Complementary software and software integration
In an era of software integration, MRDCL is designed to fit with your goals
Why is it important?
Although some platforms present themselves as a ‘complete solution’, this is rarely the case. All platforms have their strengths and their weaknesses, particularly if they cover more than one part of the research process.
The need for complementary software will grow as research deliverables increase. As a result, MRDCL has been designed to link with other research products and other business software products not specifically aimed at the market research industry.
How MRDCL connects to other software
| Type of data | Connect to MRDCL | Connect from MRDCL | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Triple-S | Yes | Yes | Texts and data connected. Approved and used widely across the market research industry. It was developed as a joint initiative and is supported about 100 software products. | Not used much outside the market research industry. |
| SPSS data | Yes | Yes | Used outside market research. Has a wide client base. Texts and data connected. MRDCL has been improved to compensate for some of SPSS data format's weaknesses. | Proprietary format. Does not handle multiple response questions well. |
| Excel/CSV data as codes | Yes | Yes | Compatible with most business software. Widely understood. | Texts for codes and fields are not connected unless there is some special connection. |
| Excel/CSV data as texts | Yes | Yes | Compatible with most business software. Widely understood. | Texts may be need some customisation to connect well. |
| Excel workbook plus other data file | Yes | No | MRDCL can read instructions, texts and data from a workbook using a custom template that can be used for all projects. | Not usually suitable to connect from MRDCL unless custom development has been made. |
| Direct custom links | Yes | Yes | MRDCL can work well as engine so that it either drives another system or is driven by another system. Our technical team can help with this type of integration. | Needs some custom integration. |
| TSAPI | Not yet! | Not yet! | TSAPI is currently under development as a joint initiative. Potentially, it can link MRDCL to many market research and business platforms. | Still in development. |
| Product specific links | Not applicable | Yes, possibly | Product specific links refer to links that output data in a specific format or layout for a particular product. Tableau, for example, the dashboard platform reads data in particular layout. It is easy to use MRDCL to do this for you. | Will be dependent on specific format although our technical backup will advise on what is possible. |
What works best with MRDCL?
As the table shows, we recommend products that are Triple-S compatible or SPSS compatible. Generally, complementary software products which produce Triple-S files are easier to work with because they contain more detail. By this, we mean that the metadata, which includes the data, variables and texts associated with the variables. Although in development, TSAPI is potentially exciting as it can link MRDCL with a variety of platforms inside and outside of research.
We would recommend that you avoid products that have proprietary data formats because they may connect well with other software. MRDCL can work well as engine to drive other software or for other software to drive MRDCL.
Complementary software products we recommend
Our sister company, MRDC Software, sells and supports complementary software products which we have had a good experience of working with. However, you should not be restricted to this list.
QPSMR Companion – QPSMR uses the same engine as MRDCL to produce tables. It has an easy-to-use interface to set up questions and tables. However, it does not have many of the capabilities of MRDCL, but works well for simpler projects allowing you to generate MRDCL scripts at the press of a button. QPSMR also has data collection tools for paper surveys, CAPI and CATI.
Snap – Snap is an excellent tool for online surveys. Firstly, it has a powerful set of tools for generating your online survey. Secondly, it allow to produce tables easily and has a highly-featured reporting module.
Resolve – Resolve is a freely distributable product which allows colleagues and clients to produce secondary analysis and charts from projects processed in MRDCL. In addition, a Premium version offers even more analysis tools which can be customised to meet your needs.
The CYS Platform – The CYS Platform allows you to take data from MRDCL and present the data in a dashboard.
When to use and not use MRDCL?
We are often asked why MRDCL does not do everything you might need. The answer is it depends what you need and this is true of all software products. For example:
- MRDCL excels at doing scripted tabulations that are complex, repetitive or where you want a highly productive skilled team
- MRDCL excels for handling tracking studies
- MRDCL can handle data corrections. It is the right tool if you want to store those changes in a spreadsheet but if you want to physically change the source data, it is more laborious.
- MRDCL can be used for data entry – it’s not suitable for most data entry tasks so we don’t tell anyone.
- If you want to share a project cheaply, MRDCL is ideal because Resolve is free to distribute and inexpensive for the Premium versions
- If you have complex data structures, you will find MRDCL handles your data effectively. For instance, projects with hierarchical data or multiple sources.
- And more!
In conclusion, MRDCL is just like other software. It excels at some things, but may or may not be right tool for other things. That’s why you need good complementary software.
