DERWENT ANALYTICS

 

Q: What operating system is Derwent Analytics compatible with?

A: Derwent Analytics will run on Windows 98, Windows NT (SP6), Windows 2000, and Windows XP. There are currently no plans to create a MacOS or Linux version. You may need local administrative permissions for the macros to run. Some security settings (especially NT) will prevent one program (DA) from opening another (Excel).

Q: How fast a processor and how much memory do I need?

A: We recommend at least a 500 MHz processor. Because Derwent Analytics is processor intensive, we recommend using as fast a processor as possible. At an absolute minimum, we suggest 128 Mb of RAM. If you will be processing large files (1000+ records), we recommend at least 512 Mb RAM.

Q: How do I download Derwent Analytics?

A: You may download Derwent Analytics from the secure Search Technology website at http://www.thevantagepoint.com/downloads

Q: Can I get a copy on CD-ROM?

A: Yes

Q: How do I install Derwent Analytics?

A: Simply double-click on the DerwentAnalytics.msi file that you obtained from the download site or CD-ROM to run the setup program. The setup program will install Derwent Analytics on your hard drive in the C:\Program Files\DerwentAnalytics\ directory. The setup program will also create a program group in your start menu and assign files with a .vpt extension to be opened by Derwent Analytics.

If you are installing Derwent Analytics on a computer that has the demo version, you will have to uninstall the demo version before you install the full version. Don't worry. Any data files, thesaurii, or macros you have created will not be deleted by the uninstall.

Q: Can I install Derwent Analytics on more than one computer?

A: No. The Derwent Analytics subscription contract prohibits the installation of the software on more than one computer.

Q: My data files are not importing correctly, but when I open them in Word things look ok. Why does this happen?

A: Derwent Analytics is designed to work with raw tex. Most word processing programs add special characters to the text to mark fonts and formatting and these special characters will confuse Derwent Analytics. If you edit the raw data in a word processor, make sure you save it as Text Only.

Q: What are secondary fields?

A: By default, Derwent Analytics uses a set of fields that, in our experience, are the most useful for analytics. Other, lest-useful fields are classified as "secondary". Those additional fields that are not automatically imported during the intial import can be selected by the user upon import or by using the Incremental Import function in the Edit menu after initial import.

Q: What is NLP?

A: NLP stands for "Natural Language Processing". The NLP fields extract Words or Phrases from longer blocks of text (like titles and abstracts) and puts them in a list. In Derwent records, the title and abstract phrases work well as faux keywords. However, they can take a long time to import so they are not brought in by default. These are secondary fields that can be imported initially or using the Incremental Import function in the Edit menu.

Q: Can I use Derwent Analytics with a non-Derwent data source?

A: It may be possible to use Derwent Analytics with a non-Derwent data source. Please provide the specific details of the database that you would like to import into Derwent Analytics and we will contact our Product Development group with your request.

Q: When I import my data it says there is no data in certain fields. Why is this?

A: As it says, Derwent Analytics could not find any recors with a value in certain fields. There are several possible reasons:

  • The field may not exist in the format you downloaded. For example, the Tech Focus field is missing from several formats

  • The field may not exist in your data. For example, the Abstract USE/ADVANTAGE generally only appears in older Derwent records. More recent records separate it into two fields (USE and ADVANTAGE). Certain topics might also be sparse on one of the Manual Code fields (EPI or CPI).

  • The data may be present, but it is not in a format Derwent Analytics can recognise. Derwent Analytics looks for specific tags to mark the start of a field ("TI-" to mark the start of the title for example). If the data has something different to start the field ("Title" instead of "TI-") it will not recognise the data following.

  • Derwent Analytics is accidentally looking for the wrong format. For example, if during import you tell the Derwent Analytics that the data is STN MAX format, when it is really STN IFULL, Derwent Analytics is likely to get confused and miss a few fields.

  • Finally, something might actually be missing or corrupted in the data. Occasionally a record will not have a title or Derwent classification or the record was corrupted into a format Derwent Analytics doesn't recognise. In a very small dataset, all the records might share the problem. If this is the case, please let us know so we can make the import more robust in the next release.

    • Q: What is list cleanup?

    A: List cleanup, is an automated process that uses fuzzy matching algorithms to match varieties of the same term. This can be limited to matching terms that only differ in case, punctuation, or stem (plurals); or this can be expanded to match phrases that match most of their words (e.g. different divisions of a company).

    Q: Which list cleanup (.fuz) file do I use for which fields?

    A:

  • General - the general.fuz file is the most strict in its matching. The general file will only match differences in capitalisation, punctuation and stemming. It is best used with descriptor fields and NLP terms to catch inconsistencies. It is very accurate, but the stemming will sometimes match more technical terms than you want (magnets and magnetism for example), so you may want to check its conclusions before accepting them.

  • Author - the author.fuz file is strict in matching words, but is less concerned about the order they are in. It will also allow small variations to account for initials. For example, it will match "John B Smith" to "Smith, J B". As you would expect, it is best used on inventor fields.

