Dear all users.

Version 4 of Manager and EntryClient have passed our in-house tests, which are found in "Validation of function in EpiData Manager and EpiData EntryClient" on the documentation page:

http://www.epidata.dk/documentation.php. http://www.epidata.dk/documentation.php And we have fixed reported bugs.

Therefore we have released public version to V4 on the download page.

The main new aspects are: Memo text variables (long texts are shown in rectangles on screen) User adaptation of status bar during entry, including referring to other dataforms

Defining individual user access at various roles and details. "fields" are now called "variables", "records" called "observations"

if you have not worked with defining user access you may read the document here: http://epidata.dk/php/downloadc.php?file=ExtendedAccess.pdf

This is a major step forward in the overall development plan for EpiData Software. The next steps of development will contain the following elements: 1. No difference btw. upper/lower case naming of variables etc. 2. Adaptation of the logfile format contained when you have logging in a project, such that analysis is easier. 3. Further implementation of aspects of Analysis.

Feedback on the use of logging and user access control is highly welcomed with general comments and obviously also if you have specific problems or run into bugs. See the suggested strategy below.

The reason for using V4 as the upgraded version from v2 is to avoid confusion with EpiData Classic, which was not developed since v3.1 released in 2008.

Please note that from next versions all of EpiData Software will NOT be case sensitive in relation to naming of variables, headers etc. So please start adaptation of your projects to conform to this. E.g. you cannot use "v1" and "V1" or "Age" and "AGE" in the same project

best wishes

Jens Lauritsen EpiData Association, Denmark

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Our suggestion is to use this strategy if you wish to introduce user access control:

1. Create your project as always. 2. Make sure it works to all detail WITHOUT user access control. (test with a number of observations covering the whole range of the composition of the study base) 3. Make a copy of the database (just like if you defined double entry). Add extended user access control to the copy and experiment with the definitions until you are re-assured that this will work. That is the number of user roles (managers, who can change passwords, who can enter which data) etc. Enter e.g. 10 % of the data you already entered in number 2 and verify that it went ok.