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, tags 59 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 B2020 No direct link to database No 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

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 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 XML Proc print output

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 ICPSR B2020 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”

Sun Exposure Survey S/XML/SES2/ses96cbk.html

“Finished Product” 522 datasets to date. 35 Completed DDI-compliant codebooks. Fall completion ???

“Final Product”