Hierarchical relationships or something else

[BankyToo]

Hello,

I am fairly certain this has been answered in other questions but I was unable to apply it to my question, so please bear with me.

I am using filemaker pro.

Here is the situation.

I gave 5 different surveys to a bunch people once a week for a bunch of weeks.

Right now each survey has its own file with all the people and all the visits in each file.

So in each file there is a person ID and a visit ID.

Now I am trying to get all the data into one layout.

My thinking is that I would like tell FMP to give me (person1, 2,

[ESpringer]

You could build five relations, but my suggestion would be to get all the data into one FILE (table) using an import process. Ideally, you don't want five different files with the same data structure, distinguished only on what should be just one variable: visit date. (That's what a field is best for! )

Each data record should show just one "response" (call the file Responses, or something like that) and it should be individuated by:

Person x Visit x Measure (person A at Visi# on question Q) together with the actual data about that response.

Then you could have up to three related files: for Respondent, for Visits and for Measures. It sounds like the Measures file is the one you'll really want to use for reports, etc. Set up a relation with keys like this: Measures::MeasureID = Responses::MeasureID. Sort this relation by visit#. Now, each measure record can have a portal showing all the related responses to that measure. (you might sort by Visit# so that older responses come first, or last)

You can also set up five concatenated calc fields in the Measures file, such as:

MeasureID&"_"&"1"

and one concat field in the Responses file, so that you could have FIVE portals, each one limited to a certain visit#.

(Then, if you sort by personID, you can line up the portals and get somethnig like a grid of responses through time on the same measure.)

Is this on the right level? Am I missing anything about your task here?