Team Decision Making and SelfEvaluation: Getting the Most Out of
Your Database
Anne K. Abramson & William C. Dawson
Center for Social Services Research
University of California, Berkeley
Introduction
Goals:
• Discuss practices and tips to
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Ease day-to-day use
Improve data quality
Increase access to data for self-evaluation
Obtain feedback from you to guide future
modifications
Presentation Overview
• Development and Use of TDM CA
• Increase Data Quality
– Entering data
– Cleaning data
• Report and Analyze
– Use built-in reports
– Export data
Presentation Overview (cont’d)
• Technical Recommendations
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Update
Back up
Protect confidentiality
Maintain your database
• Discussion and Questions
• User Feedback Form
Development and Use of TDM CA:
TDM and Self-Evaluation in California
• TDM and Self-Evaluation are part of the
Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Family to
Family Initiative.
• California Department of Social Services
(CDSS) and the Stuart Foundation provide
support for the California Children’s
Services Archive (Archive).
Development and Use of TDM CA
• TDM CA was developed to assist counties in
collecting TDM meeting and child information.
• TDM CA allows counties to create reports
regarding attendance, meeting participants,
children involved, etc.
• TDM CA data linked with CWS/CMS data will
provide counties with additional detail and
outcome data for self-evaluation.
Development and Use of TDM CA
• Data entry can be done in versions of
Access 97, 2000, and XP.
• Limited reporting can be done in Access 97
(v.2.2).
• The current version for Access 2000 or XP
(v.2.5) allows for data export and full
reporting.
Increase Data Quality: Entering Data
1. Facilitators Data Entry Guide:
– Data integrity
– Common language within county
– Use:
• Training
• Data entry reference
• Key to data interpretation (self-evaluation)
Increase Data Quality: Entering Data
1. Facilitators Data Entry Guide (cont’d):
– Samples are available on the TDM support web
page (Documentation section):
Increase Data Quality: Entering Data
2. Use standard TDM CA definitions:
– Entries: Imminent Risk of Placement vs.
Emergency Placement
– Emergency Placement vs. Placement Move
– Exit From Placement
Increase Data Quality: Entering Data
3. Always enter a primary reason
– Key field for the production of accurate reports
– You may wish to set Primary Reason as a
database required field
– Contact UCB for assistance
Increase Data Quality: Entering Data
4. Add children from database
– Use the ‘Add Children from Database’ button
to access the ‘Add Children and Youth…’
window
Increase Data Quality: Entering Data
4. Add children from database (cont’d):
– Filter the list on more than one identifier to
search for a child
Increase Data Quality: Entering Data
5. ‘Add child information’ for every child
– Use the record navigation bar at the bottom left
of the ‘Add Child Information’ to visit the
records of all the children
Increase Data Quality: Cleaning Data
Some reasons you may need to clean data:
• Imported data from an earlier version of
TDM CA
• Modified data entry definitions
• Human error
Increase Data Quality: Cleaning Data
1. Use TDM CA Reports to identify problem
areas:
– Create selective reports
– Do the numbers look right?
Increase Data Quality: Cleaning Data
2. Export data to MS Excel for review:
– Click on ‘Export Data’ on the Main Menu
(v.2.3 or higher, Access 2000/XP only).
– Use (a) ‘Export for UC Berkeley’ for
predetermined data format and quarterly data.
Increase Data Quality: Cleaning Data
2. Export data to MS Excel for review (cont’d):
a. Export for UC Berkeley
Three sheets will be of particular use:
• qry_010_ExportMeetChild—information about each
meeting child event in the export date range
• qry_020_ExportRefNo—referral numbers
• qry_030_Meet—meeting level information
For your reference, the workbook will also include:
• tblExport—summary of export information
• Lookup tables (dropdown lists)
Increase Data Quality: Cleaning Data
2. Export data to MS Excel for review (cont’d):
– Use (b) ‘Custom Export’ to control exported
data and date range
Increase Data Quality: Cleaning Data
2. Export data to MS Excel for review (cont’d):
b. Custom Export
• Click the ‘Advanced’ button to access the
‘Advanced Export Options’ form
• This form allows you to add additional database
objects, such as data tables, to your exported
workbook
• Complete a record for each additional object you
would like to export.
Report and Analyze:
Use Built-In Reports
• ‘Reports’ form allows you to create reports
regarding children and meetings
• All reports can be created for:
– All of the records in the database
– Selected subsets of records based on options
indicated by user
TDM CA Reports
Report and Analyze: Export Data
Exporting data to other file formats for analysis:
• To Excel using TDM CA Export form (as
discussed)
• Using MS Access export feature
– Bypass start up options to access database window and
full menus
– Go to ‘File | Export’
– Follow instructions to export object (e.g., data table)
Technical Recommendations
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Use the latest version
Back up your database
Protect confidentiality
Maintain your database
Discussion and Questions
User Feedback Form
Team Decision Making (TDM) Database
Documentation and TDM CA available at the
TDM CA Support Page:
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/tdm/
For more information:
Anne Abramson
Bill Dawson
TDMSupport@lists.berkeley.edu
TDM CA Support Page
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/tdm/
Child Welfare Services (CWS/CMS) Reports
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/cwscmsreports/