| CDATA Online FAQ |
 | | |
What is CDATA Online? Answer Who is CDATA Online designed for? Answer Where can I find more information about CDATA Online? Answer How do I register for CDATA Online? Answer I didn't receive my registration confirmation email. How do I activate my registration? Answer I have registered for CDATA Online, but when I try to log-in I get an error? Answer What if I forget my password? Answer CDATA Online is timing out? Answer I keep seeing a page saying: "Due to greater than expected usage the maximum number of CDATA Online users has been excluded. Please try again in 15 minutes." Answer Geography and Maps How do I get all CDs, Postcodes, Suburbs, UCLs or SLAs in Australia? Answer Can I interact with the display maps when I choose my location? Answer How do I tell the difference between identically named areas? Answer Why can't I get my map to work? It keeps giving me an error: "The current table does not have a mappable dimension. Please ensure your table contains a geography field and that this field is not nested." Answer |
Why does my table show only dashes? How do I retrieve data? Answer Why does my table only contain dashes and the Retrieve Data button appears inactive? Answer I can't find/combine the data items I want? Answer I can't find dwelling data? Answer Does CDATA Online provide time series data? Answer Can I use 2001 Census data in CDATA Online? Answer Why can’t I turn on the total for the Sex classification? Answer In a table displaying percentages, what is the difference between “0” and “0.00%”? Answer How do I sort column headings? Answer I can’t find a way to save my table? Answer How can I download my table to my computer? Answer In what formats can data be downloaded from CDATA Online? Answer Why can't I download my table to Excel? Answer Where can I find my custom areas and data groups so I can add them to a table? Answer Why can’t I drag and drop individual items into the bin? Answer Why do I get data when I am expecting zeros? Answer |
Why is my graph empty? Answer I can’t see my graph, just a big legend? Answer CDATA Online and other products What's the difference between CDATA Online and TableBuilder? Answer Why is the total on my table different to other tables/products on your web site? Answer How is CDATA Online different to CDATA 2001? Answer General Enquiries Has the data been made confidential at all? Answer How can I share my customised geographies and data groups with my colleagues? Answer Can I upload my table, graph or map back into CDATA Online? Answer Further Assistance More CDATA Online Help |
What is CDATA Online?
CDATA Online is a free online product that allows you to create tables, maps and graphs out of 2006 Australian Census data for all ABS geographic areas.
CDATA Online allows you to create your own tables of Census data on a range of different topics, including: age, education, housing, income, transport, religion, ethnicity and occupation.
Who is CDATA Online designed for?
CDATA Online is a product aimed at clients with some experience in Census data, though would also suit anyone with an interest in Census data. So whether you work in government, small business, part of a community service organisation or in the education sector, CDATA Online would be a great asset.
Where can I find more information about CDATA Online?
More detailed information about CDATA Online is available from the CDATA Online product brief.
How do I register for CDATA Online?
Registering for CDATA Online is free. To become a registered user go to the CDATA Online home page and select the Enter CDATA Online button. Registered users will be able to reuse their customised geographies, data items and saved tables next time they login to CDATA Online. However Guest users will not have this facility.
I didn’t receive my registration confirmation email. How do I activate my registration?
Please contact the Census Technical Helpline on 1800 676 646 between 9:00-12:30, and 2:00-4:00 Mon to Fri, or send an email to census.software@abs.gov.au and they will arrange activation.
I have registered for CDATA Online, but when I try to log-in I get an error.
This may be due to the auto-complete function in the web browser being used, which can sometimes automatically enter the wrong password for you. Delete the dots in the first password box before setting your password. If you continue to have issues, please send an email to census.software@abs.gov.au or call the Census Technical Helpline on 1800 676 646 between 9:00-12:30, and 2:00-4:00 Mon to Fri.
What if I forget my password?
If you have forgotten your password you can still access CDATA Online by accessing the 'Forgot your password' link on the log-in page. After entering your current registered email address, you will be prompted to answer the secret question you chose when you initially registered. Once the answer to your secret question has been validated, an email will be sent to your registered email address containing a link which allows you to change your password.
CDATA Online is timing out.
The table you are attempting to produce is too large. You should choose a smaller number of geographies or classifications. Please refer to Section 17.3 of the CDATA Online User Manual.
NB. CDATA has a 15 minute idle time out. If no action is taken for 15 minutes the session will end.
I keep seeing a page saying: "Due to greater than expected usage the maximum number of CDATA Online users has been exceeded. Please try again in 15 minutes."
CDATA Online is a powerful application that can only support a limited number of users at a single point in time, and demand is hard to predict. This message is displayed if the maximum number of allowable users has been exceeded. Please try accessing CDATA at a later time.
Why does my table show only dashes? How do I retrieve data?
