The question mark icon (?) at upper right corner of the MRI-Simmons homepage leads to a helpful
See also several of the user guides available in the informational box of this SU Libraries MRI-Simmons guide, entitled "Simmons Training."
The full aforementioned MRI-Simmons user support/help (the question mark ? icon at upper right corner of the user interface) includes links to publisher/vendor supplied user guides and a section of study resources. The study resources documentation offers more granular details on definitions, codebooks, etc. relevant to closer understanding of the specific methodologies MRI Simmons is employing as it gathers and supports report creation for this consumer survey data.
If a Simmons Insights user is familiar with the older search interface commonly found on the previous interface known as Simmons OneView, that is available in Simmons Insights if one chooses the option called "Dictionary Search"
Ignore user guide PDFs on the support page if these refer to features not included in SU's academic subscription to Simmons Insights (e.g., the feature called "Data Haul" is one example). Unless a named MRI-Simmons search feature is clickable and leads into that content, it is not part of the SU subscription. Sometimes, clicking on same may present a researcher with a sales offer to subscribe to that feature. Ignore those instances, or contact the librarian if uncertain. MRI-Simmons does not license 100% of its content and search and analytical features to academic customers at colleges and universities.
50 simultaneous users. Consumer survey data for U.S. individuals and households, yielding cross-tabulated brand and product category preferences, demographic and psychographic data, and trends for use of digital and traditional media. Includes access to Brand Catalyst, a visualization platform for creating consumer personas that compare and predict these preferences.
A specific set of Simmons data available here called "Simmons Connect" provides metrics of reach, time spent and activity involving consumer interaction with online and mobile technologies.
Some additional notes regarding the Simmons database:
Downtimes: Simmons software upgrades occur on Wednesdays - 9 PM ET - access restored as soon as possible, but Simmons reserves right to keep the system offline until 6 a.m. ET the following Thursday morning; System maintenance is also performed the first Saturday of each month between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. ET.
MRI-Simmons User Support Site [this is the question mark ? icon visible at upper right corner of the Simmons platform]
NEW SINCE 2023 - VERSION 2.0: Simmons users after proceeding into the platform, will see an option on its user interface, upper right corner, to "launch 1.0," which will open up an older MRI-Simmons user interface for creating cross-tabulations, or generating quick reports or Brand Catalyst reports. Searchers of Simmons data preferring the immediate pre - year 2023 search interface interface can click on "launch 1.0" to return to that previous search interface environment.
TUTORIAL VIDEOS FOR VERSION 2.0: Instruction Videos for MRI-Simmons Composer 2.0 [24 mins] and Cross-Tab 2.0 [15 mins]
The new (since 2021) user friendly search option called "Composer" supplements existing options for exploring Simmons data known as the Smart Search and the Dictionary Search. Also new since 2021 at SU is access on the Simmons platform to the data visualizations tool called "Brand Catalyst." Brand Catalyst supports creation of personas where those consumer behaviors and preferences can be compared and predicted.
please note:
Brief introduction to Simmons Insights (5 mins)
Detailed Introduction to Simmons Insights (29 mins)
This example assumes one has retrieved data or otherwise built a cross-tabulation using Simmons' adult survey (NHCS)
*Edit your citation accordingly to indicate the survey year one has actually used and/or to reflect instances when the data or cross tabulation comes from a survey (i.e., study) within Simmons of those other than adults (such as the “Simmons Connect” studies). For example: