Crosstab query

Crosstab queries give you a quick way to check the spread of coding across cases and demographic variables.

For example, you could use a Crosstab query to:

  • Check how often interview respondents refer to a particular topic or issue

Crosstab results showing how often respondents refer to a particular theme.

  • Compare what different demographic groups have said about a theme

Crosstab showing what different demographic groups have said about a theme.

Before running a Crosstab query, you need to:

  • Create cases for the people, places or other entities that are the focus of your analysis
  • Define the demographic attributes of the cases
  • Code your source material at the cases and at theme nodes

Cross tabulate codes and cases

You can use a Crosstab query to check the spread of coding across the cases in your project.

To get started - on the Query tab, in the Create group, click Crosstab.

Then, specify the query criteria:

Example of Crosstab query criteria.

1Add theme nodes to the Nodes panel, drag and drop them from list view or click the plus sign.

2From Show node against, choose Cases.

3Add cases to the Cases panel, drag and drop them from list view or click the plus sign.

4To limit the scope of the query, choose Selected items or Items in selected folders. For example, you could search only the files in your Interviews folder.

5Click Run Query.

The Crosstab results are displayed:

NOTES

  • The column totals indicate the total number of references for each case. This is a useful way to determine the dominant or less dominant themes.
  • The row totals indicate the total number of coding references for each node. This can help you to see which cases have the most coding across the selected themes.
  • To save the results, click Save Results after running the query. The crosstab is stored in the Query Results folder under Search in Navigation View.
  • Click the Expand button (at the top right of Detail View) to make more room for working with your data. Customize the workspace

Cross tabulate codes and attributes

You can cross tabulate codes against the attribute values of your cases.

To get started - on the Query tab, in the Create group, click Crosstab.

The Crosstab results are displayed.

Crosstab of codes and case attribute values.

1Add theme nodes to the Nodes panel, drag and drop them from list view or click the plus sign.

2From Show node against, choose Attributes.

3Choose the classification for the attributes you want to cross-tabulate and choose one or two attributes. Click Swap to reorder the attributes.

4To limit the scope of the query, choose Selected Items or Selected Folders. For example, you could search only the files in your Interviews folder.

5Click Run Query.

NOTES

  • The column total is the number of unique cases (with selected attributes) that have coding at the themes. This is a useful way to see which group has the most coding across the themes.
  • The row total indicates the number of cases that have coding at the theme (out of all the cases represented in the crosstab). This can give you a feel for the dominant themes across the selected population.
  • To save the criteria (so you can run the query again), click Save Query at the top of the crosstab criteria.

Working with the results of a Crosstab query

TIP  Click the Expand icon at the top of Detail View to make more room for reviewing query results. Customize the workspace

Click Results at the top of the crosstab criteria to change the way results are displayed:

Changing the display of a Crosstab query.

1Change the content displayed in the cells—for example, Cases Coded (the number of cases with particular attributes who mention a theme) or Coding References (how many times cases with particular attributes mention a theme).

2Change the values displayed in the cells—for example, show the percentage of the total value of the column.

3Swap the columns and rows.

4Apply shading to cells to make it easier to see patterns in the matrix.

5Wrap the text in the column headers. (Switching the orientation of header labels from vertical to horizontal is not yet available).

Other ways to work with Crosstab query results:

  • Double-click in a cell to review the coded content.
  • Click the share icon The share icon at the top of Detail View to export, print or share the crosstab. You can export the crosstab as a spreadsheet (.csv) or as an SPSS Data File (.sav).