We want to make the transition to MRDCL as easy as possible for you. Your path to success will be dependent on your previous experience and the projects you need to transfer to MRDCL. Let’s look at the key issues in terms of software, taking account of the product or type of product you are switching from.
If you or your team are new to scripting tabulations, you will need to ensure that:
a) The users are given enough time to learn to use MRDCL efficiently
b) You will need the right type of staff, capable of learning scripting
Becoming proficient at MRDCL takes practice and time to acquire the greatest skills. We make this easier by offering over 50 videos to help you to learn basics, specific topics as well as advanced topics. Staff who have some experience of scripting or programming will tend to find the learning easier than those with no experience.
Users switching from a graphical user interface or menu-driven tabulation system are likely to fully understand the flow of producing tabulations using MRDCL. However it is important to consider that:
a) The users are given enough time to learn to use MRDCL efficiently
b) The users will have the right mindset to learn scripting language skills
Our tutorial videos will allow new users to progress quickly although they will need some time to become more productive. New users gradually learn how to use more and more productivity features.
Users of Quantum find the switch to MRDCL fairly easy. The biggest difficulties that former Quantum users face are:
a) Quantum is more structured than MRDCL. This can mean that new users can take a little time to become familiar with MRDCL’s greater flexibility.
b) The structured nature of Quantum sometimes leads new MRDCL users to try to translate Quantum code to MRDCL on a command by command basis. MRDCL offers many more approaches, which are sometimes overlooked by former Quantum users.
Quantum users soon learn to become proficient and make use of the more advanced MRDCL language.
Switching from Merlin is a simple process. MRDCL and Merlin come from the source software, a product called Sage. These similarities, of course, lead to the question of why companies switch to MRDCL from Merlin. The main reasons are:
a) MRDCL’s productivity tools, which allow users to build and share customisable templates – these are ideal for complex or repetitive requirements. The technique is known as EPS.
b) MRDCL’s new MRDCL Central which offers automation tools, a colour-coded script editor
c) MRDCL’s highly active development programme, including the addition of a charting/reporting module within the language (due for release in 2021)
SPSS does not have its own scripting language although it does allows users to:
a) Use syntax to specify some commands
b) Have access to programming languages such as Python, VBScript, Java etc.
Some new MRDCL users have experience in using the menu system within SPSS. This means switching from SPSS to MRDCL will be a different experience for different users dependent on their usage of SPSS. MRDCL will offer a huge amount of increased flexibility and power for producing crosstabulations as the strength of SPSS is its multivariate statistical capabilities. MRDCL offers a direct import from SPSS.
Switching from other scripting languages or software that allows use of programming languages such as Python, R, Javascript, Visual Basic, C# etc., will be relatively easy. Users of programs such as Ruby, Uncle and Dimensions will find the transition easy.
Generally, they will find MRDCL has a lot of market research-focused tools already prepared which are geared to generating variables, managing data and tabulating data.
Our vast library of videos will help with the transition to learn basic techniques and make real productivity gains.
It would be wrong to ignore the practicalities of moving any projects from your existing software to MRDCL. Fortunately, MRDCL has imports from Triple-S and SPSS which reduce much of the work, but below we have covered some of the most common issues you may encounter.
Triple-S and SPSS SAV files are generally good file formats to import from. They not only store clean data but all the texts relating to the variables in your survey. Both formats are available as exports from most reputable market research software products.
When importing Triple-S or SPSS files, they will only contain variables – not table definitions. MRDCL’s import tools will generate fully annotated variables and basic crosstabs for each variable automatically, but if the original tables were complex in structure, this may require additional work.
MRDCL now has an advanced SPSS import to pull together multiple response variables that are stored as several single response variables in SPSS. The import also produces efficient MRDCL script that is optimised for use within MRDCL.
MRDCL can read many data formats. Besides importing from Triple-S and SPSS, MRDCL can read ASCII data and CSV (Excel) data directly into the program as well as some other proprietary formats.
If you have exported the data as clean data, MRDCL will read the data back as clean data. The biggest exception is where filters were in place in other software to remove invalid data. If that data is not clean when exporting for use in MRDCL, the invalid data may remain. Triple-S allows the transference of filters so that data can be automatically cleaned in MRDCL, but it is not mandatory when exporting to MRDCL.
MRDCL also has a tool to filter data on all answering such that if all records have a valid answer, filters will be automatically implemented. Contact our support team to discuss more fully.
While MRDCL is a highly efficient for managing, analysing and automating tracking studies, moving a tracking study to MRDCL can present problems.
The main problem tends to centre around the hidden ‘fixes’ in the original data that are in place. Where these data fixes (or recodes) are not in a documented form, this can present difficulties.
Exporting to Triple-S or SPSS with good practices can usually negate these issues, but transferring complex weighting procedures can prove cumbersome, for example. Fortunately, MRDCL has a wide range of tools to cover most complications, so it is usually best to seek our advice as to the best approach to work with moving a project from your previous software product to MRDCL.
Converting most projects is usually straightforward provided that they are Triple-S compliant or can generate SPSS files. If you can export data to Excel format, it is easy to read it back into MRDCL. However, moving texts into MRDCL is likely to need additional work if your data is in Excel format.
MRDCL has a lot of tools to handle different problems that may present. It is always a good idea to put these problems to us before buying MRDCL, so that we can suggest best practices and, more importantly, so that you are aware of any difficulties before you use MRDCL.
We will offer you advice and assistance to convert your projects to MRDCL.
