FAQ for PEN Access database

Modifying fields

Q: I tried to enter some data but I get an error message?

A: You are probably trying to enter an “illegal” value. To minimize data entry mistakes, anticipated field types and properties have been set based on the core questionnaire Only values that meet these constraints are accepted. If a value you try to enter gets rejected then you probably need to change some field properties.

Q: What is a field?

A: A field is a “variable” (or a column in excel) e.g the field “age” is a column in which the age of all respondents is recorded.

Q: What are the main field types?

A: For the PEN databases we have used numbers and text (strings).

Q: What field properties are defined?

A: Mainly we define the field size, the number of decimal places allowed, and the validation rule: Please see details on page 15 of the User Guide.

Q: How do I know what field property to change?

A: We have tried to put some informative messages in the error pop-up boxes so they should help. For example, the error message ‘The value you entered isn’t valid for this field’ means that you may have either entered a text value into a field that has been defined as numeric or you’ve entered a value that violates the limits for the specified field size. Please remember to make a note of all changes you make to validation rules.

Q: How do I change the field size?

A: Use the drop down box associated with this property to select the relevant type. Please see Page 15 of the User Guide for details on the different options

Q: The database will not accept decimals.

A: Change the field size property to a type that accepts decimals (i.e. single or double) and then set the appropriate number of decimals.

Q: I get a message I should enter a value within a range smaller than mine.

A: You need to change the validation rules. This is usually a statement that says ‘Is null or between <lower.limit> and <upper.limit>’. Adjust the lower.limit or upper.limit as appropriate.