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GETTING STARTED WITH EPI INFO™
AN OVERVIEW OF TOOLS
 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

The image below shows the interrelationships among the guides in the series. This
guide is Getting Started with Epi Info™ - An Overview of Tools.

Epi Info™ Guide Series

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

Preface

Epi Info™ 7 is a public domain suite of interoperable software tools designed for the
global community of public health practitioners and researchers. Perform data
analysis with epidemiologic statistics, maps, and graphs. Build data entry forms,
construct a database, and customize statistics applications. Physicians,
epidemiologists, and public health officials without a tech background can easily
work with critical data using Epi Info™ tools.

Epi Info™ 7 is free of charge. You can Download Epi Info™ 7 from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.

There are many resources, components, and utilities in the Epi Info™ Suite of
Tools. Each major tool has its own guide to help you make the best use of it. The
graphic on the opposite page shows the full Epi Info™ Guide Series and the
interrelationships between the guides. Each guide in the series has a similar
graphic. The current guide is highlighted with a red bookmark icon ( ). This guide,
Getting Started with Epi Info™ - An Overview of Tools, contains a high-level
description of each tool. Use the stand-alone guides for each Epi Info™ tool
independently, or in conjunction with related guides for greater functionality. In
some cases, related guides are important prerequisites to using the tool discussed in
the current guide. The prerequisite documentation has a red star icon ( ). In other
cases, you may find optional guides informative, and the optional documentation is
shown with a green information icon ( ). For detailed instructions on using any of
the Epi Info™ tools, refer to its specific guide in the Epi Info™ Guide Series.

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Preface ii

Extracting the Archive 1

Dynamic Form Design and Business Logic 3
Epi Info™ Form Designer

Tools for Capturing and Transporting Data 7

Epi Info™ Enter Data7
Epi Info™ Web Survey

8
Epi Info™ Data Packager

10
Tools for Analysis, Visualization, and Reporting 11
EPI INFO™ CLASSIC ANALYSIS

11
Epi Info™ Visual Dashboard

12
Epi Info™ StatCalc: Statistical Calculators

13
Epi Info™ Epi Map

14
EPI INFO™ OPTIONS
Language 16
Epi Info™ Language and Translation 22

31
SYNTAX NOTATIONS

31
Acknowledgements 33
 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

Downloading and Setup

Epi Info™ 7 can be downloaded from the CDC website under the Epi Info™ pages
(https://www.cdc.gov/epiinfo/). Two versions of the software are available: a ZIP
download file and an installation file. ZIP files are also known as archive or
compressed files. These files should open on any Windows computer. You can use
many different utilities to open ZIP files, including WinRAR and WinZip. The
following section will walk you through using the Windows archive file viewer to
extract the files.

An archive file is a container that can store other files. Because the Epi Info™ 7
software is composed of many individual files, it is not practical for you to download
each file individually. All files needed to run Epi Info™ 7 are placed in a single
container file.

The installation file simply needs to be run (or executed) to install Epi Info™ 7. You
may not, however, be able to use the installation file if you do not have
administrative rights or elevated privileges on your computer.

Extracting the Archive

1. Open your web browser and navigate to https://www.cdc.gov/epiinfo/pc.html.

2. Click the button: Download ZIP File. The file will be downloaded to the
folder you use for your downloads.
3. Click the Open file link or double-click the file to open it.

Note: Some computers may open the ZIP file in a different program such as WinZip
or WinRAR. The instructions provided here assume that the file has been opened
using Windows Explorer.

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

4. Select the contents of the archive and drag them onto the desktop. This will
copy the Epi Info™ 7 program files to the desktop. After completion, a pair of
icons will appear on your desktop —- the Epi Info™ 7 folder and the
Launch Epi Info™ 7 menu launcher.

Navigating Epi Info™ Tools

Double-click the Launch Epi Info™ 7 icon to open the Epi Info™ 7 main menu.
Choose from the primary tools of the Epi Info™ suite: Form Designer (Create
Forms), Enter Data, Epi Map (Create Maps), StatCalc, Classic Analysis, and the
Visual Dashboard. The Epi Info™ 7 version number and the currently installed
language are shown on the status bar at the bottom.