Click the “Retrieve data” button or tick the “Automatically retrieve data” box which will then populate the table after each change.
Why does my table only contain dashes and the Retrieve Data button appears inactive?
You are probably working in 'Large Table Preview' mode. This mode is activated once your table has more than 20,000 cells, because showing this amount of data in a browser could significantly impact on the performance of CDATA Online. You will no longer be able to see every variable in the classifications you have added to your table due to its size. Instead only the first two variables from each classification and their location (row or column) are displayed.
I can't find/combine the data items I want.
Not all combinations of data items are available in CDATA Online. The availability of data for cross-classifying is determined by the database being accessed. This is set by the topic that was chosen in the initial pre-navigation steps. Refer to section 17.8 of the CDATA Online User Manual for a full list of what is available for each topic.
I can't find dwelling data.
Dwelling data is based on Location on Census Night only. During the initial pre-navigation steps, choose "Location on Census Night" before choosing the topic.
Another method is by using the 'Change Database' option from the 'Customise Table' screen. Using this function will open up the Change Database screen, from which you can drill down and select the 'Dwellings' database.
Does CDATA Online provide time series data?
No. Users seeking time series data should use the 2006 Time Series Profile, which is part of the 2006 Community Profile Suite. The 2006 Community Profile Suite is available free of charge from the ABS website.
Can I use 2001 Census data in CDATA Online?
There are no current plans to include historical data in CData Online, i.e. 2001 or 1996 Census data. Currently, only 2006 Census data is available. 2011 Census data will be included in the product when it becomes available in 2012.
Why can’t I turn on the total for the Sex classification?
Sometimes the total button for Sex is missing when you first view a table. Removing the "Sex" classification from the table and adding it back should solve the problem.
In a table displaying percentages, what is the difference between “0” and “0.00%”?
“0” indicates a true zero (i.e. no count of persons with that characteristic), whereas “0.00%” indicates that the true percentage is lower than 0.01% and has been rounded.
How do I sort column headings?
Click and drag the classification label that you wish to sort to the row position. Wait for the table to reload, then click the sort arrow. You can then drag it back to the column position. This can be useful because when you add additional items to the same classification in the table, they appear in the order in which they were added rather than in alphabetic or numeric order.
You must be logged in as a registered user to save tables.
How can I download my table to my computer?
Once you are happy with the tables structure and content, you can download it to your computer from the Download Table menu. (see below)
From the drop-down menu at the top right of the Table View screen, select the type of file you want your table to be downloaded as.
Click the Go button.
Select the location on your computer to save the file to and enter a file name.
In what formats can data be downloaded from CDATA Online?
Tables can be downloaded in the following formats:
| 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. | Microsoft Excel 2007 (.xlsx) Microsoft Excel 2003 (.xls) Comma Separated Value (.csv) Comma Separated Value - String Value(.csv) Maps and Thematic Graphs: Users will be able to extract maps and thematic graphs produced in TableBuilder in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format and Portable Network Graphics (.png) format. |
Why can't I download my table to Excel?
Some Excel options may be unavailable due to the limitations on the number of columns and rows each version of Excel can open. Excel 2003 cannot open up files with more than approximately 255 columns and\or 65,000 rows. Excel 2007 cannot open up files with more than 16,384 columns and\or 1,048,500 rows.
However, the data can be downloaded in CSV format, or you can move a classification from a table column to a table row to reduce the number of columns.
Where can I find my custom areas and data groups so I can add them to a table?
Custom geographic areas appear at the bottom of the tree control under the folder heading “Custom Geography”. Custom data groups appear within the classification tree control structure, under the classification they are made from (e.g. a group of ages will appear in the list under ‘Age’).
Why can’t I drag and drop individual items into the bin?
Only whole classifications can be dragged and dropped into the garbage bin. The "Customise Table" pane should be used to remove individual items, by selecting the items and using the "Remove from Table" button. The ability to drag off individual items has been recommended for a future release of CDATA Online.
Why do I get data when I am expecting zeros?
Ensure that you haven't cross-classified data items that would normally return zeros (e.g. if you have cross classified CDs in Sydney with Victorian SDs, this would return all zeros). Occasionally the zero can be returned as a small number. This is caused by the confidentiality process, and is not a system or data error. For this reason, and because the confidentiality process has the greatest relative impact on small cells, we advise that you do not place great reliance on small data cells. For more information, refer to the section on confidentiality and quality in the CDATA Online User Manual.
How do I get all CDs, Postcodes, Suburbs, UCLs or SLAs in Australia?
Some geographic levels have a large number of areas (e.g. there are around 38,000 Collection Districts in Australia). Adding this number of areas to your table will take a very long time and may never be successful due to the capacity of web browsers to display tables of that size. However, you can select all CDs by Statistical Division, and all SLAs, Postal Areas, UCLs, SLAs or Suburbs by State.
