I'm not familiar with askSam, but the Excel/Access question is easy to
answer: use Access.
1) Excel has a limited capacity for text entry, while Access will give
you lots of room to copy long passages if necessary. Since you aren't
yet sure what data you'll be collecting, that flexibility is important.
2) You can use Access as a front-end for a MySQL database, which will
allow your RAs to work on the same database from multiple locations (and
allow you to monitor the workflow in real time). I needed help setting
this up for a multiple RA project, and it's much better than merging
databases at a later time.
3) Data entry in Access using Forms is easier than spreadsheet data
entry in Excel (or even Forms in Excel).
Joe Doherty
UCLA
Michael Gizzi wrote:
> I am working with a local Meth Task Force to collect and analyze data on
> the
> impact of Methamphetamine on the courts and crime in Mesa County, Colorado
> (population 120,000). For those in the east, you may be unaware of the
> extent of the impact that Meth is having on communities throughout the
> west.
> By some estimates, up to 80% of crime where I am in Grand Junction,
> Colorado
> is related to Meth. I am trying to move away from anecdotal evidence and
> gather data to measure the impact of Meth on crime and on the courts.
>
> To that end, the District Court (trial court of general jurisdiction for
> felonies) has granted me access to all drug case records. The Deputy
> District Attorney has provided a list of statutes that they routinely
> charge
> drug cases under, and with that we pulled a list of more than 1000 cases
> from 2005-2006 alone. We are initially looking at 125 cases from Jan –
> March of 2006 to get a sense of what information is in the case files, and
> to develop a code-book on the data that we will record. We will then begin
> working backward through the past several years of drug cases.
> The challenge right now is to develop a format for collecting data. The
> issue I am struggling with is the decision on how to most efficiently
> record
> data: whether to use a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to record information
> vs.
> an Access database vs. a free-form database like askSam that enables both
> structured fields as well as free-form data entry. I do not want to do
> paper entry, and then have to re-enter it electronically; too much of a
> waste of time. I know that Access is probably the way I need to go, but my
> previous use with the program had been that I never particularly enjoyed
> data entry in Access. Excel is much more user-friendly, but I am not sure
> if it is powerful enough for collecting data, which will be a
> combination of
> alphanumeric and memo fields. I have a long relationship with askSam;
> which I used for data entry during my dissertation 12 years ago; but that
> was mostly qualitative interview data. I am 99% convinced that relational
> database is the way to go.
>
> What I am looking for is suggestions on whether Excel is do-able for this;
> and if so, if people have preferred ad-ons or templates that I should be
> looking at. If I should just bite the bullet and go to access, that is ok
> too, but I am also looking for ideas about how to make the process of
> building the interface for the students collecting data a little less
> painful.
>
> All suggestions are welcome. Replies either on-list or off are fine.
>
> Michael C. Gizzi, PhD
> Associate Professor of Criminal Justice and Political Science
> Mesa State College
> Grand Junction, CO
>
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