Key Statistics for parishes CD Frequently Asked Questions
These Frequently Asked Questions are intended to assist you when using the Key Statistics for parishes in England and communities in Wales CD released in March 2004. They supplement The Guide to Getting Started supplied with the CD. If your query is not resolved, please contact Census Customer Services.
Users are advised to regularly review these Frequently Asked Questions which will be updated with details of any new issues as they become known.
Getting started How do I start using the CD?
Put the CD in your CD drive. It will start automatically and you will be presented with a screen that asks you to either accept or decline the ONS conditions of supply. Before registering your acceptance, it is recommended that you click on the link to the 'Read Me' file that is just above the 'DECLINE' and 'ACCEPT' options. Within this Read Me file is The Guide to Getting Started. You are advised to read this thoroughly and follow the instructions closely before trying to use the CD.
Will the CD run on an Apple Macintosh?
Users of Apple Macintosh machines will only be able to access a limited amount of statistics on this CD. Information regarding installation and use is available in the Mac Read Me file on the disc. Apple Macintosh users are invited to view a greater range of statistics for parishes via the Neighbourhood Statistics website.
I have noticed references on the CD to 'Product 1'. What does this mean?
Please ignore any references to 'Product 1' that may be on the CD. These are for use as an internal ONS reference only.
Conditions of supply Why am I frequently asked to accept the conditions of supply when I have already done so after first putting the CD in my disk drive?
This will occur if you are using the CD in your CD drive and have not chosen to install the contents of the CD on your PC. ONS cannot control the use and possession of the CD and this procedure ensures that the content of the CD is never viewed without the conditions of supply having been accepted. If you opt to install the contents of the CD on to your computer you will not be asked to accept the conditions again.
Installation Do I have to install the contents of the CD on my computer?
No, simple headcounts for each parish and community can be accessed with the CD in the CD drive and with no software installed. However, you will need to install some software to access all the data and get the maximum from the CD. If you are connected to a network you may need to seek the assistance of your network administrator to install SuperTABLE. When you put the CD in your CD drive, the first screen that you see will display the conditions of supply, a link to a Read Me file (which provides a guide to installing the software), and provides you with the option to either accept or decline the conditions. If you accept the conditions, a second screen will appear which provides you with a choice to view or install the CD.
I cannot install the full CD on my computer -the install process seems to stop after a while. Am I doing something wrong?
The CD contains a large number of files that must be transferred during the install. This means that a typical installation can take up to an hour to complete depending on the speed of the CD ROM drive being used. Please allow at least an hour before terminating an installation if it appears
to stall. Note also that at least 700Mb of free hard disk space are required for a complete install. If the free disc space on the computer is less than this, the installation either will not
start, or will result in an incomplete installation.
I am encountering issues when attempting to install and use SuperTABLE. For example, either error messages appear at installation or, once installed using an administrators account, users cannot start the application when they logon and have insufficient authority to access the appropriate folders. Can ONS help?
There are a number of reasons why an install of SuperTABLE may fail or prove difficult, and administration privileges applied to PCs can impede installation. Unfortunately ONS is unable to provide technical support regarding the installation of SuperTABLE, but further information can be found at the manufacturer's website in pages such as HERE or by contacting HERE. Note that ONS has been informed by one customer that McAfee anti-virus software would not accept SuperTABLE. Disabling the virus check enabled them to install successfully.
I am encountering error messages relating to 'Adobe Acrobat' when attempting to install the CD. What should I do?
Please ignore any such error messages and choose the option to continue the install. This will have no adverse affect on the installation, which should complete successfully.
Loading data into databases The data on the CD is in HTML and SuperTABLE formats and neither of these are suitable for loading into a database. In addition, the 'Save as CSV' option in SuperTABLE does not produce a comma separated file that I can use for this purpose. Is the data available in other formats?
All the tables on the CD are available in a CSV format specifically designed by ONS for loading into database systems. Copies of a CD with the tables in this format can be obtained by contacting Census Customer Services using the Contact Details section below.
In the CSV version, why is the DESC file for KS24 Migration blank?
This is an error on the CD. The correct file is available for download HERE, or can be obtained from Census Customer Services.
Finding results How do I view the Census results?
Put the CD in your CD drive. It will start automatically and you will be presented with a screen that asks you to accept or decline the Census conditions of supply. Before accepting, it is recommended that you click on the link to the Read Me file that is just above the 'DECLINE' and 'ACCEPT' options.
On acceptance of the conditions you may then choose to either browse the data or install the content of the CD on to a computer or network.
When you use the CD, a screen is presented which allows you to select Census tables for parishes from a list that includes all these areas. The list can be expanded by successively clicking on the red crosses to the right of the area name. This will display the lower level areas. For example clicking on England displays the Government Office Regions, clicking on one of these displays the Counties and Unitary Authorities within it, and so on.
