All mTAB databases created by the PAI-GAMMA partnership have a variety of question types or variables contained within the dataset.  Common question types such as Single Response, Multiple Response, Value and Verbatim Questions types are obviously included.  More and more databases are starting to incorporate our Group Question structure, used for analysing grid type questions, however there is another type of question that we can build for you, called Index Variables.

Index Variables are, in simple terms, questions that can be added to a database, where the responses will be a calculated value, or as the name suggests, an Index.  In order to illustrate how useful index variables can be, we will provide some examples that we have added to Customer Satisfaction surveys for a range of clients.

Let us start with a very basic example.  We may have a section of a Customer Satisfaction survey, with 10 questions.  For each question the respondent can give a score from 1-10.  An Overall Satisfaction Index may be calculated by simply adding all 10 responses together to give a score out of 100.  When Gamma creates the database we would add an Overall Satisfaction Variable, which could then be added to the Rows of a tab.  Other questions from the survey can then be added to the Columns, filters and 3rd level to allow the user to easily analyse their Total Overall Satisfaction.

Database Index Variables are calculated when your tab is run and therefore more complicated algorithms can be incorporated.  For instance, in the example where once again we have 10 satisfaction ratings and an Overall Satisfaction Index being calculated, you may not want all 10 ratings to have equal weighting.  Rating question 1 may need to make up 20% of the Total Index and rating questions 9 and 10 only 5% each. Simple arithmetic equations can make this possible, so that the user can analyse the Total Index easily within mTAB, without the need to necessarily know exactly how the index was calculated.

Another area, in which Database Index Variables have proved to be very useful, is when Gamma has been asked to add Propensity Indexes to profiling surveys.  For example, in a survey you may have a list of questions where you ask the respondent whether they agree or disagree with a series of statements.  We can total the number of agrees given by each respondent, sum these to form an Index which will then reflect their likelihood to purchase or behave in a certain manner.

If you have Customer Satisfaction or Consumer Profiling Surveys that could benefit from the addition of Database Index Variables, then please do not hesitate to contact one of Gamma’s support team. 

mTABWeb Upgraded Again!
PAI-GAMMA Partnership - On the Road
New Arrivals!
Could your analysis benefit from Index Variables?
@Gamma

Win a Gamma Mole Competition!
mTAB Training
mTAB User Support

Back to Main Page