Epi Info™ 7 For Desktop Main menu

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

Dynamic Form Design and Business Logic

Epi Info™ Form Designer

In Epi Info™ 7, Form Designer creates and customizes forms. You configure
properties for each field on the form and specify the tab sequence. In Epi Info™ 7,
data collection is organized by projects. Each project can have one or many forms
which can have one or many pages. On each page, you can place one or many labels
and data entry fields to collect individual data values.

There is a variety of field types that you can use to collect data. Some of the most
common types of fields include text boxes, number fields, drop-down lists, code fields
for automatically populating data, and mutually exclusive option fields to name a
few. Label fields and command buttons can be added to the page to add
instructions and perform functions. Find the full list of field types on the Epi Info™
website about How to Use Fields.

Unlike some data collection tools, Epi Info™ Form Designer allows you to position
fields on a page as they might appear in a printed form. This is helpful when doing
data entry from completed data sheets. When the form is used with Epi Info™ Web
Survey or on mobile devices, the form is responsive to the screen size and
automatically adjusts how the questions are shown, and according to the tab order.
By default, data is stored in the project’s MS Access database file, but Microsoft
SQL Server databases can also be used. Form Designer handles all database
management aspects such as the table creation, managing parent-child table
relationships and their primary and foreign keys. Form Designer is a database
design environment. As you create a form you also build and define the database. To
start Epi Info™ Form Designer, click the Create Forms button on the main menu.
For more details on Form Designer, review the Epi Info™ Guide to Form Designer.

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

Epi Info™ Check Code

In Epi Info™ you can apply business rules, data validation, and customize the data
entry process by using Check Code. With Check Code, your form can check for
errors during data entry, automatically execute calculations, and highlight
messages based on specific answers. You can skip or highlight specific fields or
parts of the survey based on conditions you specify. Check Code helps you protect
against many common data entry errors to reduce the amount of post collection
data cleaning. Examples of Check Code operations include:

• Displaying messages that appear as part of the survey.

• Calculating fields from mathematical operations.
• Checking one or more fields for relationships such as ensuring a date or
number is within an expected range.
• Checking for inconsistencies. For example, Check Code will disable fields for
hospital admission date and length, if respondents state they were not
hospitalized.
• Automatic indexing of fields for faster searching.
• Automatic searches during data entry.
Start Check Code editor from within Form Designer by clicking the button on the
menu bar for Check Code. Another way to open it is by right clicking a field on the
page in Form Designer and selecting Field Check Code.
For more about Check Code, see the Epi Info™ Guide to Check Code.

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

Epi Info™ Command Reference

Epi Info™ 7 is easy to operate in interactive mode, but step-by-step operations

require a process like scripting. In Epi Info™ you can program a series of steps to
guide and limit the data entry process, restructure data, and do analyses.
In Form Designer and Classic Analysis, programming comprises interacting with a
series of dialogs producing statements that carry out instructions. You can edit
statements or directly type them in the Form Designer Check Code Editor or the
Classic Analysis program editor. The Epi Info™ Command Reference is a resource
to view and discover details of syntax and usage.
Some commands work only with specific tools. Data entry commands are called
Check Code commands. These commands are constructed by the Check Code editor
in Form Designer, and they run during data entry. Examples of Check Code
commands include Hide, Highlight, and Disable which are used to hide,
highlight, or disable fields during data entry. Epi Info™ Commands constructed in
Classic Analysis run in the program editor within Classic Analysis. Examples of
Analysis Commands include Freq, Tables, Logistic, and Graph. These commands
produce frequencies, 2 x 2 (two by two) tables, logistic regression analyses, graphs
and charts.
View details of all commands available in Epi Info™ in the Epi Info™ Command
Reference.

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

Epi Info™ Functions and Operators

Functions and operators are strings of code within commands that accomplish
common tasks. For example, you can use functions and operators to:
• Convert numbers to text, or text to numbers.
• Extract the year portion from a date string.
• Add two numeric values to produce a sum or do other arithmetic operations.
• Calculate the number of days between two dates.

Functions modify the value of one or more variables to return a result. For example,
the ROUND function will round a value down to the nearest whole number.

Operators combine or compare two values. Simple math is done with the +, -, *, and
/ operators for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, respectively.
Other comparison operators return a true or false result. The detailed descriptions
and usage of the functions and operators in Epi Info™ 7 can be found in the guide
Epi Info™ Functions and Operators.

