Trials and Tribulations of creating DDI Codebooks at the University of Guelph

Trials and Tribulations of creating DDI Codebooks at

the University of Guelph

A.Michelle Edwards and Carol Perry,

Data Resource Centre,

University of Guelph

Guelph, Ontario

Current Search Function

Search Results

Current Documentation

Identifying Variables

Rationale for Change

522 datasets to date.

No comprehensive metadata search function.

No current variable search within dataset.

Limits researcher’s autonomy.

XML tags

Started with approx. 30 or so tags…

As of June 5, 2002 101 tags59 are filled Information contained inside tags

Codebook Templates

Used Maddie to develop initial template.

Edited the template to add tags as required.

Filled in fields common to all codebooks.

Codebook Templates

Statistics Canada data

ICPSR data

B2020 data format

Statistics Canada Codebook

Differences between Codebook Templates

Authoring entity

Distributor (DLI vs. ICPSR)

Licenses

Other material – ICPSR abstract link

B2020No direct link to databaseNo variables

How do we move our information from an HTML

readme file to an XML file???

Readme to XML

Document Description

Study Description

Data Files Description

Readme to XML

Currently – copy and paste information from the Readme (html) file into the XML Codebook.

Script extracts metadata from html and places into XML.

Same amount of time.

Variable Information

Variable Information

Sources of Variable information

Variable names, labels, and position from the SAS program.

Frequencies for each variable value from SAS output.

Variable Information

Sources of Variable information

Literal questions from questionnaires if available.

Variable Information

Script:

Looks into the SAS program – pulls out the variable names, labels and positions.

Looks into a SAS output file for frequencies and variable value labels.

Variable Information

Script:

If questionnaire is available – seeks out questions and matches with variables.

Variable Information

Problems with Script:

SAS programs must be consistent in their format.

SAS output and questionnaires – matching variables.

SAS to XML

SAS 8.2 - XML engine and ODS XML.

Can create XML SAS output.Variable names, labels, value labels, and

frequencies.

Variable positions with the input statement and Proc Print XML.

SAS to XML Frequency Output

SAS to XMLProc print output

SAS to XML

SAS to XML

Advantages:

SAS programs do not need to be consistent.

Use one program from start to finish – SAS.

Still in development.

XML to Viewable Document

Saxon – to render our XML documents to HTML using XSL Stylesheets.

XSL – pull out info from XML document and display with HTML tags.

XSL Templates

Set for each:Statistics Canada ICPSRB2020

Initial templates from University of Virginia samples.

XSL Templates

Abstract

Study Info

Methodology & File Dimensions

Questions

Variables & Frequencies

Other Documents

XSL Stylesheets

Search

Uses SAS IntrNet to call and run the UNIX SGREP search.

Creates an XML file with results.

Calls Saxon to render the file with the Variable XSL Stylesheet.

“Final Product”

Frames to put it all together.

Links to each component (abstract, etc.).

Returns the rendered HTML on the fly.

“Final Product”

“Final Product”

Sun Exposure Survey 1996

http://tdr.uoguelph.ca/DATA/WWWDOCS/XML/SES2/ses96cbk.html

“Finished Product”

522 datasets to date.

35 Completed DDI-compliant codebooks.

Fall completion ???

“Final Product”

“Final Product”

“Final Product”

“Final Product”

“Final Product”

“Final Product”

“Final Product”