Data Management using CSPro: A Hands-On Approach
Course Outline
CSPro (Census & Survey Processing System) is a public domain software
package developed and maintained by the US Census Bureau; see
http://www.census.gov/population/international/software/cspro/ for
more details.
This 6-day workshop goes in detail through the process of designing and
implementing a data entry application for a typical survey. Participants
will learn how to create the data dictionary, data entry screen and how
to program checks and skips. The workshop then considers the data validation
tools available including data comparisons and simple frequency tables.
Finally we show how data is stored in the system and how it can easily
be exported for transfer to statistics packages such as SAS, SPSS and
STATA as well as to Excel.
The workshop will consist mainly of hands-on computer practical work and
short demonstrations. Example surveys will be used but participants are
encouraged to bring along any survey questionnaires and data relevant
to their own work.
Who should attend
This is an introductory course aimed at researchers, demographers, data managers, and others who wish to use CSPro to implement survey data management systems. No previous experience of CSPro is required but participants are assumed to be comfortable with Windows-based software.
How you will benefit
You will gain:
- An understanding of data structures - you will be able to design your own data entry applications in the future
- A comprehensive set of course materials including practical exercises, example datasets and video demonstrations
- An introduction to logic programming
- An appreciation of the steps involved in ensuring data quality.
Course Content
The following topics will be included:
- Data Structures and Data Types
- The Data Dictionary
- Data Entry Screens
- Logic programming for automatic skips and checks
- Data entry options
- CAPI options
- CSPro files
- Data validation
- Dealing with dates
- Frequency tables
- Exporting data
Dates: 24 April - 1 May 2013 (minus weekend)
Duration: 6 days
Price: £995
The workshop will be run in the SSC's purpose built training rooms at the University of Reading. The cost includes morning and afternoon refreshments and a buffet lunch on each of the course days. Dinner on the first night is also provided. It does not include accommodation or meals over the weekend. The course is scheduled to run for 3 days either side of the weekend which provides a natural break and allows time for participants to assimilate the skills learnt in the first half of the course.
Individuals interested in the workshop should submit an application form. Acceptances of applicants are conditional on receiving official confirmation of funding. Applicants from outside the UK are responsible for arranging travel clearance and obtaining valid passports and visas.
The workshop can be commissioned to run at your own premises using your
own training facilities - please contact statistics-courses@lists.reading.ac.uk
for further information.
Last updated: 16 October, 2012