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

Tools for Capturing and Transporting Data

Epi Info™ Enter Data

The Enter Data program displays forms created in Form Designer. Enter Data
controls the data entry process using settings and Check Code specified when the
form was designed. Data entered is stored in Microsoft Access format data tables,
but you do not need Microsoft Access to collect data with Enter Data. If you have
Microsoft SQL Server installed, you can choose to use a SQL Server database as the
data repository. The data repository for the project is chosen at the time the project
is created.

Enter Data populates the project data tables. Entering data causes the cursor to
move from field-to-field, page-to-page, and saves data when moving between pages.
If you try to exit a page before saving data, the system will ask if you want to save
the changes.

In Enter Data, use the Find function to locate records based on a series of matching
values that you specify. When entering data into a sub-ordinate or related form,
you’ll use the Back button to take you back to the previous form in the relationship.
Start Enter Data by clicking the Enter Data button on the main menu. If you are
already working on a form in Form Designer, you can quickly start Enter Data by
clicking the Enter Data button on the tool bar. This closes Form Designer and
opens the form in Enter Data. Enter Data allows entering new data, modifying
existing data, or searching for records. For more detailed information, go to the Epi
Info™ Guide to Enter Data.

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

Epi Info™ Web Survey

The Epi Info™ Web Survey system (EIWS) provides the ability to distribute surveys
to participants and remotely collect data. Remote collection and distribution of
survey responses is a powerful feature of Epi Info™ 7. It provides survey designers
access to a wide variety and number of participants. Publish survey forms to any
pre-configured web server hosted by your institution or an outside party. When
published, Epi Info™ creates a survey specific Universal Resource Locator (URL) or
website address. After designing and publishing the survey, you can distribute the
URL by email, by posting it on a web page, or using other methods such as a QR
code on a postcard or sign. Participants engage with web survey and submit their
responses through a web browser or mobile device. After the participants submit
responses, you can download the responses into the original Epi Info™ 7 project for
analysis or export them to other tools. If the Epi Info™ Survey Manager is installed,
you can use other functions to facilitate the process. For more on the Epi Info™
Web Survey tool, refer to the Epi Info™ Guide to Web Survey.

Epi Info™ Survey Manager

The Epi Info™ Survey Manager is an optional component that works exclusively
with the Epi Info™ Web Survey system (EIWS). You must have EIWS deployed in
order to use the Epi Info™ Survey Manager. While EIWS was initially designed to
collect responses from anonymous participants, the Epi Info™ Survey Manager
allows you to send individual survey links by email to specific respondents. You can
publish new surveys from an Excel file and update existing surveys. The Epi Info™
Survey Manager also provides a dashboard with the status of surveys and
responses, and other useful features. For more information, see the Epi Info™
Guide to Survey Manager.

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

Epi Info™ Mobile Companion Applications

There are two apps available for mobile devices to work with Epi Info™. One is for
Android devices and the other is for Apple iOS devices. They both allow you to
transfer forms to a mobile device and remotely collect data. The ability to load Epi
Info™ forms onto a mobile device allows you to collect data in places lacking
information technology infrastructure and for activities that could benefit from
mobility, GPS tracking, or photographic capabilities such as barcode scanning. After
data collection, perform simple analysis with the Analyze Data function or view
geographic data using the built-in mapping function. These tools do not contain the
full Epi Info™ functionality; however, you can transfer data from the mobile device
to a PC for more complex analyses. The mobile application also contains a full
featured StatCalc tool like the one found in Epi Info™ 7. For more information
about using Android devices, go to the Epi Info™ Guide to the Mobile Companion for
Android. For more information using Apple devices, go to the Epi Info™ Guide to
the Mobile Companion for iOS.

Epi Info™ Cloud Data Capture

Epi Info™ Cloud Data Capture offers a platform for distributed multi-user data
entry with centralized data management, enterprise database integration,
distributed analysis, and role-based access. It enables those you authorize to collect
and securely manage data over the web or within a local area network. Users that
enter data into Cloud Data Capture are managed with a user ID and password and
must sign into the system. For more information on this tool, go to the Epi Info™
Guide to Cloud Data Capture.

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

Epi Info™ Data Packager

The Epi Info™ Data Packager tool provides an easy way to share data with other
users or to merge data collected by multiple users into a single database for
analyses. The Data Packager does this by offering the option to package and export,
as well as import data from Epi Info™ projects.

