Crosstab query (NVivo 15 Windows)

Crosstab queries check coding spread across cases or attributes. Add cases/codes, run query, chart results, and export as CSV or SPSS.

Apr 1, 2026
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Crosstab query (NVivo 15 Windows)

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Crosstab query (NVivo 15 Windows)

Crosstab queries are a quick way to check the spread of coding across cases and demographic variables.

For example, you can use crosstab queries to:

Check how often interview respondents refer to a particular topic or issue

See below Cross-tabulate codes and cases

Compare what different demographic groups have said about a theme
See below Cross-tabulate codes and attributes

You can change the values displayed in crosstab query results, and modify their appearance, in order to extract further information from the data Working with the results of a crosstab query.

Before running a crosstab query, you need to:

Create cases for the people, places or other entities that are the focus of your analysis Cases (NVivo 15 Windows)
Define the demographic attributes of the cases Create case classifications (NVivo 15 Windows)
Code your source material at the cases and codes Coding (NVivo 15 Windows)

Cross-tabulate codes and cases

You can use a crosstab query to check the spread of coding across the cases in a project.

On the Explore tab, in the Queries menu, click Crosstab.

Example of Crosstab query criteria.

1From Crosstab codes against, choose Cases.

2Add codes to the Codes panel—drag and drop from the List View or click the plus sign.

3Add cases to the Cases panel—drag and drop from the List View or click the plus sign.

4To limit the scope of the query, choose Selected Items or Selected Folders. For example, you could search only the files in your Interviews folder.

5Click Run Query. Click the button down-arrow for the option to automatically save the results.

NOTES

The column totals indicate the total number of references for each code. This is a useful way to determine the dominant or less dominant themes.
The row totals indicate the total number of coding references for each case. This can help you to see which cases have the most coding across the selected themes.
Click the Chart tab on the right of the query results to display the results in a chart.
To save the query criteria (so you can run the query again), click Save Criteria at the top of the crosstab criteria.
To save the results, click Save Results after running the query. The crosstab results are stored in the Query Results folder under Queries in the Navigation View.

Cross-tabulate codes and attributes

You can cross-tabulate codes against case attribute values.

On the Explore tab, in the Queries menu, click Crosstab.

Then, specify the query criteria:

Crosstab of codes and case attribute values.

1From Crosstab codes against, choose Attributes.

2Add codes to the Codes panel—drag and drop from the List View or click the plus sign.

3Choose the classification for the attributes you want to cross-tabulate and choose one or two attributes. Use the arrows to reorder.

4To limit the scope of the query, choose Selected Items or Selected Folders. For example, you could search only the files in your Interviews folder.

5Click Run Query. Click the button down-arrow for the option to automatically save the results.

NOTES

The column total is the number of unique cases (with selected attributes) that have coding to the themes. This is a useful way to see which group has the most coding across the themes.
The row total indicates the number of cases that have coding to the theme (out of all the cases represented in the crosstab). This can give you a feel for the dominant themes across the selected population.
Click the Chart tab on the right of the query results to display the results in a chart.
To save query settings so you can run a query again later, click Save Criteria. Name the query criteria file and optionally add a description. The file is saved under Queries / Query Criteria in the Navigation View.
To save query results click Save Results. Name the results file and optionally add a description. The file is saved under Queries / Query Results in the Navigation View.

Working with the results of a crosstab query

Use the ribbon Crosstab tab to change the values in the crosstab results table, and the way they are displayed:

Using the Crosstab ribbon to change the display.

1Apply shading to cells to make it easier to see patterns in the matrix. The colors at the top of the thumbnail are applied to the highest numbers.

2Change the content displayed in the cells.

Cases/Files Coded Displays the number of cases or files with selected attribute values that are coded to the intersecting code. Use this to answer questions like How many females talked about development?
Coding References Displays the number of references coded to cases (or files) with selected attribute values and the intersecting code. Use this to answer questions like How often did women mention community?
Coding Presence Displays whether there is coding to cases (or files) with selected attribute values and the intersecting codes. When you select this, the cells display Yes or No.

3Change the values displayed in the cells between counts and percentages:

Count Displays a count of the cell content.
Column Percentage Displays a percentage of the total value of the column.
Row Percentage Displays a percentage of the total value of the row.

4Run the query, save the results in the Query Results folder.

5Click Transpose to swap the columns and rows or Sort by to order a selected column. Reset Settings returns the table to its original appearance.

6Wrap the text in horizontal column headers. Toggle between horizontal and vertical header text.

7Display column and row header text as simple code or case names, or include the hierarchical location.

Other ways to work with crosstab query results:

Double-click on a cell to view the coded content.
To chart the results, click the Chart tab on the right of the Detail View.
To export the results, on the Share tab, select Export > Export.You can export the crosstab results as a spreadsheet (.csv) or SPSS Data File (.sav).

Mixed Methods Research

Cross-tabulate for Statistical Analysis

The following columns in the Crosstab tab can be used for statistical analysis:

statical-analysis-win

1 Mean—Average of values. For example, for Atlantic, 3.67 is the mean value.

2 1st Quartile—25% of data below this value. For example, for Atlantic, 3 is 1st Quartile value.

3 Median—Middle value. For example, for Atlantic, 4 is Median value.

4 3rd Quartile—75% of data below this value. For example, for Atlantic, 3 is 3rd Quartile value.

5 Standard Deviation—Spread/variability of values. For example, for Atlantic, 0.58 is the Standard Deviation.

6 Standard Error—Accuracy of sample mean estimate. For example, for Atlantic, 0.33 is the Standard Error.

Principal Component Analysis Biplot Visualization

Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is helpful for reducing the dimensionality of a dataset while retaining as much variance (information) as possible. It is especially useful when you have a lot of variables that are correlated with each other.

pca-win

To generate a PCA Biplot visualization, do the following:

Set the crosstab query criteria.
Click Run Query.
Click the PCA tab on the right of the Detail View.
You can click on the top left of the Detail View to expand the PCA Biplot visualization.

Box Plot Visualization

A Box Plot (also known as a box-and-whisker plot) is a visualization used for statistical analysis. Its main purpose is to visualize the following aspects of the data:

boxplot-win

Visualize the distribution of data.
Identify the central tendency (median)
Show the variability
Detect outliers
Compare distributions

To generate a Box Plot visualization, do the following:

Set the crosstab query criteria.
Click Run Query.
Click the Box Plot tab.
You can click on the top left of the Detail View to expand the Box Plot visualization.

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