13 Jul REDCap Tip of the Month: Correcting Outdated Calculations
REDCap has the ability to conduct a number of different calculations based on the entered data. A calculation could be as simple as calculating Body Mass Index or more complex like determining how old somebody is based on their birthday and today’s date.
However, these calculations can sometimes become out of date, especially when doing calculations with dates and/or times. REDCap does not automatically update calculations every day, but only updates when the user interacts with a particular record or form.
Fortunately, REDCap allows you to update all out-of-date calculations with one simple process. To correct all of your calculations at once:
- Navigate to the “Data Quality” module, which is located in the “Applications” section on the left-hand side of your screen.
- When presented with the list of “Data Quality Rules,” go to item H, “Incorrect values for calculated fields.”
- Click the “Execute” button and wait for REDCap to evaluate all calculations. Note that this might take some time if you have a lot of calculations.
- Click the “View” link in the “Total Discrepancies” column if the number in that column is higher than zero. This will create a pop-up that provides an overview of all the calculations that have incorrect values.
- Click the “Fix calcs now” button to update all calculations. You can exclude any calculations you do not want to update by clicking the “exclude” link in the Exclude column for the corresponding calculation.
Note: We recommend that you always complete this process before exporting your data.
Please visit the REDCap home page to learn more about available training, support, and answers to common questions.
