2007 Economic Census

Column Actions

Once you have opened a data set, there are multiple actions you can perform on the columns to format the contents of the data set.

Showing/Hiding Columns

You have the option to get rid of columns that you are not interested in.

To choose which columns to display in a table:

1. Select "Options" from the menu. ["Options" appears only when the data set is (or is filtered to) less than 65,000 rows]
2. Click on "Select Columns".
   
   A new window will pop-up containing all column headings available for the data set selected, divided into either control fields (categorical variables) or a data items (numerical variables).
   
   Each control field has two checkboxes for each available column heading, which are:
   • Value - displays the numeric value, usually a code, for the field.
   • Meaning - displays the meaning of the numeric value.
3. Check and uncheck the columns you wish to keep and hide, respectively.
4. Click "Update".

The selected columns will be displayed in the resulting data set.

Reordering Columns

You have the option to rearrange the order in which the columns are displayed in a data set.

To reorder columns:

1. Select "Options" from the menu. ["Options" appears only when the data set is (or is filtered to) less than 65,000 rows]
2. Click on "Select Columns".
3. Click on the "Order Columns" tab.
4. Change the column order by selecting a column heading (data item) and clicking the up or down arrow buttons.
5. Click "Update".

The columns will be reordered in the resulting data set.

Creating New (Custom) Columns

You have the option to create new or customize columns in a table. This can help create custom ratios, like payroll per employee or sales per establishment.

To create a new column:

1. Select "Options" from the menu. ["Options" appears only when the data set is (or is filtered to) less than 65,000 rows]
2. Click on "Create Columns".
3. Select an operator: ratio or percentage (%) change.
4. Select two columns to perform the operation on.
5. Enter a name for the new column.
6. Click "Create".
7. Click "Update".

The resulting data set includes the new custom column.