Help for odk_validate

Description

odk_validate streamlines the survey validation process for users employing ODK/XLSForms for data collection and Stata for subsequent data analysis. It meticulously scans the ODK form for prevalent issues that can often go unnoticed prior to deployment, focusing on:

Duplicate variable names particularly those generated from select_multiple questions (when such data is subsequently exported in separate columns).

Unconstrained integer questions that could lead to data inconsistencies.

Required notes that may inadvertently block response uploads.

Optional questions at risk of being overlooked or skipped by enumerators.

Upon detection of these issues, odk_validate generates a detailed Word report outlining the specific concerns, thus facilitating preemptive corrections prior to survey deployment.

Syntax

odk_validate [, USING(string)]

Options

USING(string) Specifies the name of the odk file to be used by the program. The default is set to "odk" if no file is specified. The file must be in the current directory. The extension (xlsx) is not required.

Examples

Example 1

Running ODK Validate without specifying a file name (assuming that the odk form already exists in the current directory with the file name "odk.xlsx")

. odk_validate

Example #2

Running ODK Validate with a specific survey file name.

. odk_validate, using(malawi_hfc)

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Prabhmeet Kaur and Zaeen de Souza for their thoughtful and constructive feedback.

Authors

Kabira Namit, World Bank

knamit@worldbank.org