Specifying the sample output file
When the Q_Panel Job Queue processes a sample project (with Report Only unchecked) it creates an output file of panellist data for you to use in your interview process.
The output tab in Sample Manager allows you to specify the content that should go into the file and what the file format is.
In the training database, the output tab by default looks as follows:
This is because the Default Prototype is defined with these four columns set up as output fields and so all samples within this prototype have the same four columns by default (Email Address, First Name, Last Name and UniqueRef). This can be edited.
To add a new column:
Under Columns click Add. Select the output columns you require in the Choose Output Columns tree.
Click OK to save your selection to the output tab.
The profile variables that are shown in the Choose Output Columns dialog are defined in Hierarchy Manager, which can be found within the Maintenance menu.
In order to be available to select as an output column, a variable must have the ‘Allowed in Sample/Prototype output’ checkbox ticked.
You can use the search function to help you find columns, in the same way that it is used to search for dimensions.
Note that the search function does not search within the External File folder. Only the Profile Variables folder and sub-folders are used in the search.
To remove a column:
Select the checkbox next to the column to be removed and click on Remove.
Formatting of the output file may also be changed. There are a number of output formats available including delimited which we will use for our example.
By default sample output is written in Unicode. Sample output can be written in ANSI by adding the setting <IsAnsiOutput>1</IsAnsiOutput> to MARSC.cfg. This will ensure that all the output formats selected from the Output tab in Sample Manager will be encoded in ANSI, with the two exceptions of
- the output format XML which is always encoded in Unicode, and
- the tripleS .sss file which is always produced encoded in ANSI
See related article to see what the output file will look like.
Note that samples which contain a sensitive variable as an output column cannot be submitted, whether or not the user submitting the sample has access to view sensitive data.