Can I interact with the display maps when I choose my location?
No, these are merely static maps to illustrate your selection.
How do I tell the difference between identically named areas?
You will need to cross-classify the selected geographies with states by adding all states in Australia to the table.
Why can't I get my map to work? It keeps giving me an error: "The current table does not have a mappable dimension. Please ensure your table contains a geography field and that this field is not nested."
You can’t obtain a map if the geographic areas in your table are grouped with other data items. i.e. If the geographic areas are in the rows, then all the data items must be in the columns and vice versa. For more information, please refer to Section 15 of the CDATA Online User Manual.
Why is my graph empty?
You will need to press the Retrieve Data button to refresh the data in the table before clicking the Graph View tab. Please check that the column being mapped doesn't only contain zeroes, as there would be nothing to graph.
I can’t see my graph, just a big legend.
There are too many items in the graph legend, which has pushed the graph up out of sight. Try ticking only some of the ‘selected series’ choices in the customise graph pane, or make your table smaller.
What's the difference between CDATA Online and TableBuilder?
The CDATA Online product is a free product made up of 11 small databases. Once you have logged in to the product, you have the option to select a predefined table as your starting point or you can select the “Create my own…” table option. You will then be able to further customise your table with the classifications contained in the database by selecting the ‘Customise Table’ link. However, you will only be able to include the classifications that are included in that database.
The TableBuilder product costs $1,655 per subscription. TableBuilder subscribers can cross classify using the complete Census Output Record File, which is made up of 5 large databases containing most Census variables. TableBuilder also has some extra user-defined fields used in the Census Products, such as 'Indigenous Household'.
Refer to the Product comparison.pdf document, which compares the classifications available in CDATA Online and TableBuilder, allowing users to determine what they can and cannot cross classify within each product.
Why is the total on my table different to other tables/products on your web site?
Slight differences may be evident because of the way we make the results confidential. Please refer to the Census Data Confidentiality page (linked from the Table View window) and in Section 5 of the CDATA Online User Manual. You can also look at what the table includes and excludes in comparison to CDATA Online, and any footnotes provided for the table.
How is CDATA Online different to CDATA 2001?
CDATA 2001 integrated census data with a leading GIS program, MapInfo. It allowed powerful thematic map creation, including the ability to create custom regions, perform SQL queries, and incorporate imported data. CDATA Online, on the other hand, is fully web-based with a level of user-friendliness that web-users have come to expect. It's more data-focused than CDATA 2001, allowing for faster and easier data retrieval, with greater control over the data produced. While CDATA 2001 was limited to the data contained in the census profiles, CDATA Online allows you to choose the variables you wish to see in the tables you create.
Has the data been made confidential at all?
Yes. In accordance with the Census and Statistics Act 1905, no results will be released in a way that would enable particular individuals or households to be identified. All data that is returned by CDATA Online will have undergone a confidentiality process, meaning that you will never have access to confidential data. Rather, this confidentiality process is applied dynamically after your table has been constructed and the data aggregated. Therefore, the impact of the confidentiality process is not compounded if you create custom groups or geographic areas. It is important to remember that the confidentiality process has the greatest relative impact on small cells. No reliance should be placed on any small cell data.
Further information on the confidentiality process and introduced random error can be found on the ABS website.
How can I share my customised geographies and data groups with my colleagues?
CDATA Online does not provide a facility for collaborative working. Custom geographies and data groups can be saved within CDATA Online by registered users and can be used later by the same user. The customisations can't be exported, and there's no facility to upload them to CDATA Online.
Can I upload my table, graph or map back into CDATA Online?
No, you can only save tables in the CDATA Online application and then open them in a later session. Once any data is saved outside of CDATA Online, it can't be uploaded back to the application. Maps and graphs can be saved within CDATA Online as a table, then viewed later.
Within CDATA Online there's a link to CDATA Online Help, which contains online help documents explaining the functionality of each page. Each help document links back to a full index of all the help documents available.
The CDATA Online User Manual is available via the CDATA Online entry page (cat. no. 2064.0) and contains detailed instructions on how to make the best use of each feature in the product.
The interactive training tutorials are available via the CDATA Online entry page and designed to demonstrate CDATA Online's basic functionality and enhance your usability of the product.
A full product description is available from the CDATA Online Product Brief.
If these documents do not assist in answering your query, the Census Technical Helpline is also available for assistance. Please call 1800 676 646 or send an email to census.software@abs.gov.au. The Census Technical Helpline is staffed Monday - Friday, 9.00am-12.00pm and 2.00-4.00pm, Canberra time. We will endeavour to answer all calls within these times. Any queries outside these hours will be diverted to voice mail and will be answered as soon as possible.