CSPro Users Forum

I have a problem generating tables with items containing multiple value sets. Something I don't understand, please advise.

In the dictionary, I have an item with 3 value sets

VS_1
label1 [1]

VS_2
label1 [1]
label2 [2]
label3 [3]
label4 [9] Missing

VS_3
label1 [1]
label2 [2]
label3 [3]
label4 [9] Missing

I have a data file with one record only where VS_1 is [1]

In a table I drag&drop :

VS_1
VS_2
VS_3

If I run the table with the data file, the result shows

VS_1 1
VS_2 1
VS_3 1

instead of

VS_1 1
VS_2 -
VS_3 -

Why CSPro doesn't make the difference between value sets?

This behavior is intentional. After all, the 1 in your data file isn't associated with any value set, it's simple associated with your item. Value sets primarily allow CSPro to:

1) Restrict entered values in CSEntry.

2) Know what values to display in tables.

Value sets are optional, and the 1 is not connected to VS_1, VS_2, or VS_3. If you didn't want to display the 1 in VS_2, then you could remove that value from the value set. Typically, however, you don't use multiple value sets from the same item on the same table, though I suppose that this could be useful at times.

Often people use multiple value sets because one value set is for data entry and one is for tabulating. The entry one, for example, might have a code for Missing, but then you would edit your data and impute values for the missing codes, and thus the tabulation value set would be lacking that Missing value.