I was reading another evaluation blog (the American Evaluation Association’s blog AEA365) which talked about data base design.  I was reminded that over the years, almost every Extension professional with whom I have worked has asked me the following question: “What do I do with my data now that I have all my surveys back?”

As Leigh Wang points out in her AEA365 comments, “Most training programs and publication venues focus on the research design, data collection, and data analysis phases, but largely leave the database design phase out of the research cycle.”  The questions that this statement raises are:

1. How do/did you learn what to do with data once you have it?
2. How do/did you decide to organize it?
3. What software do/did you use?
4. How important is it to make the data accessible to colleagues in the same field?

I want to know the answers to those questions.  I have some ideas.  Before I talk about what I do, I want to know what you do.  Email me, or comment on this blog.