Duplicate Case when In fact no duplicates

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Eliot2017
Posts: 6
Joined: July 2nd, 2017, 7:32 pm

Duplicate Case when In fact no duplicates

Post by Eliot2017 »

I have read a similar problem but the solution is complicated for me. I have copied the whole folder from my Tablet to my Laptop where I intended to then export data to SPSS. I could not export at all as an emppIf I try viewing the cases using the pff file (the traffic lights) but it tells me "Could not open data source ....: An index could not be created for a data file with duplicate case ideas, including, .........." I am using CSPro 7. and its a very simple survey that I am having. Strange thing is that another Entry application for another "survey" can do everything up to exporting but THIS particular one is NOT accepting anything.

Eliot
josh
Posts: 2399
Joined: May 5th, 2014, 12:49 pm
Location: Washington DC

Re: Duplicate Case when In fact no duplicates

Post by josh »

Try running the index files tool from the tools menu. It will identify any duplicate cases.

Normally if you use only one device you should not get any duplicates but if you concatenate together files from multiple devices then it is possible to have duplicates in the resulting data file. In that case the index files tool will identify and let you delete the duplicates.
Eliot2017
Posts: 6
Joined: July 2nd, 2017, 7:32 pm

Re: Duplicate Case when In fact no duplicates

Post by Eliot2017 »

I have 6 Enumerators and I took data from their tablets separately and have not yet brought it together at all. in the tablets, there is no error message indicating duplicates. On my laptop there is that error. If I run the index files tool on say the 11 cases from one of the enumerators and even allow it to remove duplicates automatically, it ends up with 105 cases! Yesterday I then removed those cases and instructed the enumerators to proceed so I could sort out the problem. What was collected today DOES NOT have that error message and behaving normal and so I am faced with the daunting task of how to get the 66 cases (11 x 6) from the first day of data collection. I have attached the result of running the List files tool.
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List File.docx
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Eliot2017
Posts: 6
Joined: July 2nd, 2017, 7:32 pm

Re: Duplicate Case when In fact no duplicates

Post by Eliot2017 »

Perhaps let me zip the whole thing. If you go via the Pen file and choose the data file, you actually open the data just as it is on the Tablets. But that is all you can do with it and I have 5 more such cases. What is wrong?
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Naomi Trial.zip
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josh
Posts: 2399
Joined: May 5th, 2014, 12:49 pm
Location: Washington DC

Re: Duplicate Case when In fact no duplicates

Post by josh »

There are actually no duplicates in the data file you posted. The problem is that the dictionary that you used in the pen file is different from the one that is in the application. A4 (researcher code) has been changed from length 2 to length 3. This means that in your pen file and the data that is entered the last id item (A6) ends on character 35 but the dictionary you assumes that this item ends on character 36 so it is considering the first part of one the record variables as part of the id which is completely messing up how it tells one case from another.

In CSPro, once you have data entered using a dictionary you have to be very careful changing the length of a variable or inserting new variables into the dictionary for this reason. The lengths of the dictionary variables you use to read the data must match the lengths of the dictionary variables you used to write the data or you will get nonsense results. You can either use the old dictionary (with A4 length 2) for the export or you can use the reformat data tool to convert the data to the new dictionary (with A4 length 3).

To use the reformat data tool you need both the old and new dictionaries. You specify the old dictionary as the input dictionary, the existing data file as the input data file, the new dictionary as the output dictionary and a new file for the output data file. You can then use the output dictionary and output data file for your export. You can look in the online help for info on reformat data.
Eliot2017
Posts: 6
Joined: July 2nd, 2017, 7:32 pm

Re: Duplicate Case when In fact no duplicates

Post by Eliot2017 »

Oh wonderful. It works. Greatly appreciated.
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