Key Concepts About Consulting Documentation

There are three parts of the data documentation for each data file that you will consult to finish gathering background information on your variables, the

• codebook,
• data file documentation, and
• frequency tables.

Codebook

The codebook portion lists all the variables in the data file. Use it to determine what the values associated with a variable mean. It includes the

• variable name,
• target group,
• SAS label,
• English text (description),
• codes for all possible values or range of values, and
• if it is part of a skip pattern.

The Codebook and Frequencies are contained in the Data Documentation file.

Data File Documentation

Use the data file documentation to determine if the collection or measurement is appropriate for your analysis. The data file documentation outlines

• brief description of the component,
• data processing and file preparation, and
• analytic recommendations and specific notes on using the data file.

For example, in the previous task you noted that there were two data files with cholesterol variables — Total Cholesterol and HDL Cholesterol (LBXTC) and Standard Biochemistry Profile (LBXSCH). Reading the Analytic Notes in the data file documentation, you will find that the LBXTC variable in Total Cholesterol and HDL Cholesterol is the appropriate variable to use.

Frequency Counts

The frequency files for each data file contains the frequency count for each item in the data file and can be used to verify the sample size for an particular data item. The frequency counts are found with the codebook in the documentation file.

Close Window