Strategy & Planning

In this module, aha presents its proposed harmonization plan for every variable, and you can review, confirm, or edit the proposals before execution.

Overview

For each source variable, aha proposes a decision, a target standard variable, and a sequence of transformations. Each proposal carries a plan confidence score, and you set a threshold that determines which variables require human review before the plan can be approved.

Decision types

Every variable in the plan is assigned one of five decision types, reflecting how the source variable relates to the standard:

Decision	Definition
Matched	The source variable is identical to the standard variable. No transformation is needed; it is used as-is.
Mapped	The source directly corresponds to a standard variable with consistent meaning. Full consistency is achieved after applying transformations.
Partially Mapped	Source and standard capture the same concept but differ in operationalization. A partial relationship exists, but full alignment is not achievable.
Calculated	The standard variable does not exist in the source but can be derived from one or more source variables using a formula or logic.
Not Mapped	The source variable cannot be aligned with any standard variable — directly, partially, or through calculation.

Tip

To see the definition of any decision type while working, expand the Decision guide button in the toolbar or hover over a decision badge in the table.

Plan confidence

Each row in the plan table includes a Plan Confidence score — aha’s overall certainty that its proposed plan for a variable is correct.

Human intervention threshold

At the top of the module, a colour-coded slider sets the confidence threshold below which variables are flagged for human review. The recommended default is 60%.

≥ threshold

Human intervention marked as Not needed.

< threshold

Human intervention marked as Needed.

You can return the slider to the recommended value at any time using the Reset to recommended button below it.

The plan table

The main table lists every source variable and its proposed plan:

Column	Description
Source	The variable name in the unharmonized dataset.
Target	The corresponding variable in the standard dataset. Empty for Not Mapped variables.
Decision	The proposed decision type.
Plan Confidence	The overall confidence score for the proposed plan.
Human Intervention	Whether the variable requires review before proceeding, based on the threshold.
Review	A button that opens the individual variable review panel.

Use the sort button to order variables by confidence, and the filter button to show only a specific decision type.

Reviewing variables

Review variables individually with the Review button on any row, or in bulk from the top of the module:

Review all — opens the panel at the first variable and steps through all of them in sequence.
Review only those that require human intervention — opens the panel filtered to the flagged variables.

The review panel

The panel shows the source-to-target mapping at the top (e.g. RID → NACCID) and a progress indicator. It is divided into four sections:

Source & Target Info — each variable’s data type, unique values, missing rate, and a plain-language explanation of how the two relate.
Decision — the five decision types, aha’s pick is highlighted. Select a different one if appropriate.
Target — ranked candidate standard variables, aha’s pick at the top. Click the info icon on any candidate for its full metadata.
Transform — ranked transformation sequences, each with a description and a before/after preview. Confirm one with the Selected button.

No suitable transformation?

Use the Ask aha chat in the Transform section to generate another option. Describe the transformation in plain language and aha will create a new one. When all three sections are complete, use the Save & Next button.

Where to go next

Once you approve the plan, aha moves to Execution, which applies the transformations to the data. See Transformation types for what each transform does.