Data Packager also has several security features for safer data sharing. Some of the
security features supported by Data Packager include password encrypted data
packages and data de-identification through omitting specific database fields. You
can also subset the data by specifying conditions for record selection. Data Packager
also offers the option to save package settings for future use. Once packaged, you
can safely send the encrypted package to others. If you receive an encrypted data
package, use the Import Data option to import the data into your Epi Info™ 7
project.

Start Data Packager by selecting Enter Data from the Epi Info™ 7 main menu and
open a project and form. The Package for Transport option is in the toolbar under
File > Package for Transport. The Import Data from Data Package option is
located under File > Import data > From data package. To learn more, go to the
Epi Info™ Guide to Data Packager.

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

Tools for Analysis, Visualization, and Reporting

Epi Info™ Classic Analysis

Epi Info™ Classic Analysis lets you manipulate, manage, and analyze data. Classic
Analysis acts as a statistical toolbox providing many ways to transform data and
run statistics. Data can be selected, sorted, listed, or manipulated with a series of
commands, functions, and operators. Available statistics include frequencies,
means, 2 x 2 tables, and more advanced processes such as Kaplan-Meier Survival
Analysis and Logistic Regression. Start Classic Analysis by clicking on the Classic
button on the main menu. Classic Analysis can read data from a variety of formats
like MS Access, Excel, SQL server, CSV files, MySQL, MongoDB, and PostgreSQL.
It offers simple and intuitive tools, producing many useful statistics and graphs for
epidemiologists and other public health professionals. As data volume increases,
rerun saved scripts for updated results. For more information, go to the Epi Info™
Guide to Classic Analysis.

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

Epi Info™ Visual Dashboard

Epi Info™ Visual Dashboard is one of the analysis modules in the Epi Info™ suite
of tools. The Visual Dashboard is intuitive and simple to use. With the use of
gadgets, we minimize the need for programming code. Use Analysis gadgets in
Visual Dashboard to sort, list, and manipulate data. Statistical analyses tools
available in Visual Dashboard include frequencies, means, 2x2 tables, and more
advanced statistical calculations such as linear regression and logistic regression.
Visual Dashboard has graphing functionality to display data as an Epi Curve,
Pareto Chart, and several other bar and column charts.

Start Visual Dashboard from the Epi Info™ 7 main menu by clicking the Visual
Dashboard button. You can also select Dashboard from the Enter Data main
menu after loading an Epi Info™ project. For more information, refer to the Epi
Info™ Guide to Visual Dashboard.

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

Epi Info™ StatCalc: Statistical Calculators

Epi Info™ StatCalc is a statistical calculator producing summary epidemiologic

information. Use the resulting summary data independently of an Epi Info™ 7
project or apply it to six types of calculations.

• Population Survey, Cohort or Cross-Sectional, and Unmatched Case-Control

for Sample Size and Power calculations.
• Chi-square for trend, which tests for study trends. Uncover a series of
increasing or decreasing exposures while studying the current data.
• Tables (e.g., 2 x 2, 2 x n) – Both single and stratified 2 x 2 tables produce odds
and risk ratios (relative risks) with confidence limits. Use tables with several
types of Chi square tests, Fisher exact tests, Mantel-Haenszel summary odds
ratios and Chi squares, and associated p-values. These calculations are like
those produced in Classic Analysis and Visual Dashboard.
• Poisson (rare event vs. std.) – A Poisson distribution predicts probability
around a known average rate of occurrence.
• Binomial (proportion vs. std.) – A binomial distribution states the probability
of positive outcomes in a two-outcome study (yes/no). It is based on the
number of observations and the expected percent of positive outcomes.
• Matched Pair Case Control Study – calculates the statistical relationship
between exposures and the likelihood of becoming ill in a patient population.

Start StatCalc, click the StatCalc button on the Epi Info™ 7 main menu. For more
information, refer to the Epi Info™ Guide to StatCalc.

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

Epi Info™ Epi Map

The Epi Info™ 7 Epi Map tool displays geographical data on a map. Epi Map can
display multiple views from the same dataset. Filter and display Epi Map datasets
over a span of time. Tweaking these features allows you to construct customized
public health data maps.

Information displayed in the main map window appears as layers. Data layers add
information as case cluster maps, choropleth maps, or dot density maps. Reference
layers add geographical boundaries and markers from shapefiles, a map server, or
KML (Keyhole Markup Language) files. Using reference layers allows Epi Map to
identify and designate display settings from both internal and external data
sources. You can modify or filter map data using data layers. To learn more, go to
the Epi Info™ Guide to Epi Map.

