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Searching the Database
Similar to the process for entering data, initiating a search routine also begins from the ‘Home’ page. After clicking the ‘Search for Visit Excerpts’ button, the user is presented with a search layout. In the example here, the fields or variables on this layout were selected to meet a broad range of user needs (see Figure 8). Other layouts can be designed to meet more specific needs and frequent searches can be programmed for automated use. This layout affords users the opportunity to search the visit excerpts based on a number of characteristics—in this illustration: general code category, sub-theme (specific code), participant I.D., a set of participant/family characteristics, and/or a text string.
This illustration demonstrates much of the range and flexibility of searches within this system. Searching by main code category(ies) captures all excerpts coded with any specific code organized beneath it in the coding system, searching by more specific code is more restrictive and captures only those excerpts coded with that specific code. Searches based on participant characteristic can be of substantial use for projects utilizing categorical or other quantitative data. Any quantitative data collected from participants can be imported into the system and be set up for use as a search parameter (including specification of value ranges on these variables). Finally, by using Boolean operators (e.g., ‘and’, ‘or’), more complex searches using multiple parameters (values of various fields) can be specified. Once the user specifies a search, clicking ‘Find’ in the left column of the search layout window activates the search. The search script can be programmed to include specification for sorting the results based on particular variables (e.g., ID, date, gender) and search results are presented based on a layout designed for the project (see Figure 9). In the example below—searching for excerpts coded with the ‘Children’ general code, participant ID, date of visit, fieldworker name, codes, and the excerpt itself are included in the preview layout. After reviewing the search results, clicking ‘Continue’ in the left column takes the user back to the ‘Home’ screen.
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