Alternatively you can use the search box on this screen to search for a named area. A search will return a list of area names similar to the one searched for. Note that the large total number of parishes will often mean that it will be necessary to scroll down the search results screen to find the area you require. Initial search results are shown in a geographical order (roughly North to South). Selection of one of these entries will result in a display of parishes in generally alphabetical order within their local authority, including the parish selected.
On selection of a parish from the expanded list you can either:
view headcounts in HTML files for the specific area, which will open in a new window, or
choose to select one of the parish profiles or Key Statistics tables. which will open a new window providing links to the SuperTABLE files in counts or percentages, for all areas. You must have installed the SuperTABLE software in order to view the SuperTABLE files.
Detailed instructions for using the CD are provided on the disc.
I cannot seem to expand some of the Unitary Authorities and Local Authority Districts on the main navigation screen. Why is this?
Some Unitary Authorities and Local Authority Districts do not have any parishes within them. This means that they have no red cross to the right of the area name, so cannot be expanded.
I cannot seem to find any 'Headcount' SuperTABLE files on the CD. Where are they?
Due to CD size constraints, SuperTABLE versions of the Headcounts are not available on the CD. They can be requested from Census Customer Services using the contact details section below.
How do I find out what tables are on the CD, and what topics are covered?
A facility to browse a list of the topics and table titles is provided on the CD. The titles can be listed according to summary classifications or in table number order. Table titles are also provided on the main table selection screens.
When I try to view Key Statistics results for Wroxhall, in Warwickshire, the SuperTABLE files indicate Wroxhall and Honiley are amalgamated. For other amalgamated
areas the screen with the SuperTABLE links gives details of the amalgamation, but it does not for Wroxhall. Which is correct?
The SuperTABLE files are correct on the CD, and Wroxhall and Honiley are amalgamated in all Key Statistics tables. The screen for Honiley with links to the SuperTABLE files does correctly identify the amalgamation.
Using SuperTABLE How do I manipulate or download the Census results?
When you use the CD, a screen is available which enables you to select Census tables for parishes and communities using a list. Detailed instructions are provided on the CD. On selection, a new window will appear with the option to 'manipulate or download data'. To use this option you must
first have installed the SuperTABLE software. Instructions for doing this are provided in the Read Me file which can be accessed from the screen displayed after the CD is put into the CD drive.
When I click on the icon to 'manipulate or download data' I am prompted to open the file or save the file. Which should I choose?
To view the data when browsing the CD select the option to open the file. This will enable you to view the table using SuperTABLE. Saving the file will place the file in a folder on your PC.
When I chose the option to 'manipulate or download data' for table KS24 Migration, selecting the 'counts' link and ‘percentage’ link seems to open the same file. Why is
this?
For most tables the introductory screens that appear when Key Statistics are selected for an area provide the user with options to view SuperTABLE files as percentages or as counts. Table KS 24 includes both counts and percentages in the same SuperTABLE file, so the two links open this same file. Note that results in the KS24 SuperTABLE file are listed by local authority, with no references to County, Government Office Region, or Country.
Why does nothing happen when I click on the icon that allows me to ‘manipulate or download data’?
To use this facility you must first have installed some software called SuperTABLE. This is available on the CD. Advice on installing SuperTABLE is available in the Read Me file. A link to this can be found just above the 'DECLINE' and 'ACCEPT' options in the screen displaying the conditions of supply. If you are uncertain that you can find the screen that displays the conditions of supply, remove the CD from the CD drive and put it back in. This will cause the screen to be re-displayed automatically. Accept the conditions, choose a product, and then select the installation option.
If you have already installed SuperTABLE it is possible that the install has not fully completed. This can be easily resolved by opening up SuperTABLE and then closing it. Details of how to carry out this simple procedure are in the Read Me file.
How do I get the results from SuperTABLE into Excel?
Choose the table of interest and select the option 'manipulate or download data' to open the SuperTABLE file. You can transfer this data into Excel in two ways. Firstly you can use the File/Save as menu commands, and specify Save as type Excel (.XLS) with an appropriate file name. This will create an Excel file containing all the data in the SuperTABLE file. Alternatively, use the Edit/Select All then Edit/Copy menu commands in SuperTABLE, switch to an open Excel workbook and select Edit/Paste.
How do I use SuperTABLE?
A Census specific tutorial is available from the Help option within the SuperTABLE application.
How do I return back to the original screen showing results after downloading or manipulating data using SuperTABLE?
SuperTABLE is a stand alone application and there is no facility within it to return to the browser you used to view the CD. Closing or minimising SuperTABLE will return you to your browser.
General I think that I have found some errors on the CD, how do I confirm this and find out if they have been corrected?
It is possible that some errors have been discovered on the CD since it was published. Any such errors will be noted in the Census product error log available HERE which is regularly updated. As well as explaining any errors, the log contains details of how the error has been corrected; how the corrected information can be obtained; and, where applicable, links to further information If the error log does not list the specific error you have found, please contact Census Customer Services using the contact details listed below.
Contact details
Census Customer Services
ONS
Titchfield
Fareham
Hants PO15 5RR