Documentation

Export to REFI-QDA

Export your analysis in REFI-QDA format for interoperability with other tools.

The REFI-QDA export lets you open your Skimle project in other CAQDAS (computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software) packages such as MAXQDA, NVivo, ATLAS.ti, QDA Miner, and f4analyse.

What is REFI-QDA?

REFI-QDA is an open exchange standard for qualitative research software. It defines a common file format (.qdpx) that different QDA tools can read, allowing you to move projects between applications without losing your coding structure.

What the export contains

The .qdpx file is a ZIP archive that includes:

  • Source documents — plain text versions of each document in your project.
  • Codebook — your full category hierarchy, preserved as a tree of codes.
  • Coded segments — all quotes are mapped to their exact positions in the source text and linked to the corresponding categories.
  • Category summaries — saved as notes linked to their respective codes.
  • Document metadata — each metadata field (for example age or channel) becomes a variable, and each document a case carrying its values, which tools such as MAXQDA and NVivo import as case or document variables. Numeric and date fields keep their type when every value is a plain number or a YYYY-MM-DD date; otherwise they are exported as text.

How to use the export

  1. In the Export centre, select REFI-QDA.
  2. The .qdpx file downloads to your computer.
  3. Open the file in your preferred QDA tool using its import function.

Your category structure, coded quotes, document texts and metadata will appear in the target application, ready for further analysis.

Compatibility

The export follows the REFI-QDA Project 1.0 specification and has been tested with ATLAS.ti. Most QDA tools that support the REFI-QDA standard should be able to import the file, though some features may vary between applications.