Prepare the spreadsheet
X In the first cell (cell A1 – highlighted in Figure 6.6) enter the name for the classification.
X Enter attribute names in the first row of the table (do not use more than one row).
X List case names in the first column, exactly as they appear in NVivo.
X Enter values for each case in the cells below each attribute. Leave empty cells blank.
Figure 6.6 Setting up a classification sheet in Excel
9 Case information in the table can be in a different order from the case names in NVivo.
9 Use either names or hierarchical names. When you import the Excel sheet into NVivo, you can choose between names and hierarchical names to match the format you use.
{ A name is simply the name of the case, such as Barbara, Dorothy, Charles.
{ A hierarchical name contains the name of the case in its specific location in NVivo, such as Nodes\\Places and People\\Interview Participants\ Barbara.
9 You might want to do a pilot with a small number of columns and rows as a test before importing a large classification sheet.
9 If you have hierarchically structured cases under the same parent node and with the same classification in NVivo, and you want to import data for all subgroups at the same time, your spreadsheet will need to contain full hierarchical names. Alternatively (and probably more simply), use names only and import data for each subgroup separately.
9 While SPSS and other statistical packages prefer you to use numeric codes for values (e.g., 1 for male), in NVivo it is better to use text labels, as these make more sense when you are reading output from the data. To export data from SPSS (or similar) for use in NVivo, Save as Excel 97 or later, choosing to save the variable names and value labels. Be selective about which variables you keep! 9 Dates should be entered in accordance with your local settings.
9 Close the sheet in Excel before you try to import it, and remember where you saved it.
! Excel has a habit of converting low number ranges (e.g., 1–3) into dates, so it is safer to write them as 1 to 3. Alternatively, re-format those cells as Text.
! Make sure you have something entered in the last (bottom-right) cell of your table (rearrange rows or columns if necessary), so that NVivo can figure where the datasheet ends. ! Make sure there are no whole blank rows or columns within your table.
! Also ensure there is no stray information below your table in the Excel sheet. Importing the Excel sheet into NVivo
X In List View of Node Classifications > Right-click > Import Classification Sheets.
X Step 1: Use Browse to find the Excel file > Open > Next.
Figure 6.7 Importing a classification sheet – Step 2
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X Step 2 (Figure 6.7): Choose the correct Classification type (Node Classification), and check against all three boxes.
{ Create new attributes if they do not exist. This tells NVivo that you want to create the attributes listed in the first row of your table.
{ Update the classification of existing sources or nodes. This will connect the case nodes listed in the table with the classification identified in cell A1 (if you haven’t already).
{ Replace attribute values of existing sources or nodes that appear in this file. If you are adding to or correcting any existing attribute values, even if all values are Unassigned, this is required to overwrite the existing cells. Checking this box will never remove entire attributes from the system: it sim- ply changes values in existing cells.
X Click Next.
X Step 3 (Figure 6.8): Choose between the first two radio buttons to match the case name structure in your classification sheet (As names or As hierarchical names). If you choose As names then you also need to use the Select button to choose the exact location of these names in your node structure, e.g., Nodes > Cases > Interviews.
X Uncheck R Create as nodes if they do not exist unless you are deliberately trying to create case nodes that don’t already exist in the database. The danger is that you will accidentally create case nodes you do not want, especially if you are importing data from a large statistical file.
X Click Next.
X Step 4: Change the default options for dates, times and numbers if necessary to match your data.
X Click Finish.
cases, classifications, and comparisons 139
Obtain a report of your attribute data
For later analyses, particularly for subgroup comparisons, it is useful to have a report that tells you how many cases there were with each of the values for your attributes (as in Figure 6.9). This will allow you to better assess the results you obtain when you run comparisons of subgroups. It makes a difference, for example, when 6 males and 6 females have talked about trust, to know that actually you had 12 males in your sample, but only 8 females.
Figure 6.9 Report of cases with attribute values
9 If you get a message saying NVivo couldn’t parse your data, it is because you’ve missed one of the steps or tips or warnings outlined above regarding the placement of information in your data table (e.g., wrong name for classification in cell A1; no data in last cell, etc.).
9 If your table only partially imports, check where it stopped importing for a clue about what caused the problem, e.g., an illegal character in a name, a blank column or row.
9 Check for any rows (cases) in your classification sheet where all values are Unassigned. Is this because they were not entered in your Excel spreadsheet, or because you didn’t write the name exactly as it is in NVivo, and so the values for that case did not import?
9 If you make corrections inside NVivo (e.g., on reading the transcript for a case), be sure to make the same correction in your Excel sheet in case you have need to import it again.