Night Owl 6/Night Owl's Shareware - PDSI-006 - Night Owl Corp (1990).iso/025a/stat_mo.zip/REFERENC.DOC

Text File | 1991-08-08 | 30KB | 532 lines

                 ALPHABETICAL REFERENCE GUIDE FOR STATMASTER

   This document is an Alphabetical Reference Guide for State Versions of
StatMaster.  Although you probably won't need any documentation to run Stat-
Master, you may wish to refer to this document for detailed information
about specific features.

Automatic Multi-Level Sort
All statistics are sorted "on the fly" just before they are displayed onto the
screen.  Here's how it works: the program sorts all the data in the first
column the way you specify--say "high-to-low." The program locates all the
values in the first column that are identical and sorts them by the values in
their second columns.  Then the program searches for data items that have
identical values in their first and second columns.  When it finds them it
sorts them by their values in their third columns.  This procedure continues
across every selected statistic.  It happens automatically every time you
conduct a Query.

Automatic Statistic Queuing
All statistics for all searches are automatically displayed in the same
sequence you select them in.  This fact, coupled with StatMaster's automatic
multi-level sort, guarantees that the data you are most interested in will
always be conveniently placed as close as possible to the upper left-hand
corner of the first screen.

Census Bureau Data
The information in the shareware version of StatMaster comes from the 1988
County and City Data Book which is published by the Bureau of the Census every
five years.  This is the latest edition of this data; the next edition will be
released in 1993.  By July 15, 1991, the Bureau of the Census will validate
the first of the 1990 Census Data.  This data is called "PL 94-171" data and
it contains 1990 population and housing statistics.  This data will be incor-
porated into the retail version of StatMaster.  If you decide to register
StatMaster, you will receive this new 1990 Census Data.

Columnar Format
This is one of the two formats StatMaster supports when exporting (copying)
data files from the program.  (Export capability is a new feature that is
available on the registered version of StatMaster.)  Columnar format retains
the tabular format you see on the data displays in StatMaster.  Select this
format when you wish to merge the file  into a document you are preparing with
a word processor.  You'll export a file that is up to 250 characters wide.
Anything beyond 250 characters on a single line will be truncated.  Be sure to
set your word processor's margins wide enough to accommodate the data you are
merging.  See also "Comma-Delimited Format."

Comma-Delimited Format
This is one of the two formats StatMaster permits you to select when exporting
(copying) data files from the program.  (Export capability is a new feature
that is available on the registered version of StatMaster.)  Comma-delimited
format is designed to place commas between the data items in the exported file
and a hard return at the end of each line.  Select this format when you wish
to merge the file later into a database or spreadsheet.  You will export a
file that is up to 250 characters wide.  Anything beyond 250 characters on a
single line will be truncated.  When you import the new file into a spread-
sheet or database, select "comma-delimited ASCII" as your file type.

Conducting a Search
After you have selected a target area, StatMaster is ready to conduct a
search.  To conduct a search, select "Conduct Search" from the Main Menu.
StatMaster will perform rankings, display statistics, and perform queries
(Boolean AND searches).  Each of these searches provide a different way to
analyze your target area.

Data Contained in StatMaster
For a complete listing of the statistics contained in StatMaster, read the
file called STATS.DOC.  There are 353 statistics presented in StatMaster--six
statistics for places, 139 statistics for cities, and 208 statistics for
counties, states, divisions, regions, and the entire United States.  Data is
presented for the entire United States, its four regions, nine divisions, 50
States, Washington DC, 3,139 counties and county equivalents, 942 cities, and
9,542 places.  There are a total of approximately 900,000 individual data
values and footnotes presented.  The data for states are the total for all the
counties and county equivalents in that state.  The data for divisions and
regions are the totals for all the counties and county equivalents in the
particular region or division.  The data from the United States is the total
of all 3,139 counties and county equivalents in the United States.  State
Versions of StatMaster contain the same 353 statistics as StatMaster Profes-
sional.  State versions contain information for the entire United States, its
four regions, nine divisions, 50 States, Washington DC, plus the counties and
county equivalents, cities, and places for a single state.  This means that
state versions confine searches at the county and city level to a single
state.  (StatMaster Professional and the Library Version of StatMaster permit
county and city searches across the entire United States.)

