Any data entry software to recommend?

[bluebluesky]

Hello, long time no see.
I am about to do the data entry for a study. My previous professor used BMDP, as I remember, which is a lot more convenient than Excel because you can type the numbers continuously without pushing the "next" arrows or "tab".

But I don't have a lab here and I don't think any computer in campus has this software. And this software costs a lot of money. I am wondering usually what is the best way to enter data? Or how you guys did it? I am planning to use SPSS or SAS to analyze data should any software should be able to transfer over. Thanks a lot. It's urgent.😕

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[cara susanna]

Is there a reason you can't enter it using SPSS?

 

[bluebluesky]

I guess "I" can enter it using SPSS, but my undergraduate assistants may not have SPSS installed in their computer. And it may be a lot easier to have them enter it in their own computers because we need to get it done soon. Is it easy to transfer excel file to SPSS? Thanks.

 

[TexaninDC]

I guess "I" can enter it using SPSS, but my undergraduate assistants may not have SPSS installed in their computer. And it may be a lot easier to have them enter it in their own computers because we need to get it done soon. Is it easy to transfer excel file to SPSS? Thanks.

I would go the Excel route if your RA's don't have SPSS in their machines. Only thing to plan ahead for is that Excel has a limited number of columns and rows. I've worked on a data set that exceeded that limit, so I had to split into multiple Excel files and merge them in SPSS (very easy to do). I can't recall how many variables you can have in your set but it's upwards of 300. If your Excel file is well organized (i.e. variable names on first row, cells are formatted correctly (date, currency, strings), then it imports nicely into SPSS. SPSS will recognize cell formats and first row as variable names. If multiple RA's will have different files, make sure that all variable names and cell formats are the same throughout each file so it merges correctly.

In SPSS you click on 'open' and in the dialog box, change the file type to xls and your Excel file should appear wherever you saved it.The instructions for importing are simple. Let me know if you need step-by-step. I've done this too many times so I'm pretty comfortable with it and prefer that route; and if you're pretty handy with SPSS, you can write syntax to do this automatically. If you write the syntax to import and merge multiple files, a quick run of the syntax and it does it all for you. 🙂

 

[AlaskanJustin]

I would go the Excel route if your RA's don't have SPSS in their machines. Only thing to plan ahead for is that Excel has a limited number of columns and rows. I've worked on a data set that exceeded that limit, so I had to split into multiple Excel files and merge them in SPSS (very easy to do). I can't recall how many variables you can have in your set but it's upwards of 300. If your Excel file is well organized (i.e. variable names on first row, cells are formatted correctly (date, currency, strings), then it imports nicely into SPSS. SPSS will recognize cell formats and first row as variable names. If multiple RA's will have different files, make sure that all variable names and cell formats are the same throughout each file so it merges correctly.

In SPSS you click on 'open' and in the dialog box, change the file type to xls and your Excel file should appear wherever you saved it.The instructions for importing are simple. Let me know if you need step-by-step. I've done this too many times so I'm pretty comfortable with it and prefer that route; and if you're pretty handy with SPSS, you can write syntax to do this automatically. If you write the syntax to import and merge multiple files, a quick run of the syntax and it does it all for you. 🙂

Lets say for ****s and giggles that you cannot afford Microsoft products and you dont feel comfortable hacking them 🙂 you could always use the awesome free program Open Office which is compatible with all data related programs, including SPSS, excel etc...

 

[andes]

You could try Microsoft Access

 

[Cigolon]

you could have them enter into excel and import into spss, although honestly- i've just gotten my undergrad assistants to do the work at school or on their home computer if they have spss.

other than that, nothing comes to mind. i would push any UG who wants grad training to get spss anyway and get familiar with it.

 

[AlaskanJustin]

ps... SPSS might be commonly used but it isnt a gold standard stats program, its kind of week in comparison to some 🙁 I know also people use SAS, but personally I am a fan of SigmaStat and SigmaPlot, mostly because of their programmability with Matlab, Maple, etc etc... but if all this sounds like jibberiish then just ignore it 🙂

 

[YoungestOld]

Anyone have experience (good or bad) with JMP? It's programmed by the same people who make SAS, but it's GUI-based and supposedly has many of the chart/graph making features of SPSS.

And on the subject of import/export between Excel and SPSS... it's all fun and games until you give yourself a panic attack from trying to convert an .xls that's password protected. 😀 (It's actually easy to go into excel and remove the password-protection, but SPSS gives you a generic but soul-crushing "I can't open this" error message if you don't.)

 

[AlaskanJustin]

Anyone have experience (good or bad) with JMP? It's programmed by the same people who make SAS, but it's GUI-based and supposedly has many of the chart/graph making features of SPSS.

And on the subject of import/export between Excel and SPSS... it's all fun and games until you give yourself a panic attack from trying to convert an .xls that's password protected. 😀 (It's actually easy to go into excel and remove the password-protection, but SPSS gives you a generic but soul-crushing "I can't open this" error message if you don't.)

hmm well if you dont have money issues (aka buying JMP) then sigma stat and plot are probably more useful per cost ratio, the one VERY nice thing about JMP is that its linux compatible, however if you are on a linux system like myself then you should well know that once in linux, everything is free, meaning you can find an equivalent program that is and will always be free 🙂

In fact I should just get on my soapbox now and say "Everyone switch to linux, its free, all the programs are free that you would ever need, its easy nowadays with no code background necessary (although doesnt hurt to learn some unix) and the list goes on"

🙂

Edit: I forgot that we are in a psych forum, JMP is almost useless to psych people, I mean it does everything that a psych person would need but FAR too much more for the cost...

 

[psychgirl77]

And on the subject of import/export between Excel and SPSS... it's all fun and games until you give yourself a panic attack from trying to convert an .xls that's password protected. 😀 (It's actually easy to go into excel and remove the password-protection, but SPSS gives you a generic but soul-crushing "I can't open this" error message if you don't.)

Oh man, I've done that so many times and given myself a heart attack! You would think I would remember after all the times it's happened...