The GideonSoft Data Model

Our Model

The Whole Person concept behind GideonSoft is based on the idea of categorizing data into Dimensions, Factors, Sub-factors, and Items. This concept has always been a part of GideonSoft as a best practice, but now it is fully embedded in the way data are described and named.

 

Dimensions typically describe the overall concept that a variable represents. For example, a common GideonSoft dimension is Behavior. This dimension generally reflects a summary of multiple factors, such as Dependability, Motivation, and Adaptability. Each Factor may further be divided into Sub-factors (they may not be needed, depending on the granularity of the model). For example, the Factor, Adaptability, may represent a summary of the Sub-factors: Flexibility, Creativity, and Resourcefulness. Items represent the underlying variables that store the data (the actual questions within a survey).

 

GideonSoft’s variable name generator ensures that your variables are named in the best way possible for you to easily find them, and efficiently access them for analysis, visualizations, and reports.

 

Variable Manager

This is the prime area where data are configured and managed in GideonSoft. You can view, create, edit all the types of data GideonSoft uses in its process, including Evaluations, Scores (transformed, calculated, raw), Ranks, Statistics and Descriptives.

 

After creating score variables, GideonSoft must ‘crunch the numbers’ or process and generate this new data. The system will automatically begin processing scores within a minute or so after data has been updated (saving a score or rank, data gets imported, etc).

 

Note: If automatic updating has been disabled or switched to manual mode, a button will be displayed reminding you to manually initiate the update process. It is very important that you update your data prior to running reports and data analysis to ensure you have the most up to date data.

 

Data Points

If Variable Manager is the place to define and prepare data for analysis, Data Points is the place to view results (i.e. the resulting data points). Data points can also be deleted from here, and set as baseline and exclude.

 

To find exactly what you’re looking for…

• Using the blue “Showing” drop down on the left, you can filter by data type.
• Using “Advanced Search” on the right, you can filter by an assessor, by subject, and by date range.
• You can also simply enter text in the search field.

 

Once you narrow the results down, you can select data points by checking boxes next to them and click “Export to CSV”.

 

The Data Points page is also available via a person’s profile page. By going to the Quick Links area, you can click on “Data” to see the Data Points page pre-filtered to the individual.

 

Spreadsheets

Spreadsheets are not unlike Excel spreadsheets, they allow you to input data in a tabular format. They can be used for administrative or demographic information, or one-time input of score data.

Version(s): 17.2 and later