CATI
The following extensions are available:
- The CATI management block included in the data model (see CATI.INC) has been
extended with an auxfield block that contains the history information of the
current case in the DEP. This block is updated by the DEP after reading a
form from the database and before writing the form to the database.
- CATI specification program (BTSpec.exe).
- The storage format of the survey specification file has been changed. Blaise now stores the specification in the so-called Blaise registry format. The system uses .btr as extension for this file. For compatibility the old storage format (file extension .bts) is still supported but only for reading. The specification program will always use the new format for writing.
- Scheduler parameters can now be specified separately for default cases, soft appointments, medium appointments and hard appointments. The user interface of the specification program has been changed: the general parameters page plus the more scheduler parameters dialog have been replaced by new pages: the daybatch parameters page, the appointment parameters page and four scheduler parameter pages.
- It is now possible to specify a dial begin event handler and a dial end event handler. The dial begin event handler is called by the DEP after selecting a form that needs to be handled (so just before the dial menu is presented on the screen). The dial end event handler is called by the DEP just after the handling of a form is completed (so just before the form is updated in the file). The event handlers give you the possibility to call an external routine similar to the event handlers that are specified for types in the datamodel properties.
- The maximum daybatch size has been raised to 1,000,000. The minimum allowed size is 1.
- Time slices can now also be used for the first call attempt. You can specify this in the Define Time Slice Set dialog.
- The default date type and the default time type to be used in the appointment dialog can be specified on the appointment parameters page.
- All changes to the survey specification are written to the log file.
- The program now has a status bar. The name of the specification file is displayed on the status bar, whether the specification has been modified. An open padlock is used to indicate that there is no password protection and a close padlock is used when there is password protection. The text <SERVER> is displayed on the status bar when the specification file is handled by the CATI server.
- The print options has been improved.
- CATI management
program (BTMana.exe).
- The reason for exclusion of the daybatch is shown on the screen when the daybatch has been created. The reasons are also written to the log file. On the screen and in the log file aggregated numbers are displayed. The system creates a separate delimited ASCII file which lists the exclusion reason for each case separately. This file has the extension .tdi.
- The length of medium appointments is taken into account prioritizing appointments.
- The CATI specification program for the currently focused survey can be activated by using the menu option Tools|CATI Specification Program.
- The 'Not yet done' control of the Summary view is now clickable. When a cell is clicked the zoom case dialog is displayed allowing you to browse through the cases that belong to cell clicked.
- Interviewer lister: in case of using the CATI server unknown users (so a user that is not specified in the survey specification) are no longer listed as <Unknow> but as <LoginName - ComputerName>. Users that are handling a case are indicated with an * behind their name.
- The text <SERVER> is displayed on the status bar when the specification file is handled by the CATI server.
- It is now also possible to view the appointments for all remaining days of the survey. When you click the appointments branch of the summary node in the tree view the system will display an appointment view for the selected day. When you select a group / interviewer from the For whom dropdown list only the appointments for the selected group / interviewer will be displayed.
- If you have associated a parallel block with a treatment, you can now specify whether the management program should use this treatment and automatically jump to the parallel block likewise the data entry program does, or not.
- CATI
history program (BTHist.exe).
- Support for printing information of a single interviewer.
- Times are no longer presented in seconds but now in hh:mm:ss.
- In the List view an auto refresh option is now available.