CHRRDBA - DOS
13 Dec 98

5.0 Accessing the Data

5.1 Search Indexes

When the function "Search Indexes" is activated, a box, named Index, will appear that allows the user to choose one of the indexes to be searched. Depending on the CD and dataset being used, the list of indexes may vary and contain any of the following indexes.

Older CD's	NLSY CD's
Any Word in Context;	Any Word in Context;
Year or Survey Year;	Year; and
Record Type;	Area of Interest.
Keyword in Context; and
Area of Interest.

Figure 5.1 Access by Index

Sample screens of the respective indexes are shown below in Figure 5.2, Figure 5.7, and Figure 5.9. Details on how to search the indexes follow these screens.

5.1.1 Any Word in Context Index

When the index "Any Word in Context" is activated, a screen similar to Figure 5.2 appears. This screen displays the indexed terms of all words used in the question text. The first term in the index is highlighted, in this case, #.

Figure 5.2 Index: Access by Any Word in context

The Operator box contains Boolean operators that may be selected by pressing the corresponding function key, <F5> - <F7>. The Default Operator contains the operator that will be used if no other operator is selected.

Terms selected from the index box will appear in the Terms Selected box as will the operator selected (Oper) and a Count of the number of occurences of each term.

Notice the changes in the function keys in the command menu.

5.1.1.1 <F4> Search For

When <F4> is pressed, a box entitled Search for appears in the window. This allows the user to search for a precise or truncated term. To search for a precise term, type it in the box. As each character is typed the index will jump to the first occurrence of the combination of characters. Related terms may be browsed in this manner.

Figure 5.3 Search For a Term in Context

Continue to type until the exact term is highlighted. The highlight bar in the list of terms cannot be moved with as long as the Search For box is open.

To select a highlighted term and place it in the Term Selected box, press <Enter>.

5.1.1.2 Selecting Terms and Operators

When a highlighted term is selected by pressing <Enter>, the term will appear in the Term Selected box. The number of occurrences of the term will be displayed in the Count column. The operator to be used with the next term may now be inserted. If no operator is selected, the Default Operator will be used when the next term is added to the Term Selected box.

Figure 5.4 Selecting Terms and Operators

As terms are added to the Term Selected box, the Total entries field will reflect the number of entries resulting from the Boolean logic. To view these variables, press <F8> Exec and a screen similar to Figure 5.5 and Figure 5.8 will appear.

Terms from different indexes may be added to the Term Selected box at any time by switching to that index. To switch to a different index, use the AF1-Index function shown in the function keys menu at the bottom of the screen.

After <Alt> + <F1> is pressed, the Index Box shown in Figure 5.1 appears on the screen with the current index highlighted to allow the user to switch indexes.

The <F8> function key assembles all the variables associated with the terms selected and displays them on the screen. The user can review the variables, save them, or discard them. The list of variables appears on screen with one of the terms highlighted. The position of the highlighted variable in the list is indicated by Line x of y in the upper right with x being the position of the highlighted variable and y the total number of Selected Variables

Figure 5.5 Saving Variables

The Saved field in the lower right indicates whether the highlighted variable is saved or not. Additional details about the highlighted variable are found in the bottom lines of the screen.

Notice the changes in the function keys in the command menu at the bottom of the screen. Their functions are explained in the box below.

5.1.1.5 <F2> Codebook

When the function key <F2> is pressed, codebook information for the highlighted variable will be displayed on a new screen. Codebook information for a variable includes the question, the responses available, the frequencies of the responses, and any other documentation that accompany each question. Codebook information is the meta-datum of the variable. For details on how to read a codebook, see the NLS Users’ Guide 199x, "Accessing NLS Variables by Codebook".

Figure 5.6 Codebook Display of Variable

For some variables, codebook information is too long to be displayed on one screen, e.g, long pick lists. It can be viewed when the screen is scrolled down. To scroll the screen down, use

    or

Notice the changes in the function keys in the command menu.

5.1.2 Year Index

When the index "Year" is activated, a screen similar to Figure 5.7 appears. The first year in the index will be highlighted. To select a year, move the highlight bar to the desired year, e.g., ‘1975’, and press <Enter>. The term selected will be entered in the Term Selected box.

