NVivo 12: Create cases automatically

NVivo can create codes automatically from imports, query results, mind maps, coding matrices, autocoding, Automated Insights, other projects, or a codebook (.qdc).

Aug 26, 2026
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Title

NVivo 12: Create cases automatically

Answer

Cases > Create cases automatically

Create cases automatically

NVivo provides a number of quick ways to create cases—for example, you can:

Create cases from selected files—this is most useful when the entire file represents a single case (unit of analysis). When you create cases from your files the entire content of the file is coded.
Create cases based on the speaker names in a document.
Import a spreadsheet (called a 'classification sheet' in NVivo) containing respondent names and demographic variables.
Import a survey or social media dataset and automatically create and classify cases based on the content.

The approach you take depends on the type of data you are working with.

Set up cases for interviews

If you have interview transcripts saved as files in NVivo (and there is a file for each participant), you can follow these steps to set up cases:

Goal	Steps to get there...
Add a classification to your project:	On the Create tab, in the Classifications group, click Case Classification Enter a name for the classification. For example, Person, Participant, Interviewee.
Add attributes to the classification:	On the Create tab in the Classifications group, click Attribute. Enter a name for the attribute. For example, Age, Gender or Occupation. If you know the values for the attribute you can add them now. Click the plus sign at the bottom of the attributes panel. For example—for Occupation, you could add Fisher and Teacher.
Create cases from your interview files:	In List View, select the interview files. (Hold down the SHIFT key to select multiple files). On the Create tab, in the Items group, click Create As Cases In List View, right-click on the new cases, choose Classification and assign the cases to the classification you created. Now, you have a case for each participant and the content of the interview has been coded at the case. Click on Cases in Navigation view to see the new cases.
Set the attribute values for each case:	In Navigation View, click Case Classifications. Expand the classification and then expand the case. Click the pencil icon to update an attribute value. Click the magnifying glass to see the list of existing values or clear the value and enter a new one.

Set up cases for focus groups

If you have focus group transcripts saved as documents in NVivo, you can follow these steps to set up cases:

Goal	Steps to get there...
Add a classification to your project	On the Create tab, in the Classifications group, click Case Classification Enter a name for the classification. For example, Person, Participant, Interviewee.
Add attributes to the new classification:	On the Create tab in the Classifications group, click Attribute. Enter a name for the attribute. For example, Age, Gender or Occupation. If you know the values for the attribute you can add them now. Click the plus sign at the bottom of the attributes panel. For example—for Occupation, you could add Accountant and Teacher.
Auto code the files by speaker	In List View, select the focus group file. On the Analyze tab, in the Coding group, click Auto Code, and then choose By Speaker. Enter the name of each speaker as identified in the selected file. The speaker is added to the list and you can see the number of references that will be coded. Choose a location for the newly created cases and assign them to a new or existing classification. Click on Cases in Navigation view to see the new cases.
Set the attribute values for each case:	In Navigation View, click Case Classifications. Expand the classification and then expand the case. Click the pencil icon to update an attribute value. Click the magnifying glass to see the list of existing values or clear the value and enter a new one.

NOTE

When auto coding by speaker, follow these guidelines for formatting the transcript:

The speaker name must appear at the start of a line. It cannot be proceeded by any characters—including tabs and spaces.
The speaker name can appear on the same line with the response or on a separate line above the response—as long as it is at the start of a line.
The transcript can be formatted as a table with the speaker name in the left column and the response in the right.
Each speaker must be identified by a unique name. NVivo creates a case for each unique speaker name and codes all content by that speaker at the case.

Create cases from a survey dataset

If you are working with a dataset containing survey responses, you can use the Auto Code Dataset Assistant to create, classify and code at a case for each respondent. This will add the demographic information—for example, Age and Occupation—from the classifying columns. Automatic coding in datasets

Datasets

Approaches to analyzing survey results

Create cases from a social media dataset

If you are working with datasets containing social media data imported from NCapture, NVivo creates cases to represent each user when you auto code by Username. So, you can create classified cases at the same time as you auto code the dataset.

When you auto code by Username, the cases are assigned to the classification 'Facebook User', 'Twitter User' , and profile information about the user is stored as attribute values on the cases.

In List View, select the social media dataset and then on the Analyze tab, in the Coding group, click Auto Code.
Follow the steps to:
- Code at cases for each value in a column.
- Choose the column that contains the Username.
- Choose the content you want to code at the case. For example, Post and Comment Text or Tweet.
- Choose a location for the new cases.

Create cases by importing a classification sheet

You can import files containing NVivo classification sheet data that was created outside NVivo—for example, data that was gathered in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (you must save it to a text file before importing it into NVivo). Classification sheets

URL Name

NV12Mac-Create-cases-automatically

NVivo 12: Create cases automatically

Information

Create cases automatically

Set up cases for interviews

Set up cases for focus groups

Create cases from a survey dataset

Create cases from a social media dataset

Create cases by importing a classification sheet

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