October 2007 - EpiData-list - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

Almost final EpiData Analysis v2.0 placed for testing
by epidata-list＠lists.umanitoba.ca 27 Oct '07

27 Oct '07

Two aspects needs clarification and further exploration : 1 Chi Square values in stratified analysis of 2x2 tables 2 Saving datafiles with "Epi6 naming convention". Only "First Word" works completely. After finding the cause for the CHI Square problems and final testing of MERGE command it is my intention to release current test build as first v2.0 of EpiData Analysis. Among the latest changes are implementation of a MERGE command, which replaces relate in analysis and removal of more or less all reported major problems on the Mantis system. Some wishes are still there, but will be looked at later. The MERGE command is a replacement for relate. An example: read patients rename name to ptname merge surgeon /file=surgeon /table rename name to surgname merge hospid /file=hospital /table rename name to hospname the /table option makes sure, that several patients can get information from one record in the hospital or surgeon file. "Table lookup". Without the /table option, the key must be unique in the files. A key consists of the variables (as many as you like, e.g. sex age city) mentioned after the merge command. Notice that the file to merge now must be given with the /file parameter. Users finding problems please discuss here or for definite errors report to the Mantis database. See www.epidata.dk/testing.php Kind regards Jens Lauritsen

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Specification of output in EpiData Analysis version 2
by epidata-list＠lists.umanitoba.ca 18 Oct '07

18 Oct '07

Shavinder Sing attached a larger html file (77kb) and asked : ........................................ The Htm output file of Epi Analysis (build 122) behaves differently from the other htm files. I tried opening one htm file (after running a PGM in the Epi Analysis) in the Open Office 2.2, 2.3 (Writer) and Microsoft Word 2000, 2003, 2007. The data figures are visible. The outline of the tables is faintly visible in the white background. In the print out only data figures are visible, not table outline One has to individually select and choose the appropriate table outline from the table properties box (which is quite tedious for long reports). Is there any solution? I set table design=box. I also tried looking into the “epiout_w for any hint but no luck. Is it not possible to have the same table output for printing, as it is visible in the Epi Analysis window after generating the report? With regards, Dr. Shavinder Singh ........................................ I rejected the mail, since we do not want large attachments (some users are using slow modem lines). But the question is relevant. The output definitions in EpiData Analysis conforms to W3C standards of html and requires also knowledge of the use of css style sheets. The definitions and further description of how to handle this can be found in the document: http://www.epidata.dk/php/downloadc.php?file=epidata_analysis_output_defini… The problem of the lacking frames described is related to the use of style sheets, which are files describing output. For use of output in external browsers users should experiment with: a. copying the style sheet files to an appropriate place b. including the style sheet information in the output file. These two set commands: set STYLE SHEET "D:\EPIDATASTAT\TEST\EPIOUT.CSS" set STYLE SHEET EXTERNAL ON/off Simply: set style sheet external=off will secure that all styles are defined in the html output file. Jens Lauritsen EpiData Association

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Alyshia Landry is out of the office.
by epidata-list＠lists.umanitoba.ca 13 Oct '07

13 Oct '07

I will be out of the office starting 10/13/2007 and will not return until 10/17/2007. If you require immediate assistance, please contact Stephen Drew at extension 5330. Thank-you, Alyshia

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providing learning materials for EpiData
by epidata-list＠lists.umanitoba.ca 13 Oct '07

13 Oct '07

As noted by Pedro Emmanuel regarding material in Portuguese the policy from my side is to provide links next to the translations for materials in the different languages on the main epidata.dk download page. It is difficult to maintain the links if they change often. To assure that all links are up to date at all times the most efficient way is to have a link to a webpage and not to a particular file. The latter changes every so often, whereas the overall - e.g. institutional site - changes rarely. All users are encouraged to locate any link errors on the epidata.dk pages and inform me directly via the mail info at epidata.dk. I tend not to disclose my personal email, since spamming soon then gets a major problem. The main mail will inform of large spam problems, but if you add "EpiData educational material" to the subject that mail should come through. On the wikipedia site I have added an entry for epidata. After some finetuning of the wikipedia by some of the administrators from wikipedia, there is now a short and rather clear text. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidata It could be an idea if users translate that same page for some of the "other than english" versions of wikipedia. I am not sure of the way to do so, but look in the Wikipedia site for instructions. You will notice that the wikipedia text refers to EpiData Wiki at www.epidata.org/wiki. The EpiData wiki is among other aspects on the agenda for a meeting taking place this weekend in Canada, where closer involvement of Canadian epidemiologists in the development of EpiData will be discussed. More news on this exciting event will follow next week. I expect to give within 1-2 weeks the final announcement of release of EpiData Analysis v2.0. With a few more aspects to settle the test version is almost ready. Information will be given here and to all registered users when this takes place. Regards Jens Lauritsen Coordinator , EpiData Association

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Chris Sellers/FHS/ADPH is out of the office.
by epidata-list＠lists.umanitoba.ca 12 Oct '07

12 Oct '07

I will be out of the office starting 10/12/2007 and will not return until 10/23/2007. I will check emails periodically while I am away. If an issue needs immediate attention, please, contact Fred Grady at FredGrady(a)adph.state.al.us or 1-800-338-8374. Otherwise, I will respond to your email when I return.