Data Density
StatMaster Professional requires only 2.7 Mbytes of hard disk space.  The only
competing products are packaged on CD-ROM.  The raw data contained in Stat-
Master would required 689 floppies if stored in dBASE III Plus format... and
that would include no database manager.  StatMaster products fit conveniently
onto small hard drives.  Hard disks provide much quicker data access times
than CD-ROM drives or tape drives.  (The fastest CD-ROM drives are still about
three times slower than a typical floppy drive.)  We believe StatMaster is by
far the densest database of its type in the world.  CyberSoft will be placing
the entire PL 94-171 Population and Housing Statistics (published by the
Bureau of the Census on ten CD-ROMs) onto a single CD-ROM.  The appropriate
data from this publication will be appended to StatMaster in September of
1991.  All registered users will receive this 1990 Census data update without
charge.

Display Statistics
Select this type of search if you simply want to display information for all
the places in your target area.  For instance, suppose you select all cities
in the United States as your target area.  By selecting "Display Statistics,"
you can then select up to 20 statistics from up to 20 categories.  Pressing
the "S" key (for Search) will display the data for all 20 statistics and all
957 U.S. cities.  The data will be displayed in the same sequence in which you
selected them.

Floppy Disk Drive Settings
This option is present only in the Library Version of StatMaster.  During the
installation process, you specified the types of floppy drives your system
used.  If you need to update this information for any reason, select this
option by highlighting it on the Set-Up Screen then pressing Enter.  A menu
will present you a list of choices for drive A.  Select the proper drive size
by highlighting it a pressing the Enter key.  Then press Esc.  A menu will
then present you a list of options for drive B.  Select the proper drive size,
press Enter, then press Esc.

Esc Key
Pressing the Esc key moves you back to the previous screen or permits you to
quit what you are doing.  Think of it as the key that allows you to "escape"
from where you are or what you are doing.

Exit to DOS
Press "E" for Exit at the Main Menu when you wish to exit the program and
return to the operating system.  To exit the Library Version, go to the Set-Up
Screen, then select "Exit to DOS" in the Set-Up Screen.  A password is requir-
ed to go to the Set-Up Screen in the Library version.

Export Data
The export function is a product enhancement that is available on registered
versions of StatMaster.  When you export data, you are simply copying it to a
disk drive in a specified format.  Pressing "E" when "Export Data" appears in
the bottom border of the screen will invoke the Export function.  The prompt
will ask you to select from two output formats.  Select "Columnar Formatted"
if you'll be merging the data into a word processor.  Select "Comma-Delimited"
if you'll be importing this data to a spreadsheet or database.

Once you've selected the format, just follow the instructions that StatMaster
provides.  StatMaster will output data records up to 250 characters wide.  If
you are coping to a floppy drive, make certain your disk is formatted.

StatMaster will export data in "hunks" of 76 lines at a time.  After the first
76 lines have been exported, the program will ask you to press any key to con-
tinue or press Esc to finish.  Normally, you aren't really interested in more
than the first 76 lines of data, so you can instruct StatMaster to "finish."
by pressing the Esc  key.  "Finishing" instructs StatMaster to close the file
and wait for further instructions.  This procedure saves disk space and
reduces the amount of data you'll need to sift through later.

Export Text
The export function is an enhancement that is available on registered versions
of StatMaster.  When you "export" text, you are simply copying the text to a
disk drive for use later.  StatMaster exports text in a generic word processor
format.  If you wish to create a file containing text from StatMaster, just
press "E" (for Export Text) when "Export Text" appears in the message bar.
After you press "E", just follow the instructions provided by StatMaster.  The
Export Text function is useful when you wish to merge text from StatMaster
into a report.  The extensive Source Notes (contained in the Information sec-
tion of StatMaster) provide source citations plus important information re-
garding how the statistics were compiled and what limitations and exceptions
there are to the data.  No accurate interpretation of the data would be com-
plete without these Source Notes.

Footnotes
As you study the data, you'll notice some of the locations, headings, and/or
data have bright alphabet letters next to them.  These are footnotes.  To see
what these footnotes stand for, just press "F" (for Footnotes) when "Foot-
notes" appears in the message bar.  A window will display a listing of all the
footnotes that pertain to the screen you are looking at.  Footnotes provide
important information for interpreting the meaning of the data presented.
Press Esc to remove the footnote when you are ready to continue.

