Qualitative Data Analysis: MAXQDA

Best practices for transferring projects between NVivo and MaxQDA

In order to transfer projects between software packages, theREFI-QDA (.QDPX files) file format should be used. 

The REFI-QDA Standard allows project transfer between participating qualitative data analysis (QDA) programs. Projects can be exported from one program and opened in another, where they are converted into the receiving program's format.

Due to differences between programs (and because the standard is still in development) not all project items are transferred. Currently, the following NVivo items are supported:

• Data (source) files
• Nodes
• Cases
• Coding (with some exceptions, see below)
• Classifications
• Memos
• Memo links
• Sets (with exceptions, see below)
• Annotations (with exceptions, see below)

See Limitations, below, for item types not transferred.

Depending on the program you are working in, projects are exported as a single QDPX file (containing the project data files) or as a QDPX file and a folder for the data files. NVivo exports a single QDPX file that contains the data files.

Limitations

The following items are not currently transferred in QDPX files.

Project items

• PDF, picture and media annotations (these are copied to a memo instead of being created as annotations)
• Datasets
• Framework matrices
• Maps
• Node matrices and result matrices
• Queries
• Relationship nodes and relationship types
• Reports and extracts
• Result nodes
• Search folders
• See-also links
• Sentiment nodes
• Sets (only nodes, cases, supported data files and memos can be imported or exported—other set items are removed from the sets)

Coding

• Aggregate coding
• PDF text coding (code references are copied to a memo instead of being written to nodes)

Structure and color

• Node custom order
• Source folder structures
• Attribute value colors
• User colors

Pictures and Media

• Region coordinates for picture logs
• Multiple picture log rows (are merged into one row)
• Custom fields in audio and video transcripts
• Video: mp4 (h264)
• Audio: m4a

Classifications

• Attribute custom order
• Attribute of Time type (are transferred as Text type)

Export a QDPX file from NVivo

The following list will provide step by step instructions to export at QDPX file from NVivo.

1. On the Share tab, in the Project group, click Export Project.
2. Select REFI-QDA Project.
3. Browse to the location you want to save the QDPX file.
4. Click OK.

Importing to MAXQDA

The following list will provide step by step instructions for importing a .QDPX file to MAXQDA

1. Click on Open Project – either in the Start dialog that appears immediately after MAXQDA starts, or in the Home tab if you have already opened a project in MAXQDA.
2. In the appearing file dialog, select an REFI-QDA Project file and click

Important notes for importing into MAXQDA

• Text documents are imported as plain text.
• Annotations of coded segments (comments) are shortened to 255 characters.
• Memos which are assigned to the whole project are imported as free memos.
• Coded text segments in PDF files are imported as coded image segments.
• Document group classifcations, and variables are not imported
• Audio and video files are copied to the external files folder and have an empty transcript. Any existing associated transcripts are imported as separate document.