Automatic coding in dataset sources

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You can use auto coding to organize dataset content into case nodes or theme nodes for further exploration. This topic explains how auto coding works in different types of datasets and explains how to get started with the Auto Code Wizard.

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Understand automatic coding in datasets

A dataset contains structured data arranged in records (rows) and fields (columns). Datasets can contain classifying columns and codable columns. You can use the Auto Code Wizard to code content of codable columns.

You can auto code a dataset based on:

• Structure

• Existing coding patterns

• Themes or sentiment (NVivo Plus only)

Auto code a dataset based on structure

NOTE: NVivo 11 (Update 2) introduced the Survey Import Wizard which automatically creates and classifies cases; and codes survey responses to nodes. Refer to About survey and dataset sources for more information.

You can auto code based on the rows or columns in your dataset. You can choose to:

• Code at nodes for selected columns

For example, If you have imported survey results from a spreadsheet or directly from SurveyMonkey, you can auto code to gather all the responses for each question.

The image below shows a dataset containing survey responses to two questions. With auto coding, you can create a node (Q1 and Q2) for each question. The responses to each question are automatically coded at the relevant node.

Refer to Auto code a dataset at nodes for selected columns for detailed instructions.

• Code at nodes for each value in a column

For example, if your dataset contains survey results, you can auto code to gather everything a particular respondent has said.

In the image below, a case node is created for each respondent (DE001, DE002, and DE003) and the responses are coded at the relevant case.

If you have collected demographic information about the survey respondents, you could auto code based on the values in other classifying columns—for example Gender or Age. You can also group the responses together to create and code at a node for each demographic group—for example Age 21-30, Age 31-40 and so on.

 Refer to Auto code a dataset at nodes for each value in a column for detailed instructions.

• Code at nodes for each value in predefined columns (social media datasets only)

For social media data collected with NCapture—for example from Facebook or Twitter—you can choose to code at nodes for each value in predefined columns.

For example, you might auto code to theme nodes based on hashtag, or case nodes based on username.

The image below shows an example of a dataset containing Twitter data. You can auto code to gather Tweets from predefined columns—for example hashtag. A theme node is created for each hashtag (hashtag1 and hashtag2) and the relevant content is coded at the node.

Refer to Auto code a social media dataset based on predefined columns for detailed instructions.

Auto code a dataset based on existing coding patterns

You can choose to code your dataset using existing coding patterns.

Refer to Auto code a dataset based on existing coding patterns for more information.

Auto code a dataset based on themes or sentiment

Identify themes or sentiment in a dataset, and code sentences or entire dataset cells to theme or sentiment nodes. Refer to About automated insights for more information.

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Auto code a dataset at nodes for selected columns

1. In List View or Detail View, click on the dataset you want to auto code.

2. On the Analyze tab, in the Coding group, click Auto Code.

The Auto Code Wizard opens. Follow the steps on the Wizard.

 

Wizard step	Description
Choose how you would like to auto code your sources	Click Use the source style or structure.
Choose how you would like to code at nodes	Choose Code at nodes for selected columns to create and code at  nodes based on the columns in the dataset. For example, you can create a node for all Question 1 responses, and another node for all Question 2 responses.
Choose whether to code all rows or filtered rows.	This step is only displayed if a filter is applied to the dataset—choose whether you want to use all rows when auto coding, or only filtered rows.
Select the columns you want to create as nodes.	Select the columns that you want to create nodes for. All the codable columns are selected by default. You can remove a column—click a column in the Selected columns list  and then click the left arrow < to move it to the Available columns list. The preview area at the bottom of the wizard shows the nodes that will be created based on the options you have selected (you can choose a location for the nodes in the next step).
Select a location for the nodes.	You can store the nodes under a parent node or in a folder. If you want to code at nodes that already exist in your project, you must select the location that matches the existing hierarchy. If you select a different location, new nodes will be created. Decide whether you want to turn on aggregation for parent nodes—if you select this option, then all the content coded at the children is shown in the parent node. Refer to Aggregate nodes for more information. The preview area at the bottom of the wizard shows the node structures that will be created, and the content that will be coded to the leaf nodes in the hierarchy.

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Auto code a dataset at nodes for each value in a column

To auto code a dataset at theme or case nodes for each value in a column:

1. In List View or Detail View, click on the dataset you want to auto code.

2. On the Analyze tab, in the Coding group, click Auto Code.

The Auto Code Wizard opens. Follow the steps on the Wizard.

