Using Alfred and R for survey data analysis

[dfay]

This is a post without a workflow. Much of what I have to say is also applicable to SAS, SPSS, Excel, or whatever else you might use to analyze quantitative data.

Whenever you're collecting data you want to have a codebook listing all your variables and a longer description of what each refers to, what each means for categorical variables (e.g. 1=mac, 2=windows, 3=amiga os, etc.).

 

Putting your codebook in a CSV has multiple advantages. You can keep your codebook in a single file & merge it (in whatever - I use Nisus) but also use it as a list filter in Alfred.  Output the variable name to the clipboard & you're in business.

 

I have three surveys of panel data from 1998, 2009, and 2015. I've created three list filters with the code books for each. So I can type s98 and search for a variable - when I find it, it's copied to the clipboard as survey98$variableName, ready for pasting into R. And rather than opening a codebook file and searching for the variable name to check its description, possible values, etc., it's all right there in front of me in Alfred.

 

 

Edited April 29, 2017 by dfay

[dfay]

I wanted my list filters to update automatically and to do a fuzzy search for the variable names, so I wrote this:

 

https://github.com/derickfay/fuzzylist

 

Edited December 23, 2017 by dfay