  • Affiliation - the affiliation.fuz file uses the loosest criteria for a match. As expected, it is optimised to match long place names. An ignore list is used to skip common terms and abbreviations, then it searches for terms that share most of their remaining words. For example, it will match "Dept of Physics, Toledo University, Toledo, OH, USA" to "Chem. Department, Univ. of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA" since as far as the algorithm is concerned, the only difference between them if"chem" and "physics".

    Q: Can I edit the .fuz files?

    A: Yes, a fuzzy editor is included under the file menu that allows users to customise the cutoffs and rules for .fuz files. Details are in the user guide.

    Q: What does the thesaurus function do?

    A: The thesaurus function acts as a find and replace on the fields. Users can create thesauri to, for example, replace a set of country abbreviations or classification codes with their full definitions.

    Q: What is the difference between "thesaurus" and "partial-match thesaurus"?

    A: The Thesaurus function replaces the whole term with another term. The Partial-Match Thesaurus finds and replaces strings within each term, changing abbreviations or removing punctuation for example.

    Q: What are each of the .the files for?

    A: PatentCountry.the will translate patent country abbreviations to their full name.

    DerwentClass.the will add the full definition of Derwent Classifications to the codes.

    Q: Can I create my own thesaurus file?

    A: Yes, there are several ways to create a thesaurus file. Thesaurus files can be created from groups, the thesaurus editor, or the list cleanup function. Details on each method are available in the user guide.

    Q: Can I edit existing thesaurus files?

    A: The thesaurus editor can be started from the File menu. After loading a thesaurus into the centre column and a field into the left column, users can change existing items and add new items to the thesaurus. Details on the thesaurus editor are available in the user guide.

    Q: I accidentally deleted a field. How do I retrieve it?

    A: Hopefully you can close the file without saving and re-open a previously saved version of the file that still has the field. Otherwise, the incremental import function (under the Edit menu) allows you to import fields from the Raw Records saved in the .vpm file (just like in the initial import process). If the field you lost was a derived field (created through cleanup, thesaurus, or duplication), you will need to repeat the procedure used to create it the first time. Any groups for that field and sheets based on that field will have been lost (permanently) when the field was deleted.

    Q: How can I combine two datasets?

    A: The data fusion tool (in the File menu) allows you to combine two datasets. Start by loading the datasets into the left and centre columns. Clicking the "Add all Fields" button at the bottom of BOTH columns will send all the fields to the new dataset being created in the right hand column. Click the +s in the right hand column will allow you to double check that each field was built correctly. If you've finished cleaning one dataset and not the other, you may want to combine fields with different names instead. This is easily handed by dragging and dropping field names together into the right hand column. More details can be found in the user guide.

    Q: Can I delete records within the search set if I decide they are irrelevant for my analysis?

    A: You can mark individual records with "Omit from Dataset" in the raw record view and they will not be included in any new datasets you create. You cannot delete individual records from the dataset, however you can create new datasets based on only those records that you are interested in using the group function. Until you create a new dataset, the records you have marked will continue to be counted in any lists, matrices, maps or macros based on your original dataset.

    Q: What do the Derwent Analytics scripts do?

    A:

  • DA1-Cleanup - this script will prepare your dataset for further patent analysis by generating cleaned lists of Patent Assignees, Inventors, and Derwent Classifications. In addition, the script will create the following fields: most recent Family Member Publication Years, Earliest Priority Year, and a combined Derwent Manual Code field. This will ensure more accurate analysis when statistically and graphically analysing your dataset. This may take some time depending on the size of your dataset.

  • DA2-Basic - this script will create graphical and tabular representations of the dataset to perform year over year analysis of the activity of the top ten Patent Assignees. YES = By default the analysis will be based on Basic Patent Publication Year. NO = The analysis will be performed using the Earliest Priority Year.

  • DA3-PA profile - this script will produce a tabular report characterising the top twenty Patent Assignees within your dataset. If you have created custom groups of Patent Assignees you may generate this report for any custom group when prompted.

  • DA4-Record Table - this script will produce a tabular report of all records within the dataset and includes preprocessed statistical analysis by Derwent Accession Number and Title. This report may take some time to process depending on the size of your dataset.

  • DA6-IPC - this script performs portfolio analysis for each of the top ten Patent Assigness on a year over year basis according to Basic Publication Year and 4-level IPC classification. One graph will be created per Patent Assignee and labelled by Patent Assignee name. A summary chart will be generated displaying the breakout of International Patent Classifications over time for the top ten Patent Assigness

    • Q: Can I change the Derwent Macros or record my own macro?

    A: You can not modify the Macros in Derwent Analytics. If you have suggestions for enhancements to the macros, we will be happy to connect you with our Product Development team.

    Derwent Analytics has no ability to record macros. If you wish to create your own scripts, Derwent Analytics uses the Visual Basic Scripting language (VBScript) and the script commands are documented in the "Automation & Scripts" section of the helpfile.

    Q: Can I use other programs/check my email while running Derwent Analytics macros?

    A: It is not recommended that you run other applications (i.e. checking email, using Word, surfing the internet, etc.) while running Derwent Analytics because macros working with Excel often depend on the computer's "focus" remaining on the program they are moving data around in.

    Q: How many items can be mapped?

    A: We recommend not trying to map more than 25 items per page. Large maps can take a very long time to create. If there are too many dots on a page, try expanding the canvas size in the map preferences window.