MAXQDA makes it possible for you to create and save a temporary grouping of documents. While each document can only be in one document group, it can be in as many document sets as you wish, because document sets are only made up of shortcuts to the documents. In other words, a document set can be deleted without it having any effect on the document. If that same document were deleted from a document group, however, it would be deleted from the project along with all of its memos, coded segments, links, etc.
Document sets are created via activation. You can activate a document by right-clicking on it and selecting Activate from the context menu. You can tell that a document has been activated, because it turns red and a red arrow appears just to the left of the document icon.
After activating all the documents that you want to create a set out of, you can create that set as follows:
- Right-click on the word Document sets at the bottom of the “Document System.”
- Select New set.
MAXQDA then creates a new set with the name “Set 1” and adds all activated documents to this set. You can click on the name with the right mouse button and choose another that is more appropriate. Document sets are manipulated like document groups; you can activate all the documents in a document set at the same time and use all the options for working with document groups (Codes, Memos, Variables, Links, etc.).
Modify Document Sets at a later time
Individual documents can be deleted from a document set or placed in another document set; the easiest way is by using the drag-and-drop function.
When you want to analyze a certain selection of documents, using a document set is a very practical method, allowing you to avoid a more complicated selection procedure. Forming a document set is also an easy way to save the result of a complex variable activation process.
