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<< Click to Display Table of Contents >> Navigation: Reference Manual > Files > Quota file |
See CATI introduction for how quotas are used.
The quota file is a special CSV file usually with a name that ends with Quota.csv.
Use the main window CATI menu to create a quota file for a project.
It is used to set targets and collect information about complete interview records that have been saved.
Each row in the quota file is for a response to a single-coded question or variable that is marked as used for quota, called a quota point entry.
The file is constantly updated as quota entries are reached by interviewers.
There can be any number of rows in the quota file but an excessive number of rows will slow down interviewing.
The first column is used to tell the program what action to take for the particular response:
•TARGET. This is normal setting and it means that a target is set for this response.
•OFF. This means that this response is to be ignored completely and no counting or checking will be done.
•ALL. This means that counting of saved records will be done but there is no target set for this response.
•NONE. This response will be treated as ineligible and no data will be accepted for this response and the record will be marked as ineligible.
These are normally set at the beginning of a project and are not changed, except at the very end if the
saved count does not match the actual saved records in the main data file.
Any record that has at least the number of saved records as was set as the target, will be marked as out of quota. This will be true is any one response in the record is out of quota, even if other responses are in quota.
The file itself has the following columns:
•Quota V2. Described above.
•Entry. The entry name of the question or variable.
•Response. The response number for this row.
•Description. The response text for this row.
•Wanted. The number needed with this response; the target.
•Saved. The number of saved records with this response.
•Rejected. The number of records that were rejected that had this response.
•Finished. The number of records that the interviewer has finished but has not yet saved (wrap up) with this response.
•Finished %. The percentage of finished records that are counted towards the target when rejecting new records.
•Progress. The number of records that the interviewer has started but not yet finished (in progress) with this response.
•Progress %. The percentage of in progress records that are counted towards the target when rejecting new records.
The defaults for Finished % and Progress % are 100% and 0% respectively.
The Finished % could be lowered if the target is vital.
The Progress % could be raised if drop out rate is low.