MAXQDA

backup; original documents and changes

03.01.2018, 12:11

We are a research group starting to work with MAXQDA and I need some help on how to better set our working environment in relation to backup.
We have a MAXQDA12 analytic pro version, that runs on a remote windows server 2012, provided by our university. We work from different laptops but every time we start to work on our MAXQDA project, we always enter into the server, and then, we open Maxqda. That is to say that each team member always works on the shared platform and not on his/her personal computer. We have all our original documents (interviews trasncriptions) stored in the server, and we imported them into MAXDQA, in the project named "EQUAL".
Now, I cannot understand where MAXDQA saves our work. In the project file "EQUAL"? or is there another directory, how can i find it? When I work on a document in MAXQDA, the original document in the server does not change, is it right?
thank you for helping me with this!
Bests

Version: MAXQDA 12
System: Windows 10
daniela cherubini
 
Posts: 13
Joined: 03.01.2018, 11:45

Re: backup; original documents and changes

03.01.2018, 14:18

[This is the same answer I posted on your other related question as well; one thing I want to add: If you can't find the .mx12-project file, please contact your local IT-staff. I'll close this thread so that we don't talk past each other since both topics are more connected then you probably expected.)

Dear Daniela,

welcome to the MAXQDA forum! I'm afraid there is a misunderstanding regarding the network-aspect of your working environment. MAXQDA projects are stored in a project file (with the ending .mx12) which can be saved on a local network or on cloud storage. You can access it from your laptops, and you can even open them from there, which we DO NOT recommend, ESPECIALLY WITH CLOUD SERVICES*, but when you do so, I'm almost certain that you will be using your laptop. You could run MAXQDA via remote control but I can hardly see any advantage in such a procedure and I think it's unlikely that you system is set up like that. It's much more likely that you use a network license, which is something completly different and has nothing to do with teamwork, project files etc.

So to make it short, the most important point here is that you can not open a MAXQDA project file simultaneously from multiple laptops at once (I believe that almost never works, also not with other programs like Word etc., right?). But that's really not a problem. Simply follow the following steps to ensure a nice workflow as well as a safe backup-routine:

1) Find the most recent .mx12-project file saved on your network folder
2) Copy it to a folder on your local hard drive (e.g. Desktop/YourProject). Then copy it again in the same folder and rename it (press F2 to do this fast) like that: YEARMONTHDAY_PROJECTNAME_INITALS_VERSION. (Example for a second working session started today: 170103_ExampleProject_DC_v2.mx12)

3) After you're done, copy it back to the network folder. That way, you’ll have all the project files on multiple hard drives, which is a very good thing in case one of them encounters a problem.

4) When you want to merge your project file with that from your colleagues, you can simply add the initials behind each other to make it clear it’s a merged project file

5) If you simply want to transfer the coded segments from one person to another without comparing them, you can right-click on a document, select „Teamwork Export“, and then open the new (teamwork) project file and select „Teamwork Import“. You can read all about teamwork here:

https://www.maxqda.com/help-max12/teamwork/can-maxqda-support-teamwork

6) If you are interested in Intercoder Agreement, then you will want to import one and the same document multiple times to compare the different codings from your colleagues and yourself. Then simply (re)import the document in question again to have it a second (or third..) time (one time for each coder), and do the teamwork-import again. That way, you can easily compare how you and your colleagues coded in the same way or differently. You can read all about intercoder agreement here:

https://www.maxqda.com/help-max12/intercoder-agreement/problem-intercoder-agreement-qualitative-research

I hope this helps! If not, or in case of any other questions, please don’t hesitate to ask again!

Kind regards,
Andreas

* I explained the whole cloud-sync-issue in detail here:
https://www.maxqda.com/en/support/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=979&p=2520&hilit=cloud#p2520
Just an fyi for other people reading this as well.
Andreas V.
 

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