Introduction
It is possible to re-import data into an existing Wave within codeit.
There are a number of scenarios when you may wish to do this:
- You want to re-import data because your new data contains additional records that you wish to append.
- You want to re-import data to bring in additional columns/questions that you forgot to import originally.
- Occasionally, you may want to re-import data because the source data has changed in some way (e.g. verbatim data has be cleaned/edited, closed end data has been corrected etc...)
Overwriting Data
Whenever you import data into an existing Wave, codeit will check if the data you're importing already exists and whether or not the imported data differs from what's already in place. If they differ, then there is the potential for the existing data to be overwritten by the new data. Sometimes this will be what you want (e.g. your data has genuinely changed since the last import) sometime it is not what you intended (e.g. you have made a mistake). The "Allow Overwriting" data option in codeit allows you to control the behaviour when there's a risk of overwriting data in this way.
Overwriting Data - Example
Suppose you have already imported the following data into "Wave 1" of your Project:
| RID | QAge | QGender | Q1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 32 | 1 | Coca-cola |
| 2 | 43 | 2 | Pepsi |
| 3 | 21 | 99 | Dr Pepper |
| 4 | 56 | 1 | Coke Zero |
Then suppose you try and import the following data into that same "Wave 1"
| RID | QAge | QGender | Q1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 32 | 1 | Orangina |
| 2 | 43 | 2 | Pepsi |
| 3 | 21 | 99 | Dr Pepper |
| 4 | 56 | 1 | Coke Zero |
Note that in the first row, the response for Q1 has changed. Should codeit simply overwrite the previous data? If so, what should happen to any coding already applied to that verbatim? These are choices you can make using the "Overwrite Data" option.
Overwrite Data - Options
The following table lists the four options you can choose for the "Overwrite Data" setting and how they affect the behaviour of codeit.
| Option | What this means | Recommended usage |
|---|---|---|
| No | This will disable the overwriting of existing data. If overwrites are encountered, Codeit will raise an error and no data will be imported - the entire import attempt will be rejected. The error message raised by Codeit will indicate which items of data contain the mismatches. You can use this information to decide the best course of action. If you do not fully understand why the data has changed you should proceed with caution. | This is the safest option when importing data as it will ensure you don't accidentally overwrite existing data. Because "No" is the safest course of action, it is the default option. |
| Yes | If overwrites are encountered, Codeit will overwrite the existing data with the new values being imported. In the case of source variables, any coding attached to the verbatim(s) being overwritten will be considered invalid and will be deleted. | This is a good option to choose if you fully understand why the source data has changed and you want to update the data in Codeit and (where coding has already been applied) re-code the data. |
| Ignore | If overwrites are encountered, Codeit will simply skip past them and not update the existing data. | This is a good option to choose if you know that the data in Codeit is correct and the data you're importing is incorrect for some reason. It is also a safe option to choose if you're uncertain why the data is different. |
| Yes but without clearing coded data | If overwrites are encountered, Codeit will overwrite the existing data with the new data being imported. In the case of source variables, any coding attached to the verbatim(s) being overwritten will NOT be deleted (in contrast to the "Yes" option above). | This is a good option to use if you fully understand why the source data has changed and those changes are insignificant. You want to ensure that the data in Codeit is up-to-date, but do not want to re-code the data because the changes are immaterial. |