Hi, this is Miranda Mole, Technology Correspondent for Gamma Associates with another article which I hope provides you with some useful tips to help you make ‘Molehills out of Mountains’ of data.

In this issue I would like to introduce you to a number of features which can help you analyse large spreadsheets of data.

Freeze Titles

We all know that analysing large spreadsheets can be problematic. One difficulty which can occur, is that by default in mTAB as you scroll around spreadsheets, your column and row headings can disappear from the screen.  It is possible however to stop this from happening by using Freeze Titles, which will ask mTAB to keep the headings in place.

To use this feature, place your curser in cell C3.  This will generally be one row beneath the column headings and one column to the right of the row heading.  Now go to the View menu item and select Freeze Titles.  This will now work in a similar manner to the Freeze Panes option in MS Excel and keep the headings in view as you scroll around the screen. 

Zero Suppression

Within large spreadsheets it is quite likely that you have some question responses shown which contain no data, i.e. the columns or rows show all zeros.  These columns or rows of data are generally of no consequence and are simply taking up room in the spreadsheet.  It is possible for you to ask mTAB to automatically remove columns or rows that are full of zero’s by using the Zero Suppression command.

To use Zero Suppression, go to the Data Menu Item and select Zero Suppression. You can then choose whether to Zero Suppress just Rows, Just Columns or both Rows and Columns.

Threshold

When analysing any spreadsheet in mTAB, we should always be certain that the columns of data we are analysing, have sufficient sample size to make our conclusions statistically valid. A general rule of thumb is to ensure that we have an unweighted sample count of 50 respondents.

To help ensure that we only look at data with sufficient sample, we can use the Threshold option to ask mTAB to automatically remove columns with a sample less than 50.   In order to use the Threshold option take the following steps.  Firstly, highlight the spreadsheet row which contains the unweighted sample total count.  If you are using mTAB’s default settings this will typically be row 4.  Once highlighted go to the Data menu item and select Threshold. 

A dialogue will appear that states mTAB will remove columns that are less than or equal to a set value. 

If you wish to remove all the columns that statistically invalid, place a value of 49 in the box.  mTAB will keep all columns which have a sample of 50 or above in the spreadsheet.  On running a Threshold, your total column may need to be recalculated.  To do this, simply press the lightening bolt icon to ask mTAB to re-run the tab.

Decimal Precison by Data Type

By default in mTAB, when you are in the spreadsheet view all data types are displayed to two decimal places.  Not all spreadsheets need to contain this level of detail and so of course it is possible to change the number of decimal places shown in mTAB.

If you wish to change the number of decimal places displayed got to the Data menu item and select Decimal Precision by Data Type. 

On choosing this option a dialogue box will open that will allow you to specify how many decimal places you wish to see for each data type.

Simply use the up and down arrows to choose your required precision level.  Once relevant items have been changed, either choose OK if you require the decimal places changes to apply for only the current mTAB session or select Save as Default and then Ok if you want the changes to remain for all mTAB sessions.

If you have any questions regarding the features I have described, or any other mTAB related questions, please do not hesitate to contact my colleagues in the Client Support Team.

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