The
CSSort window has two columns: the
Items list on the left that contains all items currently available for use as a sort key, and the
Keys list on the right that contains all items that have been selected as keys for the sort. If CSSort was launched using a dictionary, then no items have yet been selected and hence, all items will appear in the left column. However if you begin CSSort with a
sort specifications file (.ssf), then you will most likely have one or more items in the right column.
If the questionnaire IDs listed in the Items list appear incomplete or incorrect, the only way to modify the list is via the data dictionary. Likewise, the order in which the fields are presented is determined by their definition within the dictionary. (Refer to the
choose type of sort help screen for details on how the type of sort will impact which items are shown in the left column.)
The Keys column indicates the order in which the original (source) data file will be sorted to the new (destination) data file. Normally, if the files are structured in a hierarchical manner using geography as the keys, you would sort from a top-level geoography (the largest geographical area such as Province) to some mid- or low-level geography (a small or local geographic area, such as village or enumeration area). It may not be necessary to sort using all case IDs (case IDs are those fields which make the questionnaire unique), but it will usually make CSPro perform better.
To move dictionary items to the Key column, do the following:
- Select a name from the Items list on the left.
- Click Add --> to move the selected item to the Keys column.
- If necessary, use the Move Up and/or Move Down buttons to promote/demote the key(s) to the desired sequence.
- Use the Ascending and Descending buttons to specify the order of the sorting (the default is ascending).
For each item placed in the Key column, you can change its sort value. Ascending means the item will be sorted in A-Z sequence if alphabetic, 0-9 if numeric, or a combination of the two if it is an alphanumeric field. Descending order means it will be sorted in Z-A sequence if alphabetic, 9-0 if numeric, or a combination of the two if it is an alphanumeric field.
- To select several names from the Items list, hold the <ctrl> key down while clicking on additional names.
- To select a sequential block of items, click on the first item, then hold down the <ctrl>+<shift> keys simultaneously while clicking on the last item of the block.
- Click Add All --> to move all items to the Key list.
- Click on <-- Remove, to remove selected keys, or <-- Remove All, to remove all keys from the key list.