and this leads to significantly improved performance. The caching persists between sessions and is updated when you create and edit variables.

UNICOM Intelligence Reporter does not cache the metadata when it is stored in a proprietary format (such as Quanvert, Quancept .qdi, or SPSS .sav). However, you can use MDM Explorer to create an .mdd from the proprietary metadata for use in the UNICOM Intelligence Reporter project. You then upload the .mdd file with the other data files for the project, and configure the project to use the .mdd file. MDM Explorer is included with the UNICOM Intelligence Developer Documentation Library. For more information, see Creating an .mdd file from proprietary metadata.

Quanvert databases come in two formats: packed and unpacked. A packed database consists of a single file with a .pkd filename extension; an unpacked database consists of many files including a header file called qvinfo.

UNICOM Intelligence Reporter support both formats. When using the unpacked format it is advisable to pack the files before uploading, but note that the packed format is not supported for Quanvert multiprojects.

There are some additional steps for setting up Quanvert multiprojects for use in UNICOM Intelligence Reporter: see Setting up a Quanvert multiproject for use in UNICOM Intelligence Reporter.

When you are using a .sav file that you created using the UNICOM Intelligence Data Model (for example, using UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer - Paper/Scan Add-on Transfer or exporting UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer data), it is always preferable to read it using the .mdd file that was used when creating it (that is the output metadata file if you created the .sav file using a DMS file). This means that the variables (and their names) will match those in the .mdd file and are therefore easier to understand. For example, several variables may be created in the .sav file from a single text variable in the .mdd file. When you access the .sav file in UNICOM Intelligence Reporter using the .mdd file, these variables are recombined and presented as one variable.

The name of this file must be <savfilename>.sav.ini, for example, myproject.sav.ini.

For more information, see “Language Handling by SPSS Statistics SAV DSC” in the UNICOM Intelligence Developer Documentation Library.

When you are using Quancept data, generally the metadata is in the form of a .qdi file and the case data is in a .drs, .drz or .dru file.

By default, UNICOM Intelligence Reporter uses the hierarchical view when you work with case data in the XML format. However, when you export data to XML, the data is generally written in the flat (VDATA) format. The UNICOM Intelligence Developer Documentation Library comes with a sample mrScriptBasic file (called CdscHdataTransfer.mrs) that you can use to export hierarchical data to an XML file in the hierarchical (HDATA) format. Alternatively, you can select the flat view within UNICOM Intelligence Reporter. When you use case data in the XML format, the metadata is generally in the form of an .mdd file.

When the case data is stored in a relational MR database, the metadata is generally stored in an .mdd file and is generally the only file you need to upload. If the database is in the form of a SQL Server backup, you must restore it.

When you upload Surveycraft data, you must upload both the .qdt and .vq files. You may also want to create a metadata (.mdd) file and upload that as well. This does not increase the initial speed of UNICOM Intelligence Reporter, but can improve performance when you next open the project in UNICOM Intelligence Reporter. You must have write access to the .qdt and .vq files that you want to upload.

For more information about the DSCs that come with the UNICOM Intelligence Data Model and how they interpret the underlying data, see the UNICOM Intelligence Developer Documentation Library.