using SETS data extraction software DISCS THAT USE SETS A 77.40: F73/CD 1994 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes and Diet and Health Knowledge Survey HE 20.6209/4-3:10/ National Health Interview Survey HE 20.6209/4-5:13/ National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey HE 20.6209/4-7:13/ 1987 Birth Control Cohort Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Set HE 20.6209/7-2:13/1 1990 National Hospital Discharge Survey HE 20.6209/10:23/1 National Survey of Family Growth, Cycle IV 1990 Telephone Reinterview HE 20.6209/11:21/1 1991 Longitudinal Follow-up to 1988 Maternal and Infant Health Survey HE 20.7041: Longitudinal Study of Aging (1984-1990) HE 20.7919: TCE/UBL/ National Exposure Registry Trichlorethylene Subregistry TD Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey 1983 and 1990 WHAT IS SETS? SETS is data extraction software designed by the National Center for Health Statistics. It extracts data and data sets from microdata provided on various NCHS CD-ROMs, including the annual National Health Interview Survey. It also works with several other CD-ROMs from other agencies. WHY USE SETS? The CD-ROMs which require SETS all contain microdata: large text files with coded character strings representing individual responses to a survey. To create data sets, or make sense of the microdata, requires either SETS or statistical software such as SPSS or SAS. INSTALLING AND STARTING SETS SETS must be installed for each disc you use it with (except for the most current National Health Interview Survey, which is already installed and can be accessed by using the menu choice on Workstation 1). Installation is usually accomplished by using an install file on the CD-ROM; see booklet/ documentation accompanying the disc for specific instructions (generally, the installation will create a directory on the hard drive, and within that directory there will be a file-sets.bat- from which the program just installed on the hard drive will work with the CD-ROM). BROWSING THE DOCUMENTATION When you start SETS you will come to a main menu with 5 options. Selecting Browse (by using the arrow keys and ) and then Documentation will allow you to both browse documentation about the particular disc you're using, and access the comprehensive SETS Reference Manual. note: to back up a step when using SETS, hit the key. BROWSING THE DATA FILES First look at the raw data on the disc; this is a good idea, as it should give you an idea of just what data is on the disc as well as help in understanding the process SETS goes through to extract desired elements of this data when you make tables of specific data. To do so, return to the main menu and select Browse and then File. The data on the discs is separated into several files; moving the cursor along the different files, notice the brief title of the file that appears at the bottom of the screen. Choosing one (by pressing ) displays the contents of that file on the screen. This file is microdata, and looks like a string of numbers. Each number or column, however, translates to some specific meaning, such as age, sex, etc. (more specifically, each row represents one record, or survey respondent, and each column represents one data item, or survey question). Use the arrow keys to highlight different columns; note that for whatever column/ number is highlighted, a description and definitions appear at the top and bottom of the screen. MAKING TABLES OF SPECIFIC DATA While Browse allows you to browse individual records, the Table feature allows you to customize a table in a table/ spreadsheet format. To create a custom table, return to the main menu (using ) and choose Table from the main menu. Then choose Display. You will be prompted to create a new record subset. As prompted, enter a name and description for the subset you are about to create. When prompted for Files, hit to bring up a list the available files (to examine what data is in each of these files, see Browsing the Data Files above). Note that you may only make tables from one file at a time; if you want to use more, do each one separately, then combine them using a spreadsheet or other data manipulation software. When you're done selecting, follow the on-screen prompts by hitting F10 to accept your choice. Once you have chosen a file to work with, SETS prompts you to select the Records within that file that you want to use in your data subset. You may choose "all" to use every record; it is likely, however, that you will want only records meeting certain criteria; for example, everyone under 21, etc. If this is the case, press when it prompts you to Select Records.. Move the cursor under Field, then press to see a list of the data fields in the current file. As you move the cursor around the fields, a description of the current field is shown at the top or bottom of the screen. For example, to choose the records in the chosen data file for people under 21, choose the AGE field. Then you will be prompted for an Op, or Operator. Press for to see your choices of Operators. These are Boolean expressions, such as = (equals), < (less than), > (greater than), etc..; in this example, choose < (less than). Finally, you will be prompted for a Value by which to define this chosen field. Press and select from the list of possible values; in this example, choose "21." You may have to wait a moment while the computer searches for the desired records. Notice that the number of records meeting your criteria from the chosen file is shown towards the upper right portion of the display. If this (age less than 21) is the only limiting criteria you want to use, you may examine the chosen records; follow the directions and hit F10, indicating that you have completed your search. You may further refine your search by choosing a Connector; a Connector is another Boolean expression such as And or Or; and it allows you to select another criteria by which to define your search. For example, if we wanted only those records for people under 21 and female, we would hit under Connector, and then choose And, and then repeat the process above to select records where SEX = FEMALE. When you are finished defining criteria, choose F10. REFINING AND DISPLAYING YOUR TABLE At this point you'll be looking at a menu screen with no table displayed; to display the table you've just created, press F2 (Edit), then F6 (Table). A list of variables are displayed in the pop-up menu. Select the variables you wish displayed in the table (remembering that your data will only be for females under 21 in the example above). The more variables you select, the longer it will take to create the table (up to hours). It is recommended to select only one or two variables at a time. For instance, choose EDUCAT to get educational attainment of those in your data set (females under 21) . When you're done selecting variables, follow the directions by pressing and F10. Finally, type /labels, so that the bottom of the screen looks like this: EDUCAT/labels. Then press . This instructs SETS to include English language labels to identify each data element. The bottom of the screen will show the estimated time it will take to complete the table. TABLE OPTIONS: WEIGHTED DATA Your table is now displaying the data you have chosen. Note that the numbers you have are actual numbers from the survey, and are not nationwide totals. For information about the different weighting factors, consult the documentation (see above). To get an estimate of the nationwide totals based on the survey data, first move the cursor to a blank area right of the table (to create room for the weighted data), then choose F5, then pick the desired available weighting factor. . Once you have chosen the weight you will be returned to your original table. Then type /display (so that the bottom of the screen looks like Edit: /display) and press to display the weighted table. TABLE OPTIONS: PERCENTAGES To display percentages for your data, move the cursor to a blank area of the screen below the table. Choose F2 (Edit), then F8 (Table option assistance). You will see options for displaying your data. To show percentages, change the setting at "displays percent of row total" to Y, then press F10 and . Your table will now be displayed in percentage form. ALTERNATIVES AND CHANGING YOUR TABLE You may also create or change your tables by choosing Subset from the main menu. Then choose Records to modify or choose records or Fields to modify or choose fields. The process will be the same as described above (by choosing Display from Table at the main menu). PRINTING To print your table, choose F3 (Sheet) and highlight "print the current sheet." Then press and follow the directions on screen. EXPORTING DATA To save a table to a spreadsheet file on a floppy disc, choose F3 (sheet) followed by "Save to Lotus." Follow the directions there (i.e. don't specify a directory or extension) to save the spreadsheet file to a working directory on the hard drive, then copy the file to a floppy. You may also save data as text/ASCII by choosing Export and then ASCII from the main menu. MORE HELP: This guide is only a brief introduction to SETS and its features. More information, see the SETS Reference Manual in Documentation (see above) or consult a librarian. EF Documents Library 4/96 Eric Forte University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 5/96