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Records marked as deleted
by epidata-list＠lists.umanitoba.ca 12 Oct '07

12 Oct '07

I am trying to use EpiData to validate duplicate files that have been entered into SPSS. I have tried saving them as dBASE III and dBASE IV files (which save only the first 128 or 256 variables respectively) and have up to 417 cases. When I open the .dbf files via SPSS, an additional column labeled D_R is included in the file. In this variable, an asterisk indicates that the record has been marked for deletion and, based on what I understand about transferring to EpiData, anything with such marking will be considered deleted but not purged. When I check the file in SPSS, no files are marked as deleted. However, when I import the file into EpiData, some of the records are - seemingly randomly - marked as deleted. I am wondering if anyone knows why this happens or what I can do to stop it. Thanks. - Amy

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Leraning Material in portuguese
by epidata-list＠lists.umanitoba.ca 11 Oct '07

11 Oct '07

Hello all epidata friends, Early in this yaer I have make it avaible in the web a lerning material in portuguese wich was placed a weblink in the epidata webpage nearby the download of the portuguese version. Since I do not control the webpage and the link was a FTP in a web serverver I cant even tell if many or few have accessed the file. During this year, the teaching coordinator of our institute, facing regulatory rules asked us to put all the lerning/teching materials in a diferent place. So, the same material (which I intend to update only next year) are now at both old (first) and new (last one) weblink. Sometime in the future, probably the old one will not work anymore. The only diference between them is that the webmaster of new adress put a open code to download the file. This procedure seems to avoid automatic download of all files available at the same time and overflow the server. http://www.ipec.fiocruz.br/materialdidatico/Aplicativos_pesquisa/2007/EpiDa… http://157.86.40.74/pos/modules.php?name=Downloads&op=getit&lid=24 I hope those speak portuguese may not have any difficulties to acces if necessary. -- Abraço forte e que a força esteja com você, Pedro Emmanuel

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Backup error solved
by epidata-list＠lists.umanitoba.ca 05 Oct '07

05 Oct '07

Problem solved when a did not use my new USB 2.0 flashdisk. Nikolai Stenfors

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Backup error
by epidata-list＠lists.umanitoba.ca 04 Oct '07

04 Oct '07

I moved my Epidatafiles from a computer running on WinXP to a laptop with Win Vista. Now I cannot do backup. Error message "invalid filename". Epidata incompability with Vista? Nikolai Stenfors

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Epidata Analysis b122 available for testing
by epidata-list＠lists.umanitoba.ca 02 Oct '07

02 Oct '07

These weeks several problems and clarifications have been made on the "road" to release finally EpiData Analysis as v2.0 Some aspects are still insufficiently final, but the level of changes are going into "corner" details from my point of view. As of build 122 some aspects have been fixed: e.g. - EpiDemiological tables (odds ratios, rr and attributable risk) will use highest value of case and exposure variables as default. - A new table dialog has been a success in my personal teaching. Quite clearly beginners adapt much faster when having proper (intuitive) dialogs. - Sorting of frequency tables by numbers - More graph types can now be used with a "group variable", e.g.: box age /by=sex - Many more subtle details have been fixed. Many of these are invisible to the end-user, but clarification makes the whole programme more stable. This will also allow shorter development time for future new commands and additions. Some issues are still creating problems, such as: - internal errors after kruskal-wallis tests. - parts of relate system not working for some files - creating more intuitive dialogs for remaining parts of the system - removing reported bugs (see mantis system). Some users might find it odd that new problems arise, but this is due to the rewriting of core parts. And consequential changes in other parts of the software take some time to find, if they are not pinpointed by the error tracking system. This system is a collection of pgm files doing all verifying results and function in all parts of the programme. Usually when a new error is reported it is due to not being tested for in the error tracking system. The system is now based on 41 pgm files with around 1150 different conditions being tested and verified. Version 2 will not be released before all of the consequences of the rewriting of core parts has taken place. But as could be stated on the www.epidata.dk/testing.php page : "Many of the functions are running and functioning very well, so after each user has verified the function of what he/she uses there is no problem in using the test versions." E.g. the table module has no known errors just now. Kind regards Jens Lauritsen EpiData Association

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