Epi Info™ Nutritional Anthropometry

Collect, analyze, and graph child growth data with Epi Info™ 7 Nutritional
Anthropometry tool. Previously referred to as the NutStat module, the Nutritional
Anthropometry tool includes a data entry form that calculates z-scores and
percentiles while adding fresh data. The Nutritional Anthropometry tool creates
growth charts in Visual Dashboard while adding z-scores and percentiles to existing
datasets.

Using the Nutritional Anthropometry tool in Epi Info™ 7, you can select a required
growth reference. Choose between four growth references charts: CDC 2000 Growth
Reference, WHO Child Growth Standards, WHO Reference 2007, and CDC/WHO
1978.

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

Epi Info™ Options

Epi Info™ Options are used to specify settings that may affect more than one tool.
Options may also control settings that persist between sessions. For example, if
every time you use Epi Info™ tools you want data in Yes/No fields showing On, Off
and Unknown, specify those text strings in Options. Yes/No fields display the
specified text in Classic Analysis, Visual Dashboard, Maps, and other outputs. The
settings in Options are saved to the Epi Info™ configuration file.

General
Options on the General tab set default database formats for new projects and for
Classic Analysis, map service keys for mapping and geocoding, and a default
working directory.

General Options Tab

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

Language

Options on the Language tab let you use the Epi Info™ 7 tools in other languages in
addition to English. Epi Info™ comes with translations for Spanish and French
already imported into the system. You can import other translation files for Arabic,
Chinese, Georgian, Russian, and Vietnamese, available for download from the Epi
Info™ Translations web page. If you need another language not listed, you can
create and import your own custom translation file. Translation works without
changing the names of files. With the translation file imported, you can seamlessly
switch languages from the main menu. For more information on how to use Epi
Info™ in other languages, refer to the section on Language and Translation later in
this guide.

Language Options Tab

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

Analysis
Select the Analysis tab to view current settings and control performance options
and data output for Classic Analysis. Your new analysis settings take effect when
launching Classic Analysis.

Analysis Options Tab

▪ Yes As, No As, and Missing As options allow you to customize the display
of yes-no variable values in analytic output and listings. Data in yes-no
variables is stored as 1 for yes and 0 for no, but Epi Info™ displays the values
according to the settings here. Select from the options available in the drop-
down list or type your own custom display values.
▪ Show Complete Prompt displays prompts rather than variable names in
output.

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

▪ Show Percent includes percentages in frequency and tables output. Yes, is

shown as On, or (+). No is shown as Off, or (-).
▪ Include Missing Values, when checked, will include missing data results.
▪ Process Records determines whether undeleted, deleted, or all records will
be used in statistical procedures. In Epi Info™, deleted records are only
marked for deletion, but remain in the database until a physical or
permanent deletion is done. Therefore, you can switch Process Records to use
“Deleted Records Only” to run commands on those deleted records, or
undelete them, if needed. Although Classic Analysis reads data of various
formats such as Excel, CSV, REDCap, and others in addition to Epi Info™
projects, the Process Records feature only applies to Epi Info™ projects.

Plug-ins
Options on the plug-ins tab control and visualize data using Analysis Gadgets in
Visual Dashboard. The record count, data filtering, data re-coding, and formatting
gadgets are organic to the Visual Dashboard module. Analysis Gadgets are highly
configurable. You can add additional gadgets with future releases of Epi Info™ 7.

Plugins tab

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

Web Survey Options

Options on the Web Survey tab control settings required for publishing a survey
and collecting data. You must have installed Epi Info™ Web Survey system or have
access to a version installed by your organization. For example, the CDC has Epi
Info™ Web Survey installed for CDC staff to use. If you have access to Epi Info™
Web Survey system, you can find features by designating the endpoint address and
binding protocol. The endpoint address is the URL where Epi Info™ Web Survey
(EIWS) Manager Service is running. These settings should be provided by your
EIWS System administrator.. If you are a CDC staff member or contractor, contact
the Epi Info™ development team for access to CDC’s EIWS system.

Web Survey Options tab

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

Cloud Data Capture Options

Options on the Cloud Data Capture tab hold information needed to access the Epi
Info™ Cloud Data Capture system. To use Cloud Data Capture, choose it from the
tab control settings. Select either your installation or an installation deployed by
your organization. Designate the endpoint address and binding protocol. The
endpoint address, Windows authentication, and binding protocol provide
security to the system and access to individual forms. Your Epi Info™ Cloud Data
Capture system administrator will provide proper settings.

