Knowledge Base

Problem

A user wants to export or analyze only a specific portion of a long observation (e.g., the first hour of a 3.5-hour session) without re-coding or duplicating the entire project.

Details

Observer XT does not have a direct 'trim and export' function for observations. However, there are two main approaches depending on the goal: (1) restricting analysis output to a time window using a Data Profile, or (2) exporting the observation as an .odx file for import into a new project. Applies to Observer XT 17 and likely other recent versions.

Solution

Option A — Restrict analysis to a time window (recommended for analysis purposes):
1. Open your project in Observer XT and go to the Data Profiles section.
2. Create or edit a Data Profile and add a time interval filter limiting the analysis to your desired range (e.g., 0:00:00 to 1:00:00).
3. Run Behavioral Analysis with this Data Profile applied. Results will reflect only the specified time window without modifying the original observation.

Option B — Create a new project containing only the partial observation:
1. In your existing project, select the observation(s) you wish to extract.
2. Export the observation(s) as an .odx file (Observation Data eXchange format) via the File or Export menu.
3. Create a new Observer XT project and import the .odx file(s) into it.
4. Note: the imported observation will be a copy. The original observation in the source project is not affected.
5. If you only need the first portion, use a Data Profile in the new project to further restrict analysis to that time window, as ODX export copies the full observation.