Figure 5.7 Index: Access by Year

Additional years may be added to the Term Selected box by repeating the above actions. However, you must use the Boolean operator, <F6>-OR. Use of the Boolean AND will result in zero (0) Total entries.

As terms are added to the Term Selected box the Total entries field will reflect the resulting number of entries remaining from the Boolean logic. To assemble and view these variables, press <F8> Exec and the screen similar to Figure 5.8 will appear.

Figure 5.8 shows a list of all the variables for the selected year(s) (e.g., 1975) in the index. These variables may now be browsed and saved to the extract specification file named in the Save File box in Figure 5.1. Line x of y in the upper right of the screen indicates the position of the highlighted variable in the complete list.

Figure 5.8 List of Variables in 1975

Details about the highlighted variable are found in the bottom two lines of the screen.

Notice the changes in the function keys in the command menu at the bottom of the screen.

5.1.3 Area of Interest Index

When the index "Area of Interest" is activated, a screen similar to Figure 5.9 appears. 'Areas of interest' form topical groupings of question/response records. These records are identified by survey professionals and labeled with a pre-defined area-of-interest term during the documentation and dissemination phases. The first alphabetically 'area of interest' in the index (e.g., ACHIEVEMENT TESTS) will be highlighted.

Figure 5.9 Area of Interest Index

To select an area of interest, move the highlight bar to the desired term(s), e.g., ‘FRINGE BENEFITS’, and press <Enter>. The term selected will be entered in the Term Selected box along with a tally (Count) of the number of occurences. The Boolean operator may now be selected for combination with the next term or the default AND may be used by simply making a new term selection. To select a non-default operator, press the appropriate function key.

5.2 Search Lists

When the function "Search Lists" is activated, a box named Lists appears that allows the user to choose one of three types of lists to be accessed:

• Variable Name;
• Reference Number; or
• Question.

Figure 5.10 Search Lists

Sample screens of the respective lists are shown below in Figure 5.11, Figure 5.14, and Figure 5.19. Details about each list and screen display are discussed in each subsection.

When "Variable Name" is chosen from the Search Lists menu, a box named Choose Page appears displaying a list of page numbers. Each of these pages contains a list of variable names. Dividing the variables list into pages makes browsing through the extensive variable list faster and easier. A variable name is a unique identification for each variable in the data set.

Figure 5.11 Search Lists by Variable Name

To locate a specific variable’s name, browse through the page numbers by moving the highlight bar. As the highlight bar is moved, a range of variable names will appear above the command line. Refer to this range until the variable name is located.

To move the highlight bar,

horizontally, use , or vertically, use ,

After <Enter> is pressed, the highlighted page is selected and a screen similar to the one shown in Figure 20 will appear. This page of variable names corresponds to the range of variable names from the preceding screen. Page x of y in the upper right of the screen indicates the position of the highlighted variable name in the page list.

Figure 5.12 Sample Page of Variable Names

To view information related to a variable name, move the highlight bar to the variable name. To move the highlight bar,

horizontally, use , or vertically, use ,

To save a highlighted variable, press <F3>.

To unsave a highlighted variable, press <F4>.

5.2.1.1 <F7> Switching Pages

To change to a different page of variable names, press <F7>Page. When the function key <F7> Page is pressed, the "Choose Page" box appears on the screen and allows the user to switch to another page of variable names. The range of variable names on the highlighted page appears below the Choose Page box.

Figure 5.13 Change Page Display

To locate a specific variable’s name, browse through the page numbers by moving the highlight bar. As the highlight bar is moved, a range of variable names will appear above the command line. Refer to this range until the variable name is located.

To move the highlight bar,

horizontally, use , or vertically, use ,

When the desired variable's name appears in the range, press <Enter> to select that page.

A new page of variable names will be displayed.

When "Reference Number" is chosen from the Search Lists menu, a window appears displaying a list of years in which the reference numbers occur. This makes browsing through the list of reference numbers easier and faster.

Figure 5.14 Search Lists by Reference Number

To locate a specific reference number, browse through the years by moving the highlight bar. As the highlight bar is moved, a range of reference numbers will appear above the command line. Refer to this range until the specific reference number is located.

