Microcomputer Processing of Census and Surveys using CSPro

1
Microcomputer Processing of Census and
Surveys(using CSPro)
U.S. Census Bureau International
Programs Center www.census.gov/ipc/www
2
Data File Design

• How are data stored in the data file?
• What is a case?
• What is on a record?
• How many records?

3
Objectives

• Understand elements of a data file
• Describe a field, record, and questionnaire
• Describe data file structures
• Learn how the CSPro data dictionary defines these
  elements

4
Needed information about data file

• Need identification fields
• Need information / data fields
• Need SIZE how many characters
• Need valid values/codes

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Data File StructureASCII/text

• ALL data on ONE record/line
• Different types of data on DIFFERENT record/lines

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Data Processing/Data File Terminology

• Item/variable/field
• Record
• Questionnaire (Case)
• Data file

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Item/variable/field

• Is a single piece of information
• Has the attributes of Size Type Numeric/Alphan
  umeric

8
Record

• a collection of related items forming a single
  line of information.
• For example
• Housing Recordcontains information about the
  house
• Population Record Contains information about
  each person in the house

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Case/Questionnaire

• all the records of all types for a processing
  unit such as a household

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A data file is

• a collection of all the questionnaires (cases)

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CSPro Data Dictionary

• Field names/labels
• Field size
• Field location
• Field attributes
• Record names
• Record types
• Records IDs
• Records allowed by type

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Questionnaire sections
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One Section gt One record
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From the questionnaire to the data file (one
record type)
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From the questionnaire to the data file (What are
the data?)
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From the questionnaire to the data file (Where
are the data?)
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Data Dictionary describes the data file