 

Wizard step	Description
Choose how you would like to auto code your sources	Click Use the source style or structure.
Choose how you would like to code at nodes	Choose Code at nodes for each value in a column to create and code at  nodes based on the values in the columns of  the dataset. For example, you could create and code at a case node for each respondent in your survey.
Choose whether to code all rows or filtered rows.	This step is only displayed if a filter is applied to the dataset—choose whether you want to use all rows when auto coding, or only filtered rows.
Select the columns that contain values you want to use as node names	Select the column that contains the names of your nodes—these are the nodes that will contain the coded content. For example, if you want to create a case node to represent each person you surveyed, you could select the column which contains their name or some other identifier. You should ensure that each cell in this column contains a different value. If two people share the same name, only a single case node will be created. (Optional) Choose whether the nodes should be nested into a hierarchy. For example, if you surveyed high school students in three schools, you might create a node structure that has a parent case node for each school and child case nodes for each student. You can select classifying columns which contain the values you want to use to build the hierarchy.   Click the Filter and Group button if you want to further refine the node hierarchy that will be created by: Filtering the row values used to create nodes—for example, if you want to create nodes based on the values in the column School, and some cells contain the value Unknown, you can choose to exclude this value when you create your node structure. Grouping the row values that will be used to create nodes—for example, if a column contains the ages of your survey respondents, you can group the ages into ranges, so that you create a node for each age range, rather than a node for each age. The preview area at the bottom of the wizard, shows the nodes that will be created based on the options you have selected on this step of the wizard. Click the Expand buttons to expand the hierarchy. Only the leaf nodes in the hierarchy are coded to.  If you are not satisfied with the structure, try changing the options on this step.
Select a location for the nodes.	You can store the nodes under a parent node or in a folder. If you want to code at nodes that already exist in your project, you must select the location that matches the existing hierarchy. If you select a different location, new nodes will be created. Decide whether you want to turn on aggregation for parent nodes—if you select this option, then all the content coded at the children is shown in the parent node. Refer to Aggregate nodes for more information. The preview area at the bottom of the wizard shows the node structures that will be created, and the content that will be coded to the leaf nodes in the hierarchy. Click the Expand buttons to expand the hierarchy.

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Auto code a social media dataset based on predefined columns

1. In List View or Detail View, click on the dataset you want to auto code.

2. On the Analyze tab, in the Coding group, click Auto Code.

The Auto Code Wizard opens. Follow the steps on the Wizard.

 

Wizard step	Description
Choose how you would like to auto code your sources	Click Use the source style or structure.
Choose how you would like to code at nodes	Choose Code at nodes for each value in predefined columns This option is only available for datasets containing social media data (for example, Facebook or Twitter) collected with NCapture.
Choose whether to code all rows or filtered rows.	This step is only displayed if a filter is applied to the dataset—choose whether you want to use all rows when auto coding, or only filtered rows.
Select the predefined columns that contain values you want to use as node names	Choose how you want to code the posts or comments. The options available will vary depending on the type of social media data. For example, if you are coding a dataset containing Facebook data, you can select Conversation. The content of a post and its comments will be coded to a node for the conversation. This helps to see the context of the comments. If you auto code by Username, a case node is created for each user and their profile information—for example, Gender and Location—is stored as attribute values on their node. The preview area at the bottom of the wizard, shows the nodes that will be created based on the options you have selected on this step of the wizard. Click the Expand buttons to expand the hierarchy. Only the leaf nodes in the hierarchy are coded to. If you are not satisfied with the structure, try changing the options on this step.
Select a location for the nodes.	You can store the nodes under a parent node or in a folder. If you want to code at nodes that already exist in your project, you must select the location that matches the existing hierarchy. If you select a different location, new nodes will be created. The preview area at the bottom of the wizard shows the node structures that will be created, and the content that will be coded to the leaf nodes in the hierarchy. Click the Expand buttons to expand the hierarchy.

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Auto code a dataset based on existing coding patterns

You can also use pattern-based auto coding in conjunction with the other automatic coding techniques. For example, you could auto code your dataset containing survey responses to create nodes for each question. Then, you could use pattern-based coding to 'code on' from a question node.

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Related topics

• About dataset sources

• About coding

• About automatic coding techniques

• Basic coding in dataset sources

• Range code your sources