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SLID Systems

SLIDRet 4.0

 

INTRODUCTION

SLIDRET is the SLID (Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics) data RETrieval system. It was developed to simplify access to SLID data; users are able to create a dataset according to their own specifications, without having to understand the internal SLID database structure. Everything is contained in one screen. Windows open to allow users to clarify various selections.

 

Users are able to create, save and modify specifications to create cross-sectional and longitudinal datasets containing only the variables selected. The query results can be generated in a variety of file formats including: Comma Separated Variable (CSV) file, Extensible Markup Language file (XML), and SAS dataset. SLIDRET can also generate a data dictionary, a record layout, a file containing the variable labels, variable codesets, and univariate statistics for each of the variables selected. The output data file can then be read into the analytical software preferred by the user. An additional feature is that the software suggests a weight variable based on the specifications (if desired, this default can be changed by the user).

 

You can also put restrictions on the content of your database (i.e. persons with a total income greater than 100 000 dollars).

 

To use all features of SLIDRET, one must have access to the internal database (for which access is restricted). However one can create the “query” files from the public version of SLIDRET which contains an empty database structure.

 

Depending on the user’s selections and the type of computer used, the extraction may take some time. We anticipate that this will not be viewed as problematic since SLIDRET is not used frequently. The primary purpose is to create a file which will meet the needs of a specific analytical or research project.

 

Version 4.0.0 is a complete redesign of the SLIDRet application. The application interface is now programmed in C#.Net (rather than FoxPro). Data are kept in SQL Server 2005 databases (rather than FoxPro). The net results of this redesign are:

·         A more user friendly interface.

·         Decreased processing times for queries.

·         Enhanced functionality