In this video, we’ll cover all the basics of EpiData, download and install, basic settings, form development and data entry and data export, needful for any beginner. The video is in Nepali language but you can go through steps below in English as well.
EpiData Download and Install
Step 1: Visit EpiData download page
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Step 2: Navigate to EpiData Entry Section and Click on Complete setup to download latest version
Step 3: Installation – Just open downloaded file and run as other application [at 2 min 10 sec in video]
Overview of Epidata
Please download EpiData Manager official documentation for details of all functions available in the EPiData Entry. You will also find sample files for practice and more learning at their official documentation page. Further, you can also explore Epi Tour.
EpiData was specially created to assist researchers to carry out epidemiological investigations. It has functions which carry the following tasks:
- Text Editor functions that are used to create questionnaires, edit files that contain data-checking and data-coding rules, and write and edit text.
- Data Entry functions that allow you to make data files from questionnaire files, enter, edit, and query data.
- Data Checking functions that allow you to add range checking, skip patterns, legal values, and complex coding rules to data as it is entered. [interactive checking, batch checking and validation]
- Coding and Calculation functions that allow you to create new variables or manipulate existing variables (e.g. calculation of latency periods, grouping ages etc.).
- Import function that allows you to import data from text, dBase, and STATA files
- Export function that allows you to export data to text, dBase, STATA, Excel, SAS, and SPSS format files for subsequent analysis.
- Data Management functions to append (i.e. join end-to-end), merge (i.e. join side-to-side), or restructure data files.
- Documentation functions that list data, describe file structures and data checking rules applied to files, produce frequency tables and descriptive statistics for variables in a file, and count records in one or more files using values entered into particular variables.
- Utility functions that allow you to pack (i.e. remove deleted records) data files, compress data files, make backup copies of data files and associated questionnaires and data checking rules, copy file structures, create questionnaires from existing data files, and rename fields in a file.
EpiData does not contain any complex data analysis functions but data may be exported to a variety of common formats.
Basic Settings of EpiData
Navigate to file in menu bar and click on options. Here you can set display options like fonts and colors along with variable field name setting and file extension options. 
Creating entry forms
Step 1: File > New (Ctrl + N) and save it. It creates .QES file.
Step 2: Now you need to set questionnaire in the format – [ at 7:40 in video ]
|VariableName| |Description or question or statement| |EntryField|
Name Enter your name <Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa>
Name Enter your name __________________________________________
Enter your {name} _________________________________________