Cloud Data Capture Options

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

I & Coding

Use the I&O Coding Options to provide the resource file used by Epi Info™ for
industry and occupation codes. Information about a person’s work can help
determine if hazards, injuries, or illnesses are higher among certain industries and
occupations. Additional information can be found at the Collecting and Using
Industry and Occupation Data website.

I&O Coding Options tab

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

Epi Info™ Language and Translation

Introduction

Translation of Epi Info™ 7 programs into non-English languages begins by setting

the language to use on the Tools > Options > Language tab. If your language is
not listed, you can import additional translation files or create one to import. Learn
more by reading How to Create a New Translation File. Run the Create
Translation File utility and place commonly used English phrases in an MS
Access database. Insert the database in any directory accessible by Epi Info™ 7. It
is recommended that you create a Translation subdirectory under the main
installation directory (usually \Epi Info™ 7). Place all translation database files
with the MDB extension under \Epi Info™ 7\Translation. Install or load
language translation definitions without affecting program functionality. You don’t
need to alter any filenames. After the language definition file is loaded, you can
exchange one language to another from the main menu. Epi Info™ comes pre-
loaded with translations for Spanish and French. Other translation packages for
Arabic, Chinese, Georgian, Russian, and Vietnamese are available on the web page
for Epi Info™ Translations.

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

How to Translate Epi Info™ 7

Epi Info™ 7 is designed for easy translation into languages other than English.
Almost all the English phrases that can safely be translated are contained in a table
in the translation file or database. Commands, functions and other reserved words
in the Classic Analysis and Check Code programming languages should not be
translated. However, you can translate the screen prompts that lead to their
generation. Each Epi Info™ 7 component or object, has its own row in a translation
file.

Multiple languages can be loaded at a time. You will need a completed translation
file for a new language. The User Community and the Epi Info™ Team will develop
translation files as Epi Info™ 7 is distributed to the field. Language translations
will be available through the Epi Info™ website.

Currently, there are two ways to use Epi Info™ 7 with a language other than
English.

• Epi Info™ is pre-packaged with translation files for Spanish and French
already imported.
• If you are not using a translation file, create a new translation file for the
language of your choice. For more information, see the section How to Create
a New Translation File.
• If you obtained a translation file from the web page or from someone else, use
Import Translations to bring those translated phrases into the latest
version of Epi Info™ 7. For more information, see the section Use an Existing
Translation File.

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

How to Create a New Translation File

Make sure your Windows locale setting is adjusted with your language location
before following these steps. You will need Microsoft Access to translate the phrases
to your target language.

1. From the Epi Info™ 7 main menu, select Options.

2. Click the Language tab.
3. Click the Create Translation File button.

Translation File Languages

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

4. A window will pop up asking you to name the generated translation file. We
recommend including the specific language in the file name. For this
example, we named the file ItalianEpi7. Save the file to any location.

Creation of translation file

5. Click Save.
6. After several seconds when the Translation File is created, the message
Translation file is ready for use” will be displayed. The translation file
has been created and is ready to be translated. Since the file is created in the
Microsoft Access Database format, the new file will have an MDB extension.

Translation file is ready

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

• Use Microsoft Access to open the new translation file.

• Open the Cultural Resources table.
• Translate words and phrases in the ResourceValue column from English
into the new language.
• Do not change the value of the English words and phrases in the
SourceValue column.
• If the phrase contains a number in curly braces such as “{0} is a reserved
word.” then leave the curly braces and number alone – don’t translate or
change that part. In this example, only translate the English phrase “is a
reserved word.” Some text strings have multiple sets of curly braces and
numbers such as “Processed a total of {0} unique record identifiers in
{1}.” Just translate the English phrases “Processed a total of” and
“unique record identifiers in”. The curly braces and numbers will contain
values produced by the system when it runs.
• After you translate each of the rows contained in the table, follow the steps in
the next section to import the translation file and run Epi Info™ 7 using the
new language.

Cultural Resources Table

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

Use an Existing Translation File

Make sure your Windows locale setting is adjusted with your language location
before following these steps. You must have a translation file which is in the
Microsoft Access Database (MDB) format. This translation file contains the
completed language translation you need to complete this section. If you didn’t
create your own translation file as described in the previous section, you can find
and download examples of completed translation files from the Epi Info™
Translations web page.