Geographic Areas
This is one of the options listed in the Information section.  Selecting this
option permits you to access information regarding special features and recent
changes to a number of geographic areas.  This section also contains notes
crucial to interpreting much of the footnoted data from Virginia.

Glossary of Function Definitions
This is one of the options listed in the Information section.  This glossary
provides the functional definition of terms as they are used in this data-
base.  For instance, "Age" is defined as "The number of years completed
by a person as of July 1, 1984."  Because Bureau of the Census terms have
specific meanings, you are advised to use this glossary whenever you have
any questions about any term.

Goto
Every data entry has an "item number."  The item number corresponds to the
line number of the data.  The number in the upper-right window border
indicates which item number the highlighted triangle next to the area name
is pointing to.  "1 of 3139" means the highlighted triangle is marking at
the first of 3,139 items.

Pressing "G" when Goto appears in the message bar invokes the Goto function.
If you wish to "go to" item number 319, just type "319" at the prompt, then
press Enter.  You may use Goto to move forward or backward through the data.
If you have a mouse installed, you won't see the "Goto" message.  StatMaster
provides a better way for you to scroll through a text or data presentation.
If a mouse is detected, a scroll bar will appear to the right of the text or
data presentation.  Simply point to the relative position you wish to move to
on the scroll bar, then press the left mouse button.  If you click on the
Up-Arrow or Down-Arrow symbols at the top and bottom of the scroll bars, the
display will scroll a line at a time for you in the direction indicated.

Goto is handy when the data you wish to quickly move through is a long
string of zeros (often representing nondisclosed data).

If you just wish to move to the very beginning or the very end of a list of
item numbers, you don't need to invoke the Goto function.  Just press Home
to go to the first item in your list or press End to go to the end of the
file.

Information Screen
"Information" is an option on the Main Menu.  Selecting this option provides
you with a glossary of functional definitions, an overview of StatMaster
functions, a listing of all the data contained in StatMaster, complete source
notes for all statistics, and information regarding geographic areas.  This
section also tells you how to register StatMaster to obtain the latest 1990
Census data.

Intuitive User Interface
StatMaster was originally designed to operate unattended in libraries.
Libraries demand intuitive, easy-to-use programs that don't require user
manuals.  Because of this, you'll probably find you can perform most Stat-
Master functions just by trying them.  This is because most StatMaster capa-
bilities are easier to do than they are to explain.  By eliminating the
need to fight the user interface, you are free to concentrate on gathering
and assimilating information.

Library Version of StatMaster
Librarians demand software that is powerful, yet extremely easy to use.  Stat-
Master was originally designed for libraries.  This means that StatMaster had
to be easy to use by first-time users without reliance on a user manual.  The
Library Version has a built-in timer that returns the program to the Main Menu
if no key has been pressed in three minutes.  It permits system operators to
create a custom message screen.  It provides a password-protected Set-Up
screen that allows system operators to select screen colors, set print
options, modify drive options, and exit to DOS.  The Library version does not
save target areas.

Main Menu
The Main Menu is the first screen you see after you press any key to erase the
signature screen.  The Main Menu provides the option to define a target area,
to conduct a search, or to access information regarding StatMaster and its
data.  Pressing "M" when "Main Menu" is visible in the message bar of any
screen will move you immediately to the Main Menu.

Message Bars
The bottom border of a screen box is called the Message Bar.  Message bars
tell you every key that is active for the screen you are in.  Functions appear
whenever they are enabled.  To invoke any of these options, just press the
first letter (which will be highlighted) of any of these options.  On the left
side of the message bar, you'll see the  keys that are active.  All these keys
will perform actions for you.  As you move from screen to screen, the message
bars change as your options change.

Message Screen
This feature applies only to Library Versions of StatMaster.  After no key is
pressed for three minutes, the program will return to the Main Menu.  At this
point, the program will display the Main Menu for one minute, then a Message
Screen for one minute.  This cycle continues until a key is pressed.  Stat-
Master displays a default message screen for you, but you can add a custom
message screen if you wish.

