Data Explorer user guide

There are two methods for finding data using Data Explorer:

• Search for data by entering keywords in the search field
• Browse for data by expanding a topic under the Browse by option

To search for data using a keyword:

• Enter a keyword in the search field
• Use the enter key or select the arrow in the search block
• All datasets containing that keyword will be displayed

To browse for data using the 'Browse by' section, select a topic dropdown:

• The topic will be expanded to show sub-topics
• Select a sub-topic
• All dataflows relating to that topic will be displayed
• Select a dataset from the result to open the selection

Once you have your browse or search results, you can more specifically locate what you want using filters on the left of the screen:

• Use the down arrows to expand and make a selection. For example, under Region, you could filter on a state to only view results that include data for that state
• You can search within each of these filters and apply as many filters as you want
• To remove a filter, expand 'Used filters' at the top of the menu and click to remove one or all filters
• Your results will be automatically updated when you add or remove filters
• To view data, simply click the dataflow title in search results
• Any additional filters you selected will be automatically applied when you view the data, for example, if you filtered on a state then only data for that state will be displayed

Please see Updates page in the API User Guide for more information on recently added data.

When you open a dataflow it will display a default view of data, use the Filter menu on the left of the screen to allow you to change your data selection

Each section of the filter menu is a dimension in the dataflow.  Each dimension has one or more dimension members.  

Select or unselect dimension members to choose what data is included in your table. 

• Use the down arrows to expand the display of available members for each dimension in the Filter menu
• Click a dimension member to add it to the filter list, click it again to remove it from the filter
• If no members are selected for a dimension then the filter will include all members by default
• You can search within a dimension to find specific dimension members, this is particularly useful for large dimensions
• Use bulk selection to select multiple items at once. You can select an entire level of the dimension hierarchy.  You can also select all currently displayed dimension members, for example, all results from a search
• Your view of data will automatically update every time you change the filter
• Use the Time Period filter to choose what reference periods to include in your table

Used Filters, at the top of the Filter menu, shows all currently applied filters. You can quickly remove some or all filters for each dimension here.

You have three options for downloading data from Data Explorer; Excel, filtered CSV and unfiltered CSV.

• Table in Excel - download an Excel XLSX file with the exact view of data from your Data Explorer table. 
• Filtered data in tabular text (CSV) - download a comma separated variable (CSV) file with the data from your Data Explorer table
• Unfiltered data in tabular text (CSV) - download a comma separated variable (CSV) file with all data for the selected dataflow.  Note, this may fail for some large datasets, see troubleshooting.

The Download menu also includes a Methodology link to view further information about the data such as how it was collected and processed.

To customise your table layout, select the Customise button at the top of the table display. You can drag dimensions between Columns, Row sections and Rows. You can also choose to view Time Periods in ascending or descending order.

A preview of your table is displayed. Click Apply layout to update any customisation changes to your data table.

Move the column header to either a Row section or a Row.

Move the Row section to the Columns. For example, in the image below we moved the Industry from the Row section to the Columns.

If a selection cannot be moved you will see the red warning symbol.

Apply your changes and return to the newly customised table.

Other than the default Table view, you can visualise data in Data Explorer using the Chart function.

Click Chart above your table title and then select the chart you wish to view.  

Use the filter menu to select the data you wish to visualise.
 

The Customise menu provides options to customise the look and functionality of your chart. This includes chart size, axis values and highlighting data.  

You can download your chart as a picture using the Download button. 

Click the "You did not get the expected chart?" link below your chart to get chart-specific help in Data Explorer.

All statistics in Data Explorer are also available via Application Programming Interface (API).  The ABS Data API enables fast access to ABS statistics by using machine to machine 'API calls'. These calls return statistics in a machine friendly format so that you can integrate data into your own systems as they are released. 

Data Explorer automatically generates an API call for the data selected in your table. Select Developer API to the top right of screen to view API calls for your selection. The Data query will return the exact data from your Data Explorer table. The Structure query will return structural metadata for the dataflow you are viewing. 

The ABS Data API can provide data in XML, JSON and CSV format. 

Data Explorer is not supported in some older web browsers, such as Internet Explorer.

Data Explorer cannot display more than 8,000 data points in a table.  If you exceed this limit, some cells in the table may appear empty, even though data is available.  Or the table may not include all rows or columns.  A warning symbol next to the title will inform you if you exceed the 8,000 data point limit.

We recommend using filters to reduce your data selection to below 8,000 data points. Use the Filter menu on the left to select less data, for example, reduce the number of time periods or geographic regions selected. More information on Filtering the data section of this guide.

Alternatively, you can download all selected data points as a CSV file. Click Download, then “Filtered data in tabular text (CSV)”. You can also download the full dataset as a CSV by clicking “Unfiltered data in tabular text (CSV)”.

Download unfiltered data in tabular text (CSV) does not work if the dataflow has a very large amount of data. This is a known system limitation we are working to resolve. For affected datasets, a link to "Download all data as CSV" is available under the Download button.

Alternatively, you can use filters to select a subset of all data and then download filtered data in tabular text (CSV).  More information on Filtering the data section of this guide.

We do not currently load new datasets or update existing data series immediately following their 11:30am release on the ABS website. Therefore, data in Data Explorer may not necessarily be the most up to date. Please check the ABS website (abs.gov.au) for the latest data and always check the Time Period in Data Explorer. We will release the new data to Data Explorer as soon as possible after it is released on the ABS website.