1. From the Epi Info™ 7 main menu, select Options.

Import Language Database Settings

2. Click the Language tab and select Import Translations. The Import
Language Database window opens. Select the language of the translation file.
For example, if the translation file is for Italian, select Italian (Italy) from
the drop-down list.

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

Import Language Database Drop-down

3. Click on the Open button. Select the location of the translation file. In this
example, open the file named ItalianEpi7.mdb.

Open Translation File dialog box

4. Click the Connect to Data Source button.

5. Click the Browse button and locate the translation file you want to import.
6. If there is a password on the file, enter the password, and click OK.

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

7. Select CulturalResources from the Data Source Explorer list.

Data Source Explorer

7. Click OK. The imported language is added from the list of available
languages on the Language tab of the Options dialog.

Import Translations button

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

How to Choose a Language

The following steps will show you how to choose a language from those already
imported into Epi Info™ 7.

1. From the Epi Info™ 7 main menu, select Tools > Options.
2. Click the Language tab.
3. Select the desired language. In this example, select Italian (Italy).

Dialog box in Italian

4. Click OK.

For the language to take effect, close and reopen Epi Info™ 7.

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

Conventions in this Guide

This chart describes typographic conventions used in this document.

Example of Convention Description

Boldface type Emphasizes heading levels, column headings, and the following
literals when writing procedures:

• Names of options and elements that appear on screens.

• Specific operations or features of the Epi Info™

Program

• Keys on the keyboard.

• User input for procedures.

• Syntax

• Captions
<python> Special characters that highlight coding language included in
plain text.
Consolas Font Used for samples of coding language.

Syntax Notations

The following chart lists the syntax descriptions used in this documentation.

Syntax Description
Bold Epi Info™ 7 commands and reserved words are shown in bold type.
<parameter> Information to be supplied to a command or function. Parameters are enclosed
with less-than and greater-than symbols. Each valid parameter is described
following the statement of syntax for the command. Parameters are required by
the command unless they are enclosed in braces { }. Do not include the < > or { }
symbols in the code.
[<variable>] Brackets [ ] around a parameter indicate the possibility of more than one
parameter. Do not include the < > or [ ] symbols in the code.

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

{<parameter>} Braces { } around a parameter indicate an optional parameter. Do not include

the { } symbols in the code.
| The pipe symbol ‘|’ denotes a choice and is usually used with optional
parameters. An example is seen in the LIST command. Choose one of the
options or parameters and do not include the | symbol in the code.
***comment Classic Analysis Comment
*** Three asterisks at the beginning of a line of code in the Classic Analysis
Program Editor indicates a comment. Commented lines are skipped when a
program is run. Commenting lines of code may be helpful to document the
purpose of a program and for troubleshooting.
// comment Check Code Single Line Comment
In Check Code, a // or double slash at the beginning of a line of code in the Form
Designer Check Code editor indicates a single line comment. Everything to the
right of the // is ignored when the Check Code runs during data entry.
Subsequent lines are not commented unless they begin with //.

/* Check Code Multi-Line Comment

comment 1 In Check Code, a /* or slash-asterisk indicates the beginning of a multi-line
comment 2 comment and a */ or asterisk-slash indicates the end of a multi-line comment.
… All lines that appear between /* and */ are skipped when the Check Code runs
comment n during data entry. This is helpful to document the purpose of the code and for
*/ commenting large portions of Check Code for troubleshooting.
Both /* and */ must appear at the left margin of the editor.

"" Straight Quotation marks must surround all literal text values.

Note: Some text editors such as Microsoft Word, use "smart quotes", but these
smart quotes are not recognized or cause unanticipated behavior in some

situations. Use only straight quotes such as "these" around your text strings in
Epi Info™ 7.
Example: DIALOG "Notice: Date of birth is invalid" runs the DIALOG
command to display a message with the text shown in quotes.

