READ statement / Invalid dates / How to handle dates in analysis
1. I submitted my previous email concerning the READ statement because: - on reading a particular file, a list of some 20+ invalid dates was produced - followed by a message that there were x valid records and 10 records excluded from analysis. I assumed that the 10 records were excluded because of the invalid dates. Subsequently, I have discovered that there was no connection between the invalid dates and the excluded records! In fact, the invalid records were records which had been deleted. SUGGESTION: When records are excluded because they are deleted records, could the message use the words "Deleted records" rather than "Excluded records". Just to avoid any confusion!
2. To respond to Jamie's email (Invalid dates), some of the invalid dates had been entered by EpiInfo, but about half had been entered using EpiData. EpiData Entry has no problems accepting a date such as 12/03/206. (I have also tried 12/03/0206 which just immediately reverts to 12/03/206). Yet EpiData Analysis sees such a date as invalid. SUGGESTION: EpiData Entry and Analysis should be consistent with their interpretation of invalid dates.
3. To respond to Jens' email (How to handle dates in analysis), illegal dates are not the issue I am addressing. Illegal dates are not accepted by EpiData and will therefore not be an issue in Analysis. I am addressing legal dates which may have been entered incorrectly, e.g. 12/03/2006 inadvertently entered as 12/03/206. EpiData accepts this date. But Analysis does not accept it as a valid date.
4. Once the dataset with invalid dates has been read in Analysis, it is not possible to carry out any commands which might include such dates. BROWSE, LIST, SAVEDATA for example will not operate (unless one specifies variables excluding those which have invalid values). SUGGESTION: Would it not be possible for Analysis to assign a standard valid value (e.g. 01/01/1900) to any invalid dates it comes across during the read process. A message to this effect could be added to the list of invalid dates (with their variable names and record numbers). It is then up to the user to edit the invalid dates. But then at least Analysis will be able to carry out all commands.
Many thanks, Annemieke van Middelkoop Pretoria, South Africa