PROFILE SERIES
1996 CENSUS PRODUCT ON CD-ROM
A Brief Guide

What is the Profile Series?

The Profile Series is a CD-ROM product that provides access to demographic and socio-economic data from the 1996 Census. It comprises two CD-ROMs which will be called "full profile" and "partial profile" in this guide. The full profile covers all geographic levels, including enumeration areas (EAs) and forward sortation areas (FSAs); the partial profile only includes the nation, provinces and territories, census divisions and subdivisions, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations, federal electoral districts and census tracts.

Terminology

Beyond 20/20: Software designed to help non-specialist users manipulate tabular data. Becoming widely used by Statistics Canada and other government departments. Both the full and partial profiles use this software.

Dimension: An attribute or variable on a statistical table, such as, age or sex.

Item: An element in a dimension (e.g., "male" in the "sex" dimension).

How to access the Profile Series

1. Double-click on the Profile Canada Full or Profile Canada Partial icon.
2. Click on the appropriate language.
3. Click on Accept to indicate your acceptance of the licence agreement, after which the main screen will open up.

The main screen

The screens are set up like file folders, with tabbed labels at the top. When a folder is available for use, its label is highlighted in black (instead of being greyed out or inactive).

• SEARCH: The main screen where you can type the subject matter and /or place.
• DATA: Click here to access the data (when enabled, i.e., when the tab appears in black instead of being greyed out or inactive).
• ABOUT THE DATA: Displays a list of hotlinks to reference tools like the Census Handbook.
• PICTURE IT: Displays reproductions of the census questions or other graphics.
• RELATED PRODUCTS: Lists other census products associated with your query.

Executing a basic browse search from the list of available tables:

1. Click on the CONTENTS button at the bottom of the screen.
2. Click on the DATA folder.
3. Double-click on the table covering the geographic level and region of your choice.
4. To exit from the table and select another table, click on File and Exit.

Executing a search for a geographic area:

Once into the Profile database, a keyword geographic search can be attempted from the main search screen. However, since the search interface is not always reliable, it is recommended that you first select a table as described directly above and then follow the procedure below.

1. Click on the Geography dimension (which will then be highlighted in yellow).
2. Click on the SEARCH icon (containing a question mark).
3. Click on English Desc.
4. In the search bar, key in the place name and click on OK. The system will display the profile table for your chosen area only. To display data for other areas, follow steps 2-4, but ensure that you have clicked on the Expand button before clicking on OK.
5. To view the entire table again (i.e., not just your selected areas), click on Dimension and Show All.

OR

The following method is particularly useful for geographical areas such as census tracts or enumeration areas which are identified by number rather than by name.

1. Click on the dimension Geography (which will then be highlighted in yellow).
2. Click on the Display active dimension icon (directly to the left of the Display chart icon that contains a chart or graph).
3. Scroll down the list to your geographical area. Notice that scrolling is faster in the active dimension mode than in the table itself. Click on the geographical area of your choice and minimize.
4. You will then be positioned in that part of the table listing the profiles for your geographical area.

Executing a subject search

The following search procedures parallel the steps outlined above for a geographic area search. Again, for the same reason, it is recommended that you first select a table as described in "Executing a basic browse search..." above and then follow either of the two procedures outlined below:

1. Click on the dimension Profile of CT(1 (which will then be highlighted in yellow).
2. Click on the SEARCH icon (containing a question mark).
3. Click on English Desc.
4. In the search bar, key in university (for information on how many acquired a university degree) and click on OK. The system will then display only that part of the table indicating how many acquired a university degree as well as the number of people who acquired a non-university post-secondary education.
5. To view the full table again, click on Dimension and Show All.

OR

1. Click on the dimension Profile of CT (1 (which will then be highlighted in yellow).
2. Click on the Display active dimension icon (directly to the left of the Display chart icon that contains a chart or graph).
3. Scroll down the list to the section on education levels. Notice that scrolling is faster in the active dimension mode than in the table itself. You can also view other related topics or dimensions directly adjacent to "university", for e .g., "with bachelor's degree or higher" "with certificate or diploma" etc. Click on the dimension of your choice and minimize. You will then be positioned in that part of the table containing your chosen dimension. Unlike the search feature described above which only lets you view the dimension you have chosen, scrolling permits you to view your chosen dimension along with the rest of the entries in the table that precede and follow it.

Printing:

Click on the printer icon.

Downloading your table to disk:

1. Choose SAVE AS from the FILE menu.
2. Select drive A:
3. Choose appropriate file type:

   .txt for a text file

   .dbf for database format (works with Lotus or Excel)

   .ivt for use with Beyond 20/20 software

4. Assign your file a meaningful name (e.g., AGE)

Advanced Data Manipulation Tips

Getting more information:

The red dot on a dimension tile indicates that some extra information (full title, etc.) is available. Right click on the red dot, then left click on "Dimension Summary".

Switching the table dimensions (variables):

Purpose: Tables can include up to eight dimensions or variables. Not all variables can be displayed at one time. Switching the dimensions allows you to change the variables that appear on your table.

1. Click on the down arrow beside the ACTIVE DIMENSION box to see what the other possible dimensions are.
2. Position your cursor on the dimension label you wish to make active. Drag it on top of the currently active dimension, then release.

Selecting data from a table:

Purpose: To reduce the amount of data displayed, to copy to another package or to map the data.

1. Click on the label of the row or column using the left mouse button. It will then be blackened out with the figures appearing in white. (To unmark or de-select the row/column, click on the row/column beneath or to the right of the label.) To ma rk more than one row/column, keep the Ctrl key depressed while you click on additional choices.
2. Then click on Item and Show to display your selected data.
3. To return to the full table, click on Dimension and Show All.

Sorting data along a dimension:

Click on the Sort icon (with a down arrow). Can sort dimensions in alphabetical or numerical order.

Further assistance:

Extensive help files are available by clicking on HELP on the top tool bar.

Media and Data Centre 03/99 ab
Queen Elizabeth II Library
Memorial University of Newfoundland
[*This pathfinder has been developed from a guide prepared by Vivian Lewis at McMaster University.]