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

Acknowledgements

Core Epi Info™ Team (in alphabetical order)

Sachin Agnihotri Chelsea Navo

José Aponte David Nitschke
Tom Arner Suma Paritala
Raj Basavaraju Calethia Ray
Craig Brasmer Julio Rodriguez-Estevez
David Brown Ilana Schafer
Harold Collins Daniel Shorter
John Copeland Meng Hua Shu
Ninad Date Donald Chris Smith
Karen DeRosa Godha Sunki
Roger Friedman Thomasine Thomas
Zack Gao Mohammad Usman
James Haines Carol Worsham
Asad Islam Special thanks to:
Gerald Jones Sara Bedrosian
Erik Knudsen Doug Bialecki
Mohammed Lamtahri Sara Branch
Matthew Lantinga Karl August Brendel, III
Leslyn McNabb Andy Dean
Kishore Meduri Robert Fagan
Jeremy Miller Gabriel Rainisch
Roger Mir Enrique Nieves
Victor Natick

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

Additional thanks to:

EIS Epi Info™ 7 Workgroup PHPS Epi Info™ 7 Workgroup

Sudhir Bunga Clinton McDaniel

Timothy Cunningham Kara McGinnis (Co-
Nancy Fleischer Chair)
Alyson Goodman Sadiya Muqueeth
Asha Ivy Judith Robinson
Jeffrey Miller Julie Shaffner
Timothy Minniear Delia Tibbs
(Chairperson) Rebekah Turner
Diane Morof
Cyrus Shahpar
Danielle Tack
Christopher Taylor
Ellen Yard
Tegan L. Callahan
Sarah Elkerholm
Coby E. Jansen
Amy V. Neuwelt
Cristina Rodriguez –
Hart
Tina J. Sang
Anna S. Talman
(Chairperson)
Angela s. Tang
Sharron H. Wyatt
Angela Aina
Valerie Bampoe
Sandi Brown
Martin Celaya
Turquoise Griffith
Tiffany Humbert-Rico
(Co-Chair)
Abigail Johnson
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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

Special thanks to past contributions:

Previous versions produced in collaboration with the World Health Organization

(WHO), Geneva, Switzerland, by Andrew G. Dean, Jeffrey A. Dean, Denis
Coulombier, Anthony H. Burton, Karl A. Brendel, Donald C. Smith, Richard C.
Dicker, Kevin M. Sullivan, Thomas G. Arner, and Robert F. Fagan.

• Original manual by Andrew G. Dean, Juan Carlos Zubieta, Kevin M.

Sullivan, Cecile Delhumeau, Ralph H. Lord, Jr., Shonna Luten, and Shannon
Jones.

• Tutorial exercises by Juan Carlos Zubieta, Consuelo M. Beck-Sagué, G. Allen

Tindol, Karen DeRosa, Jinghong Ma, and Shannon Jones.

Suggested citation: Epi Info™ Development Team, Epi Info™ 7, a database and
statistics program for public health professionals for use on Windows computers.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 2022. Commented [NDA(1]: Craig said he would update
this with a draft next week (6/21)
Commented [BC((2R1]: 10-4 this section will see an
update

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 Getting Started with Epi Info™ – An Overview of Tools

Epi Info™ Development Team

Informatics Services Branch (ISB)
Division of Health Informatics and Surveillance (DHIS)
Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services
(CSELS)
Office of Public Health Scientific Services (OPHSS)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
1600 Clifton Road, (Mail Stop V25-2)
Atlanta, GA 30333

This guide and other Epi Info™ products are in the public domain and may be freely copied,
translated, and distributed. You can visit the CDC.gov Epi Info™ products page for more
information.

DISCLAIMER
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides the Epi Info™ software, translation
databases, instructions, examples, sample projects with data, map files, and all other products
available on this site (the products) on an “AS IS” BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR
CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied, including, without limitation, any
warranties or conditions of TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY, or FITNESS
FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. You are solely responsible for determining the appropriateness of
using or redistributing the products and assume any risks associated with your use or redistribution
of the products. In no event and under no legal theory, whether in tort (including negligence),
contract, or otherwise, unless required by applicable law (such as deliberate and grossly negligent
acts) or agreed to in writing, shall CDC or the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) be
liable to you for damages, including any direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential
damages of any character arising from the use or inability to use the products (including but not
limited to damages for loss of goodwill, work stoppage, computer failure or malfunction, or any and
all other commercial damages or losses), even if CDC or HHS has been advised of the possibility of
such damages.

Epi Info™ is a trademark of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDC does not
endorse any commercial product or service, including any subjects of analysis or datasets. Any
references on this website, in materials downloaded from this website, or within the products to
specific commercial products, processes, or services by service mark, trademark, manufacturer, or
otherwise, does not constitute or imply their endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by CDC.

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