Tutorial Overview

Select your Transana version on the left. If you are using the Demonstration version, Professional is your best option.

Then select the Tutorial option you want.  There are two Tutorial options:

• Standard – The Standard page shows the Tutorial links that most users need to get started using Transana.
• Advanced – The Advanced page show all Tutorial links. It is for people who want to understand the analytic process more deeply and to learn about Transana’s most advanced features.

Each link from this page will open in a new tab, allowing you to easily return here by closing that tab.

If you have questions or comments, please let us know. We are always happy to hear from Transana users.

Revision Pending

Unfortunately, parts of the Tutorial are showing their age. Transana is constantly advancing, and we can’t always update every page and video when we add new features. We are working on updating the Tutorial during the fall of 2023. Pages we still need to review are marked with an *. We apologize that some pages contain out-dated, inaccurate information at the moment.

Introduction

These pages cover introductory information that will help you learn to start and configure Transana and to understand some fundamental concepts concerning how to work with Transana.

Overview Videos - What is Transana?

Transana's Analytic Model

Starting Transana Professional and New Database Configuration

Transana's Main Screen

Transana's Organizational Structure – Connecting the Analytic Model to the Software

Adding Source Data

The first step in any qualitative analysis is to bring your source data into Transana. This process is different for different types of data, which have different properties and different analytic needs.

Source data is placed in Libraries in Transana. Libraries are organizational structures that allow you to group your source data in ways that make it easier to find what you are looking for later in the process. Some projects use a single library, while others use multiple libraries to organize large collections of data.

The first step in adding source data to Transana is to create a Library.

Create a Library

Once you have created a Library, you add your source data files.

Adding Multiple Data Files

Transana includes tools for adding large amounts of data easily.

Batch Document Creation (including PDF Documents)

Batch Episode Creation

Transcription

Video recordings represent an abstraction from an activity or event in reality. A video cannot capture all aspects of the event recorded. A thousand analytic decisions influence how useful the video is, including when the recording is started and stopped, where the camera is placed, where the camera is pointed, how the image is framed by zooming, where microphones are placed, how many cameras are used, and how intrusive the recording operation is allowed to be. The video cannot capture everything. Still, video can be a very useful tool for research.

Transcripts represent a further degree of abstraction. A transcript cannot capture all aspects of data in a video. What is captured in the transcript? Speech is common, but to what level of detail? Are sounds that are not words included? “Um”s and “uh”s and partial words in imperfect spoken language, and to what level of detail? How is intonation represented, if at all? Movement? Posture? Body language? Facial expression? Does a participant’s sarcasm, grief, or excitement come through clearly? How does one reflect the surroundings, the environment where recording occurs? How do you transcribe music, or dance? Do you even have time to transcribe, given that the customer wants a final analysis by Tuesday? Another thousand analytic decisions must be made.

The following describes how to transcribe in Transana. What you transcribe and how you transcribe are up to you.

Types of Transcripts

Automated Transcription using Speechmatics Server

Manual Transcription

Transana's Built-In Transcription Shortcut Keys

Time Codes

Advanced Time Codes

Time Codes with Multiple Simultaneous Transcripts

Transcript Formatting

Transcript Templates

Transcript Autocomplete

Define New Transcription Shortcuts

Loading Existing Media Files and Controlling Media Playback

Add a Still Image to a Transcript

Preparing for Analysis

The general model for analyzing data in Transana is to follow these steps:

• Bring source data into Transana
• Make a selection to indicate a portion of that source data that is analytically important
• Use either Coding or Categorization to indicate what is analytically important about that selection in the source data.

This page describes Categorization and Coding, and describes how to get started with both, creating Keywords for Coding and creating Collections for Categorization.

Analysis in Transana - an Overview

Coding and Categorization

Keyword Groups and Keywords

Default Keywords

Keyword Summary Report

Create a Collection

Making Selections

Now that we have source data in the system and we have set up a coding system and a categorization system, we can get into the topic of making analytic selections from source data and assigning analytic meaning to these selections.

Important functional differences exist between different kinds of data, so there are some unavoidable differences in how you work with different types of data.  Pick the type of data you have in the table below.  (Some of the steps are repeated for different data types in the table.)

Finding Meaning Across Selections (Reports and Searches)

Transana provides a variety of tools designed to help you explore your data as you strive to make sense of it.

Transana's Reports *

The Scope of Reports

Customizing Reports using Filters *

Word Frequency Reports

Text Reports *

Keyword Maps *

Library Keyword Sequence Maps and Graphs *

Analytic Data Export *

Keyword Summary Report *

Working with Notes

Notes *

Notes Browser *

Notes Reports *

Searches

Quick Searches

Full Searches, the Search Interface, and Search Results *

The Search Matrix

Mastering Complex Searches, Understanding Boolean Logic and Parentheses

Converting Search Results to Collections

Writing up Results *

Additional Topics

Find Missing Files *

File Management Tool *

Media Conversion Tool

Database Export, Import, and Backup

Collaboration *

Making Presentations *

Getting Further Help