The below information is a directory to assist you in the process of importing and preparing your data in Crunch. The process has been broken down into 5 broad phases:
The amount of work needed depends on the type of data being uploaded and the quality/completeness of the metadata information:
- If you are working with one of Crunch's direct survey importers (e.g., Decipher, Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey) you may not need to do some of the steps below.
- If you are importing from an SPSS (.sav) data file, several of the steps involved in the setup phases will apply as SPSS files often lack metadata to automatically recombine multiple-response variables and categorical arrays.
- If you are importing from a CSV file, many of the steps involved in the setup phases will apply as CSV files on their own do not include the full question text, all of the available answer options, and the metadata to automatically recombine multiple-response variables and categorical arrays. Importing CSV files with an optional, custom JSON metadata file could alleviate the need for several of the steps below. (See: CSV Datafile + JSON Metadata Document)
Note: Crunch's optimum workflow is not to use SPSS files, but to use one of our direct importers or to build an exporter from your internal data collection platform.
We recommend that you review the following articles regarding how datasets should be set up and the types of things researchers will ask of a data processing team when configuring a Crunch dataset.
- Setting up a Dataset: How Data Should Look in Crunch
- Requesting a Clean and Tidy Dataset (Dataset Specs)
The table below contains links to the various tasks you may need to do in setting up a dataset. It is organized by phase and by which method(s) you may use to accomplish the task.
- The majority of tasks can be done directly via the web app.
- For bulk actions, you may find scripting more effective (e.g., Crunch Automation, R). Additionally, some tasks cannot be accomplished in the web app and require scripting.
- The Script Builder is a Google Sheets workbook that consolidates all the key metadata from a dataset into one place. It acts as a metadata reference and a tool for automatically generating Crunch Automation.