To move the highlight bar, use

,

After a reference number is located within a range in a given year and <Enter> has been pressed, a list of page numbers for that year will appear as shown in Figure 5.15.

Figure 5.15 Page: Reference Number

To locate a specific reference number on a page, browse through the pages by moving the highlight bar. As the highlight bar is moved, a range of reference numbers will appear above the command line. Refer to this range until the specific reference number is located. To move the highlight bar,

horizontally, use , or vertically, use ,

After <Enter> is pressed, the screen shown in Figure 5.16 will appear containing the range of reference numbers selected. Page x of y in the upper right of the screen indicates the position of the highlighted reference number in the page list.

Figure 5.16 References Numbers

To view information related to a reference number, move the highlight bar to the reference number. To move the highlight bar,

horizontally, use , or vertically, use ,

To save a highlighted variable, press <F3>.

To unsave a highlighted variable, press <F4>.

When the function key <F7> Page is pressed, the "Choose Page" box appears on the screen and allows the user to switch to another page of reference numbers within the year selected in Figure 5.14. The range of reference numbers also appears near the bottom of the screen.

Figure 5.17 Switching Pages

To locate a new reference number on a page, browse through the pages by moving the highlight bar

     ,

<Enter>.

5.2.3 Search by Question

When "Question" (may appear as "Question Name", "Question Number") is chosen from the Search Lists menu, a screen appears listing the years that contain question numbers. In any year a survey can contain many question numbers. In longitudinal surveys, different years may contain the same question numbers. The list of question numbers for a given year is divided into pages that contain ranges of question numbers. Figure 5.18 shows the list of years that contain question numbers.

Figure 5.18 Search Lists by Question Number

After <Enter> has been pressed, the screen shown in Figure 5.19 will appear containing the number of pages and range of question numbers for a highlighted page. A "page" can contain up to 108 question numbers. The range of question numbers on a highlighted page is listed below the Choose Page box, e.g., 1 -- 23F.

Figure 5.19 List: Question Numbers by Page

To locate a question number on a page, browse through the pages by moving the highlight bar

     ,

<Enter>.

Figure 5.20 displays a "page" of question numbers for a given year. When a question number is highlighted information about it is displayed in the bottom three lines of the screen.

Figure 5.20 Question Numbers on a Page

To view information related to a question number, move the highlight bar to the question number. To move the highlight bar,

horizontally, use , or vertically, use ,

To save a highlighted variable, press <F3>.

To unsave a highlighted variable, press <F4>.

5.2.3.1 <F7> Switching Pages

The user may switch to another page of question numbers within the given year by using the <F7> Page function key. After <F7> Page has been pressed, the Choose Page box shown in Figure 5.21 will appear.

Figure 5.21 Switching Pages

To switch to another page in the year,

• highlight the page, and press
• <Enter>.

5.3 Review Saved Variables

Figure 5.22 File Status Message

When the function "Review Saved Variables" is activated from the Main Menu screen in Figure 5.1, the file specified in the Save File box will be reviewed. If this file is empty, the message shown in Figure 5.22 will appear to inform the user about the status of the file.

Figure 5.23 shows the contents of a "review" file containing saved variables. This screen displays the first page of variables saved in the specified file. The file's name is displayed in the top line as is the highlighted variable's number out of the total in the file. (See, Line x of y in the upper right of the screen.)

Figure 5.23 Modify an Extract Specification File

During the review, the saved status of highlighted variables in the file may be changed (see, Saved field in lower right) and variables can be removed (<F4> Unsave) from the file. However, variables cannot be added to this file during review.

To add variables to the file, return to the Main Menu displayed in Figure 5.1 and use one of the Search functions.

Chapter 1. About This User's Guide
Chapter 2. Setting Up the NLS Software
Chapter 3. Main Menu Screens for Data CDs
Chapter 4. Extract Specification File
Chapter 5. Accessing the Data
Chapter 6. Performing an Extract
Chapter 7. Print Documentation
Chapter 8. Error Messages
Chapter 9. Table of Figures
Chapter 10. Index

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