FAQ for PEN Access database

Entering Data

Q: How do I start using the template?

A: Download the Database templates from the PEN website and save them in a folder on your desktop. Before starting to use the template, please take a look at the user guide that accompanies them, this should greatly ease the process of data entry. Double click any of the databases to open. Once it opens, select ‘forms’ from the objects menu on the left. Double clicking on the first form at the top will take you to the first page of the database.

Q: Where is the data actually stored?

A: Underlying this template is a series of tables (spreadsheets) in which all the data are stored. Each page on the questionnaire is a table, however, because this is a relational database it is possible to link the different sections when you are done.

Q: Can I open my data in Excel or similar spreadsheet programmes after entering it?

A: Yes. The data can be used directly within Access or exported to a format suitable to you. For details on how export data to excel please refer to the last page in the user’s guide. For more specialized formats, commercial solutions like Stat Transfer will be helpful

Q: Can multiple people enter data at the same time?

A: Yes. Copy the database into which data is going to be entered onto each data entrant’s computer and save each copy under a different name e.g., PEN_V1_One, PEN_V1_Two, PEN_V1_Three etc. After data entry these three can be appended into one master database using an append query. The exact procedure is spelt out in the manual.

Q: How should units of measurement be entered?

A: It depends. For some questions, the units to be used are specified in the questionnaire, and any local units used should be converted to these standard metric units (km, ha, etc.)). This applies to questions in the village and annual household questionnaires. For the quarterly income questionnaires, local units can be used for weight, volume and area. If used, keep two things in mind: First, get a code assigned from the PEN coordinator for each unit used (if not already included in the code list). Second, keep track of the conversion factors, as these have to be submitted with the final data set.

Q: What value should be entered into the variables intby and entby?

A: These fields only accept numeric values. Each team should assign its members (interviewers and data entrants) codes and enter these codes into the fields intby and entby.

Q: How should currency values be entered?

A: Enter monetary values in local currency. Because the databases will be used in a variety of countries, no lower or upper limits have been set (you can never predict the inflation!). It is therefore up to each team to set the range of expected values in order to ensure that data entry mistakes are minimized. To set the expected range of values read about validation rules in the user guidelines.

Q: What is the difference between these variables (fields)?

The variables in the column with the heading ‘variable 1’ are “strings”. They accept text values i.e. all the letters of the alphabet as well as numbers. Enter actual names into these variables. On the other hand the variables listed in the column with the heading ‘variable 2’ accept only numeric values. Enter the code for the variable listed in column ‘variable 1’ into this field.