Knowledge Base

Export External Data

Aim

To export external data to an Excel file (*.xlsx) or a text file (*.txt). Export of external data can be done either with or without the associated event data.

Prerequisites

Your license must include the External Data Module.

Procedure

1. Select one of the following options:
   • To export external data from multiple observations at once, choose File > Export > Observational Data. In the window that opens, choose Excel or Other software. Then select the observations to export.
   • To export a specific observation, open the observation. Then click the Export current observation button on the toolbar and choose Excel or Other software.
   • To export external data selected in a Data Profile, open that Data Profile and choose Analyze > Select Data > Export Selected Data.
2. If you also want to export event data, select your observations in the Observations tab.
3. If you want to exclude event data from the export, make sure you select the option Export external data only and exclude event data described in step 5 below.
4. In the External Data tab, select the external data signals you want to export.
5. Under Export options, you can select the following:
   • Export external data only and exclude event data – If you select this option, no event data are exported.
   • Point events with the same time-stamp are exported in:
     • One column – If you select this option, point events and instantaneous samples that have the same time-stamp after resampling are exported to one column and separated by commas. Select this option if you have used point events as markers.
     • Separate columns – If you select this option, point events and instantaneous samples that overlap in time after resampling are exported each to a separate column. Select this option if you have used point events to score behaviors and want to analyze point events.
   • Missing value symbol – If the external data file contains missing values, you can select "Blank", "NaN", "–", or "." to replace the missing values. Missing values are ignored in the external data statistics.
   • Resample options:
     • External data sample rate – Here you can select one of the available sample rates (Hz) based on the selected external data signals. By default, the lowest available sample rate is selected.
     • User defined sample rate – Here you can enter a user-defined sample rate (possible range between 0.001 and 2000 Hz).

Notes

• If you export external data and event data combined, the time basis (that is, time-stamps at regular intervals) of the external data is used in the export file.
• The option Point events with the same time-stamp are exported in is not available if you have selected the option Export external data only and exclude event data.
• Columns are separated by the list separator that you can select under Export options in the Observation tab.

How Combined External Data and Event Data Are Exported

• Event data and external data are resampled based on the sample rate you select. This makes time-stamps equidistant for both external and event data.
• For an event with duration, the value at a sample is exported.
• For a point event (without duration) and an instantaneous sample, the value at the next sample after the event time of the point event or instantaneous sample is exported. If a point event was scored more than once between two samples, only the last value is exported at the next sample.
• Each Subject–mutually-exclusive Behavior group combination is exported to a separate column, including modifiers. Each Subject–start-stop Behavior group combination is exported to a separate column.
• Observations are written as contiguous blocks above each other without empty rows in between.
• Each independent variable is exported to a separate column. Independent variables with event log or subject scope are exported to separate columns. For example, when you have an observation with two event logs and an independent variable "Task", this results in two separate independent variable columns with headings "Task/Event Log 1" and "Task/Event Log 2".
• The same columns are exported as when you export event data, except for the columns Durations (s), Event Log, Event type, and Comments.