The minimum selection requirements for a complete WebCASPAR table are one data source, one analysis variable, and one classification variable. (By default, WebCASPAR includes Year as a classification variable.) The following task tutorial presents a scenario in which a user creates a WebCASPAR table containing data using a single data source (NSF Survey of Research and Development Expenditures at Universities and Colleges/Higher Education Research and Development Survey), two analysis variables (Total R&D Expenditures in All Fields and Federally Financed R&D Expenditures in All Fields), and two classification variables (the most recent 10 years and Academic Discipline, Detailed).

Select a Data Source

You will select your data source from the options available on the WebCASPAR Home screen.

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• Select NSF Survey of Research and Development Expenditures at Universities and Colleges/Higher Education Research and Development Survey as your data source.
• Click on Select Data Source(s). You will be taken to the Modify Analysis Variables screen, where NSF Survey of Research and Development Expenditures at Universities and Colleges/Higher Education Research and Development Survey will be displayed under the Data Source heading.

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Modify Analysis Variables

You will select two analysis variables for inclusion in this table. The variables will appear in the table in the order in which they are selected.

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• Select Total R&D Expenditures in All Fields and Federally Financed R&D Expenditures in All Fields from the Add analysis variable(s) list. Only those variables available for the NSF Survey of Research and Development Expenditures at Universities and Colleges/Higher Education Research and Development Survey will be listed.
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• Click on Select. The screen will refresh and display Total R&D Expenditures in All Fields and Federally Financed R&D Expenditures in All Fields under the Analysis Variable heading near the top of the screen, indicating that the variables have been selected for inclusion in the table.
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Modify Classification Variables

The only classification variables available will be those applicable to the data source and analysis variables that you selected. By default, WebCASPAR selects Year as a required classification variable. The variables will appear in the table in the order in which they are selected.

• Click on the Modify Classification Variables tab at the top of the screen (or the corresponding button at the bottom of the screen) to access the Modify Classification Variables screen. Year will appear as a default selection. The text in the Selected Values row displays current values associated with the selected variable. The default value for Year is “Most recent year.”
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• Open the Add classification variable(s) list to view the available classification variables. Select Academic Discipline, Detailed (standardized) from the list.
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• Click on Select. The screen will refresh and display Academic Discipline, Detailed (standardized) in bold above the Add classification variable(s) list, indicating that the variable has been selected for inclusion in the table.
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Change Value Selections for Classification Variables

Each classification variable has a default set of values associated with it. You can add or remove values to create a custom specification using the Modify Classification Variables screen. For this exercise, you will change the value for Year from the default setting, “Most recent year,” to “10 most recent years.”

• On the Modify Classification Variables screen, click on the Edit button next to Selected Values under the Year variable to access the Edit Classification Variable screen.
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• The Available Values field on the left of the Edit Classification Variable screen contains a list of the available values that you can select for the Year variable. The Selected Values field on the right of the screen displays the currently selected values for the Year variable.
• In the Available Values field, select “10 most recent years.”
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• Click on Add Value(s). The screen will refresh, and “10 most recent years” will appear in the Selected Values box.
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• Click on Continue to save the new value selection for the Year variable. WebCASPAR will return you to the Modify Classification Variables screen.
• The selection in the Selected Values row under Year has changed and now displays “10 most recent years ” as the current value for the variable.
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Change the Position of Classification Variables

By default, WebCASPAR displays classification variables in table rows. You can change a classification variable’s position in the table by selecting one of the options in the Display section.

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• Select Selected Values in Column in the Display section under Year to change the position of that classification variable in the final table. The screen will refresh and display Selected Values in Column as the currently selected Display value for Year.
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Display the Totals for Classification Variables in the Table

You can choose to include the totals for the selected classification variables in the table. The default selection for Include Total is “No” for Year and “Yes” for all other classification variables.

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• Select “Yes” in the Include Total section under Year. The screen will refresh and display “Yes” as the currently selected option.
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Format the Table

You can change the arrangement of elements within the table on the Format Output Table screen. You can change the order and row, column, and heading positions of analysis and classification variables; change the output format of the table; and change the number of rows and columns that appear in the table in the browser view.

• Click on the Format Table tab at the top of the Table Builder screen or the Format Table button at the bottom of the screen to access the Format Output Table screen.
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• Year, Total R&D Expenditures in All Fields, and Federally Financed R&D Expenditures in All Fields appear (in that order) under the Columns heading, indicating the order in which the variables will appear in the table.
• Click on the down arrow next to Total R&D Expenditures in All Fields to move the variable down one line in the resulting table. The screen will refresh, and Total R&D Expenditures in All Fields will appear below Federally Financed R&D Expenditures in All Fields.
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• You have completed the necessary selections to generate a WebCASPAR table.

View the Table

• Click on the View Table tab at the top of the Format Table screen or the View Table button at the bottom of the screen to generate the WebCASPAR table. The screen will refresh, displaying the formatted WebCASPAR table in your browser. (The image below displays a portion of the larger table.)
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Export Table to Another Format

WebCASPAR lets you export tables into several file formats. In this exercise, you will export the WebCASPAR table into a formatted Microsoft (MS) Excel file.

• Click on Export Table in the links menu near the top of the screen to display the Export Table options.
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• Select Microsoft Excel (formatted). (Note: If you do not have MS Excel installed on your computer, click on Download MS Excel Viewer to go to the Microsoft Web site and download a free compatible viewer application.)
• Click on Export.
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• A popup box will appear. Click on Open or Open with to open the table in MS Excel. (The specific function of the popup box may differ depending on which browser you use. If you are unable to open the table directly, you may also choose to save the file to disk and open it from there.)
• Select Microsoft Office Excel from the list of compatible applications if it is not already selected.
• Click onOK.
• The MS Excel application will open, displaying the formatted table. (The image below displays a portion of the larger table.)
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E-Mail the Table Link

WebCASPAR allows you to e-mail a link to the table that you generated to a third party, using the E-mail Table Link function.

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• Enter the e-mail address of the person to whom you are sending the table in the Recipient?s e-mail address field. (For the purposes of this exercise, use your own e-mail address.) To send the table to more than one recipient, enter each recipient’s e-mail address, separated by a comma or semicolon.
• Complete the Your name and/or e-mail address field with the requested information.
• Type a brief message to the recipient in the text box (e.g., a description of the table contents).
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• Click on Send. The screen will refresh and display the message, “Email message was sent to [the e-mail address you entered].”
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• Check your e-mail. You should receive an e-mail message with text similar to the following:
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Save the Table

If you are a registered user, WebCASPAR allows you to save the data source and variables that you selected on the Table Builder screen as a single table specification. Saving your selections as a single table specification allows you to easily retrieve the table at a later date, rather than recreating it.

• Log into the WebCASPAR system (if you have not already done so).
• Click on Save Table at the bottom of the View Table screen to access the Save Table screen.
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• Enter a brief descriptive title for the table in the Name of the Table field.
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• If this table specification has been saved previously, you can choose to save it as a new specification by marking the Save Table as new checkbox. If you choose to save it as a new specification, you must assign it a name that is different than the one under which it was originally saved.

  

• Click on Save to save the table specification under the name you entered.
• WebCASPAR will save the table specification and return you to the last screen you were on within the Table Builder section.

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