SEER*Prep Frequently Asked Questions
How can I create a database that I can use to calculate age-adjusted rates?
The steps for creating a database are described in How to use SEER*Prep to Create a Database.
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In the derived variable Cause of Death Recode, how are the site groupings defined?
SEER*Prep uses the 1969+ definitions presented with the SEER Cause of Death Recode.
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Is there a way to move databases created by SEER*Prep?
You can move databases created by SEER*Prep. However, it is more efficient and
less error-prone to create databases on a local area network initially. Then SEER*Stat users should
set their Secondary Data Location to the shared path.
To move a database, you must first check to see where you created the database.
SEER*Prep creates databases in the user-defined data directory.
Select Preferences on the File menu to determine that path.
Exit SEER*Prep. Use Windows Explorer to copy the entire
user-defined data directory to another location. You must move the entire directory and
all of its contents. You will be able to remove unwanted databases from the new location later.
Each person wishing to use the database will need to set the Secondary Data Location
in SEER*Stat. Instruct them to select Preferences from SEER*Stat's File menu and
set the Secondary Data Location to the new location of the database.
The databases will appear when a new session is created or opened in SEER*Stat.
Use the Database Management feature to delete any databases that you do not want
in the new location. Proceed as follows to make sure you delete from the new location, not the old.
First, start SEER*Prep. Next, set the Directory to Save User-Defined Databases to the new location.
Finally, use Database Management on the File menu to delete the unwanted databases.
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What is a .txd.gz file?
A .txd.gz file is a compressed text file created by the Gzip
compression utility.
In SEER*Prep, input data must be stored in either text or compressed text files. If the input file is
a text file then it must be named with a .txd extension. Use a compressed format
if you wish to reduce the disk space required to store your input data.
Gzip, a free utility, creates files using the
only compression format supported by SEER*Prep.
SEER*Prep requires gzipped data files to have a .txd.gz extension.
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What does this SEER*Prep error message mean?
"ERROR: Line termination
character not found in the first record of with record length ."
Most likely, your data file does not contain fixed length records. Input File Format
provides a list of the record lengths required for the supported file formats.
If your data files are not fixed length or the records are not the correct length, you must modify the files before
using SEER*Prep. See if your data management software has an option to output fixed length records or use one of the
fix length programs provided in SEER*Prep Utilities.
You may need to use the FixLen program provided in SEER*Prep Utilities.
All records in an input file must be the same length.
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I have regions defined as groups of counties. How can I use SEER*Prep to create a
a geographic variable using groups of counties rather than individual counties?
No changes are needed when running SEER*Prep; this can be handled in SEER*Stat.
Use SEER*Prep to create the database using county as a population variable.
In SEER*Stat, create a user-defined variable based on county to define your geographic regions. Use
the new user-defined variable in your analyses.
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My population data is by zip code rather than county. How can I use my zip code variable as a
population variable?
Future versions of SEER*Prep (starting with Version 3) will allow you complete flexibility in defining your own
file formats, including which variables are linked with the populations. Version 3 is currently in development
but a release schedule is not available. Until then, SEER*Prep needs to be "tricked" a
bit to use the zip code variable.
Recode your zip codes to 3-digit codes and place them in
the county columns of both your case and population data. Use the codes 000, 001, 002, ... etc.
This assumes you have a maximum of 1000 zip codes in your state or registry. You can not rename
the variable in SEER*Prep, it will still be known as county.
Use SEER*Prep to create the database. In SEER*Stat create a user-defined variable called "zip code" based on
county. When creating the zip code user-defined variable, create appropriate labels. For example, create
a grouping with a value of "000" and rename it as "20904".
Use the new zip code variable in future SEER*Stat sessions.
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Why aren't the ICCC site recodes generated from ICD-O-3 similar to Site recode?
SEER is currently providing feedback on a new ICCC site recode from ICD-O-3. We are not exactly
sure how things will be implemented in SEER*Prep once the definition is completed. Much of this depends
on whether the diseases are comparable between the ICD-O-2 and ICD-O-3 definitions. For now,
our best recommendation is to use these conversion programs
to put ICD-O-2 codes on every record. However, please be careful with the current programs; they
overwrite any existing information that is present. We are working to update these programs to make
that overwriting optional.
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