Data Tools Spreadsheet FAQ

I only have one spreadsheet, where do I enter the other forms?

The spreadsheet file actually contains several ‘worksheets.’ Attached to the bottom-left of the spreadsheet are several tabs, which have names like ‘EScore Census’ and ‘FCGWN-T1.’ Clicking on these tabs will take you to a worksheet where you can enter the data from that instrument.

What does FCGWN-T1 mean?

It stands for Family Caregiver Wants and Needs Scale – T1 (pre-test).

Why do I have to put in the date and military time on the census sheet?

The EScore ID contains the county, the year, and the month that the ID was created. In order to create the ID, Excel looks at the ID on the line above, and adds one (or starts a new month of IDs). If the line above changes, the ID will change, and that is bad. If we know the exact date and time each record was created, then we can put all the entries back in order, and all of the IDs will be changed back to what they were originally.

That sounds dangerous. Can I just make the IDs by hand?

Absolutely. The ID is CCYYYYMM####, where cc is the 2 digit county code, yyyy is the year that the ID is being created (e.g. 2007), mm is the month, and #### is a counter that goes up with each new ID created in a given month (starting at  0001, 0002, etc.) You will need to clear the formula out of the EScore ID field. Jason will be happy to assist you.

What if I want to be able to sort the data?

1. First, open the spreadsheet, and save it under a different name, like SafeDataTools. (Go To File, save as… and use the default)
2. On the upper left hand corner of the worksheet, click the empty tile that is to the left of the ‘A’ column label and above the ‘1’ row label. This should highlight the whole page.
3. At the top of the screen, look on the Edit pull-down menu and choose ‘copy’
4. Look on the Edit pull-down menu again and choose ‘paste special’
5. Fill the bubble next to ‘values’ by clicking on it, and then click the ‘Paste’ button.
6. This will remove all of the formulas from your worksheet. This version will not automatically generate EScore IDs, so you can now sort and modify the spreadsheet without having unexpected effects on cases.
   
   

When the spreadsheet says “current” date/time, etc. when does that mean?

It means the time that you are actually typing the information into the computer.

I tried to put the date into the spreadsheet, and it changed into a 5-digit number, 39 thousand – something… what did I do?

You did nothing wrong. What you are seeing is how Excel “thinks about” dates. That number is the number of days in between January 1, 1900, and the date you entered. If you don’t like that format, you can change it. Highlight the whole column by clicking the left-side mouse button when the cursor is on the letter(s) at the top of the column. Then click the right mouse button in the same place, and then select ‘format cells.’ There will be a list that starts with general, number, etc. – Choose ‘Dates.’ This will give you a choice of formats, such as 3/01/2007 (my preference), or 03/01/07, etc.

I don’t have the UCI available/Do I have to include the UCI?

It’s okay to enter an EScore youth without a UCI, and many youths might not have been assigned one. The UCI helps connect your EScore data to other databases such as the fast database, which is convenient and useful, but not necessary.

I can’t read the column heading… it’s cut off by the next column… what do I do?

There are a few things you can do:

1)      click on the part of the title that you can see. The complete text in the cell will show up in the ‘formula bar’ at the top of the sheet.

2)      Change the width of the column by highlighting it, clicking, holding, and dragging the edge of the column.

3)      Create a cheat sheet (or print the one below) that shows the text of those cells:

On the Stability forms, it says A) Yes, B) No, and Number of times… What do I put in the blank?

Put the number of times in the blank, with ‘B’ or ‘No’ = 0. If ‘Yes’ is indicated, but no number is filled in, enter ‘Y’

Do I have to enter all of the Ohio Scales by hand?

You can. If you prefer, you can just enter the subscale scores. Finally, during the pilot phase of EScore, if you have a UCI listed for a youth, you can enter the EScore ID and an approximate date of administration, and I will see if I can get the data.

I’m faxing a lot of this data for FAST, do I have to type it in, too?

For the time being, yes.

My question isn’t answered here, so what now?

Check the website (http://familyresearch.osu.edu), call Jennifer (614)-312-9483, or Courtney (614)598-0708, email bostic.18@osu.edu, search the blog at http://cfrdata.blogspot.com, or use the CFR contact button on the bottom of the web-pages.