Online Analysis
A selection of MDRC data collections is available for online data analysis. This means that users can perform certain statistical procedures on the data, create custom subsets, or browse the codebook on the Internet, without downloading the entire collection and importing the data into a statistical package.
The online data analysis system uses a system called Survey Documentation and Analysis (SDA), developed and maintained by the Computer-assisted Survey Methods Program (CSM) at the University of California, Berkeley.
Find out more about online data analysis at MDRC:
- Reasons to use DAS
- Specific features of the DAS
- MDRC data collections available in DAS
- List all DAS studies
Reasons to Use DAS
Online data analysis is recommended for users who would like to:
- Search for variables of interest in a dataset
- Review frequencies or summary statistics of key variables to determine what further analyses are appropriate
- Review frequencies or summary statistics for missing data
- Produce simple summary statistics for reports
- Create statistical tables from raw data
- Create a subset of cases or variables from a particularly large collection to save time in downloading and space on a personal computer
Specific Features of the DAS
- Browse the codebook for a dataset
- Select variables, analysis programs, and program options from a single browser window
- Perform certain statistical procedures, such as:
- List values of individual cases
- Frequencies
- Crosstabulations
- Comparisons of means
- Correlation matrix
- Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression
- Create bar, line, and pie charts for frequencies and crosstabulations
- Manipulate variables
- Recode variables
- Compute new variables
- List newly created variables
- Create customized subsets of selected variables and cases
- Now includes user-created variables from the Recode and Compute programs
- Create customized subsets of selected variables and cases
- Download the subset, including:
- ASCII data file with optional delimiters
- SAS, SPSS, or Stata setup files
- Codebook customized for the selected subset
MDRC Data Collections Available in DAS
Please note that although most DAS components are freely available to the general public, a few DAS components are available only to ICPSR Direct users.
