Special Value Features

There are two special symbols for using a value different than what is represented when calculating statistics and volumetrics for a table:

• The # (pound symbol) lets you use a value different from the value in parentheses for volumetric rows and summary statistics.
• The # (pound symbol) can also be used to assign values to blank positions.
• The @ (at symbol) lets you select a range for use in the calculation of grouped medians.

The # (Pound Symbol)

In row or table statistics, if the values are not what you want to use in the calculation of summary statistics, you can use the #symbol to change them.

Table statistics use the value in parentheses as the calculation value. For example, if the current logic for the five rows of a given table is:

RATING_1 (1)

RATING_1 (2)

RATING_1 (3)

RATING_1 (4)

RATING_1 (5)

values in parentheses are used in table statistics (1 in the variable RATING_1; 2 in the variable RATING_1; and so on).

You can specify values for statistics different from those in parentheses by using the # symbol. For example:

RATING_1 (1)#5

RATING_1 (2)#4

RATING_1 (3)#3

RATING_1 (4)#2

RATING_1 (5)#1

means, “use value 5 for 1 in the variable RATING_1; use value 4 for 2 in the variable RATING_1; and so on.” You write the # symbol and the new value in row logic.

For row statistics such as mean summaries or volumetric rows, you can use the # symbol with an = symbol to signify which values should use a different value for statistics.

For example:

Q6A   (1-5) #1=5,2=4,4=2,5=1

Q6B   (1-5) #1=5,2=4,4=2,5=1

Q6C   (1-5) #1=5,2=4,4=2,5=1

Q6D   (1-5) #1=5,2=4,4=2,5=1

means, “use value 5 for 1, 4 for 2, 2 for 4 and 1 for 5 in the variable Q6A; use value 5 for 1, 4 for 2, 2 for 4 and 1 for 5 in the variable Q6B; and so on.” It is not necessary to use the # symbol for other values that will not use a different value, such as when 3=3 in the above example.

Tables 2 and 64 of the EXAMPLE files (installed with WinCross) illustrate the use of the # symbol (refer to Appendix E: Example Files for more information).

Using the # (pound symbol) with volumetric tables:

You can use the # (pound symbol) with volumetric tables. For example, if Question 11A is the number of “Children under 5 in the household,” and your logic is:

{Q11A (0-99)} AND QX(1) #1=0

Q11A is the volume question, and QX is a base on the row. Using the braces ({}) and “#1=0” recodes QX(1) to "0" for the volumetric row, while keeping Q11A (0-99) values for the number of “Children under 5 in the household.” The braces keep the value “1” from Q11A(1) from being counted as 0.

Using the # (pound symbol) to assign values to blank positions:

You can use the # (pound symbol) to assign values to blank positions. For example, if your logic includes:

# =6

any blank in the designated column is assigned a value of 6.

The @ (at Symbol)

The @ symbol is used only for grouped medians. The grouped median is used on tables that have a range of values represented by a single value.

The regular median is used on tables where the median can be calculated on the actual values. The regular median might be used, for example, on a table that represents a question in which a respondent was asked to state his or her age in years. The @ symbol is not used for the regular median. When a regular median is calculated, it uses the value in parentheses (or the # symbol, previously described, can be used to specify a different value for the calculation).

The grouped median is used on tables, for example, where a respondent is asked the range in which his or her age falls. Another example of a question type that would call for a grouped median in a table is income, where respondents are asked to indicate an income range, rather than a precise dollar value. The grouped median uses interpolation to find the point in the range where 50% occurs.

To calculate the grouped median, you need to specify mutually exclusive ranges with the @ symbol. For example, for the following five age categories, you could use ranges in place of the original category values (1-5) :

For example, UNDER 25 would use the range 15–24.9 rather than the original value of 1; 25–34 would use the range 25–34.9 rather than the original value of 2; and so on.

To calculate both the grouped median and use a different value for the mean (described above), you could specify:

Table 64 of the EXAMPLE files (installed with WinCross) illustrates the use of a grouped median and the @symbol.