Manage query results (NVivo 15 Windows)

When you run a query, by default the results are displayed as a preview in the Detail View. You may review the results and then discard them or (for some types of queries) you may want to store the results in your project.

Preview your results

When you run a query, by default, the results are displayed in the Detail View as a preview.

You can explore and interact with the results of a query when it is displayed as a preview. For example, you might run a Text Search query to find all references to the word balance. When the results are displayed in Detail View you can explore the references and click on the Word Tree tab to understand the contexts in which the word appears.

After you have explored the results in the Detail View you can decide whether or not you want to save them. You may have no need to save the results—if you do not save them, they are discarded when you close the Detail View window.

Most queries provide visualizations of the data (for example, word clouds and tree maps). You may want to save only the visualizations and discard the query results. For example, if you are keeping a project journal and using it to record your ideas and analysis, you could copy the visualization and paste it into your journal.

The preview results of text search, coding, compound, matrix and crosstab queries can be converted into project items and stored in your project—for more information, refer to The Query Results folder.

You cannot store the results of word frequency, coding comparison or group queries.

If you want to share your results with others or work with them in another application, you can export them Export query results (NVivo 15 Windows).

The Query Results folder

When you save query results as a code or coding matrix, the default location is the Query Results folder—a good place to keep result codes until you decide that you want to add them to your code hierarchy.

If you delete or update project items that are included in saved query results—the results are updated to reflect the changes. If you add new items that match the query criteria they are not automatically included in the results. To make sure that your query results accurately reflect the current state of your project, it is best to run the query again.

When the code or coding matrix is in the Query Results folder, you can view the query that generated the results.

You cannot change the content coded to a code when it is in the Query Results folder, because it represents the results of the query at the time you ran it. You can open the code and review the references. You can select content in the code to annotate, link or 'code-on' to other codes. However, if you want to code additional content to the code, spread coding to surrounding content, or uncode some of the references, you will need to copy the code into your Codes folder.

You can copy a code from the Query Results folder to your Codes folder at any time—once it is in your Codes folder you can work with it in the same way that you work with any other code. If you delete (or move) the code from the Query Results folder, you will not be able to view the query that generated it.

Likewise you can copy a coding matrix from your Query Results folder to your Coding Matrices folder at any time. If you delete (or move) the coding matrix from the Query Results folder, you will not be able to view the query that generated it.

View the query that generated a results code (or coding matrix)

The results of text search, coding, compound and matrix coding queries can be stored in the Query Results folder as result codes or coding matrices.

In the Query Results folder, double-click the results code (or coding matrix) in the List View.

You can only view the query—you cannot change it or run it, because it represents the query that was used to create the result. If you added the query to the project when you created it, the query will also be in your Queries folder and you can run it again.

Copy a results code (or coding matrix) to codes folders

When you store codes in the Query Results folder, their content is fixed—it is a snapshot representing the results of the query at the time you ran it. This means you cannot code additional content to the code or uncode any references that you decide are not relevant.

You can copy the code into your Codes or Cases folder at any time if you want to bring it into your code hierarchy and be able to code and uncode code references.

NOTE  If you delete or move the code from the Query Results folder, you will not be able to view the query that generated it.