Data delivery

Eileen Howes

10 April 2006

Data Management and Analysis Group

Summary

• What we wanted

• What we got

• What we want from 2011 Census

Data Management and Analysis Group

What we wanted

• Test data• Early release of data for pre-

processing• To help with QA as data experts• CSV files• Data that was correct first time• Table layouts as agreed in advance

Data Management and Analysis Group

Test data

• Got some eventually

• Had to fight for it

Data Management and Analysis Group

Early release for pre-processing

• No

• Got the Supertable data on publication date

• Had to wait a bit longer for CSV files

• Thousands of users had to wait a lot longer

Data Management and Analysis Group

User help with QA

• No

• So found the errors as soon as we loaded the data

Data Management and Analysis Group

CSV files

•Some Supertable

•Some CSV files

•Some Excel spreadsheets

Data Management and Analysis Group

Data that was right first time

•Not always – but a lot to ask

•Expert users would have found some of the errors but not all

Data Management and Analysis Group

Table layouts as agreed in advance

•No

•Some were as published

•Others not known until the data

arrived

•So even more delays in processing

•Some were different for different

areas

Data Management and Analysis Group

A few points…

•Almost all the right numbers

•Not necessarily in the right order

•Some re-releases of data – extra work but generally OK

•Re-releases of just the cells that were wrong –please, NO

Data Management and Analysis Group

A few more points…

•Commissioned tables

•Some files with no area codes

•Because we didn’t specify them

•But we expected them to be there

Data Management and Analysis Group

Nightmare at City Hall

•Commissioned table C0310 in Supertable

•Output area of workplace to ward of residence

•Part of SWS Table 301, means of travel to work

•ONS offered to split large file for us

Data Management and Analysis Group

Nightmare at City Hall

•To export csv files from Supertable:

•Tried to export csv but computer crashed

•So ran it until it crashed, retrieved it it parts

•Started next run from where it crashed

Data Management and Analysis Group

Nightmare at City Hall

•CSV file with 15,200,000

records

•Then had to add area

codes

•Area names already there

Data Management and Analysis Group

And another thing…

•Area names were not always there

•But if the names were not there

•Then the codes were

•Extra work adding them back in

•We need both

Data Management and Analysis Group

What we want from 2011 Census

•Standard datasets•Nationally comparable data•Test data•Early release of data for pre-processing•To help with QA as data experts•CSV files•Data that is correct first time•Table layouts as agreed in advance

Data Management and Analysis Group

What we want from 2011 Census

•ONS to ditch Supertable

•Use something that produces

usable csv files

•Is easy to use

•Is easy to print from

Data Management and Analysis Group

What we want from 2011 Census

•Basic standards ALWAYS adhered to

•Unique area codes always included

•Area names always included

•All numbers in the same order for

different areas

•Agreed table layouts not changed at

the last minute

Data Management and Analysis Group

What we want from 2011 Census

•Better method of disclosure

control

•Rounding only if pre-tabulation

•Consistent database

•Data for administrative areas –

wards and parishes

•etc