How to View and Edit Raw Data

Method

Viewing raw data

The underlying data of any question can be viewed by either:

1.  Selecting the question in the blue drop-down menu and selecting RAW DATA in the brown drop-down menu. This data can be exported other programs.
2. Going to the Data tab, either by:

• Selecting the Data tab located on the bottom left of the screen.
• From the Variables and Questions tab, clicking on the  located to the far right of a variable.

Editing raw data

There are two basic approaches to editing the raw data:

1. Modifying Value Attributes by going to the Variables and Questions tab and clicking on the Values button for a variable or question. 

2. Manually changing values on the Data tab:

• Go to the Data tab.
• Set the Case ID (top-left corner) to a unique variable. The reason this is required is to allow you to import revised data files and have all your manual changes applied to the correct cases in the revised data file.
• Go to the individual cells you wish to change and type in the desired value.

Exporting the data file with the modifications in it

When you "edit" the raw data, you are not actually changing the underlying data file. Q never edits a raw data file. Any and all modifications are saved in the Q project file, which means that all changes can be undone. Q maintains a complete audit trail of all changes so that when you import revised data files these changes are applied to the new data file automatically. 

However, if you export the data, all the manual changes will be applied and become permanent in the exported data file.

Next

How to Save a Modified Copy of an SPSS or CSV file