Mouse Support
StatMaster 2.0 supports mice.  All options and boxes with a highlighted
background are "mouseable".  That is, they perform an action when you click on
them.  Clicking the right mouse button is equivalent to pressing the Esc key
(if you prefer, you may also point at the Message Bar option labeled "Esc"
with the mouse, then press the left mouse button).  Point at any menu option
then click the left mouse button to execute the option.  Click the left mouse
button on the scroll bar to move to the relative position indicated on the
scroll bar.  Clicking on the Up Arrow or Down Arrow symbols (located at the
ends of the scroll bar) with the left mouse button scrolls you up or down a
line at a time.

Overview of StatMaster Functions
This is one of the options listed in the Information section.  It tells you
about the StatMaster functions.  Just highlight the function you wish to learn
more about and press Enter.

Page Settings
From the Main Menu, press "U" (for Utility).  Select "Page Settings."  You can
have the printer print a single screen to a sheet of paper or two screens to a
sheet of paper.  (Printing one screen to a sheet of paper is convenient;
printing two screens to a sheet of paper is economical.)

Print
Any time the word "Print" is visible in a message bar, you can print the
screen.  Just press "P" to send the current screen to the printer  When items
from the Information screen are displayed, the print routine will output the
entire text for the current section.  (This feature can be over-ridden in
Library Versions.)

Printer Page Settings
"Printer and Page Settings" is available only on the Library Version of
StatMaster.  This utility lets you select how much data is sent to the printer
when the "P" key (for Print) is pressed and how many screens of information
are printed on each sheet of paper.  (To set printer and page settings for the
Processional Version, see "Page Settings" and "Select Printers" in this Alpha-
betical Reference Section.)

The Information section features a number of information items, many of which
are several pages long.  Select "Single-Screen Output for the Information
section" if you want users to print only a single screen at a time.  Select
"Full-Text Output for the Information section" if you want users to print the
entire text for these information items.  "Single-Screen Output for Informa-
tion section" is the default.

You may also select how many screens you want printed on a sheet of paper (One
screen per page may be more convenient for users, but two screens to a page
will conserve paper.)  Two screens per page is the default.

Professional Version of StatMaster
StatMaster was originally designed to work stand-alone in libraries.  This
meant it had to be intuitive enough for first time users who didn't have
access to a user manual.  For the Professional Version, we added the ability
to save target areas.  This enables you to save target areas such as sales
territories or customer marketing regions.  You can give each saved target
area descriptive names such as "Mary's Sales Territory" or "ABC Company's
Target Markets."  The Professional Version also permits exporting (saving)
text and data to your hard drive.  (The Library Version exports data and text
to floppy drives only.)

Query
This type of search permits you to select up to 20 statistics from up to 20
categories.  When you press "S" (for Search), the program will display
statistics for all the areas that meet ALL the specifications you entered.
Queries show you the intersection of crucial statistics.  Queries are also
known as Boolean AND searches.

Suppose you select the 256 counties in Texas as your target area.  Begin by
selecting your most important statistic.  StatMaster will ask you to specify
whether you wish to enter a minimum or maximum value for that statistic.  It
will then ask you for a value, then it will ask you how you want the resulting
data to be displayed.  This type of "question and answer session" gives you
total control over what data you will be locating.  Simply answer the ques-
tions as they appear.  After you finish the information for one statistic,
move to another one.  You may press Esc to return to the Categories menu, then
select another category.  After you have answered all the questions for all
the statistics you are interested in, press "S" to start the search.

Ranking
This type of search permits you to rank any statistic from high-to-low or from
low-to-high.  A ranking is an ascending or descending sorted list.

Suppose your target area is the 970 Places in Pennsylvania.  (A "Place" is
defined by the Bureau of the Census as any location with a population greater
than 2,500 in 1980.)  You select "Money Income Per Capita, 1985" as your
statistic.  The program then asks you to select a sort direction from high-
to-low or from low-to-high.  As soon as you make your selection, the program
sorts the data and displays the ranking to the screen.

Review Screen
After you've selected at least one statistic in either a "Display Statistics"
or "Query" type of search, you may press the "R" key (for Review) to display a
review of the data selections you've made thus far.  When performing Queries,
StatMaster tells you what numerical values you entered, whether you specified
minimum or maximum values, and the sort direction you specified. You may use
Review before or after you conduct a search.

Retrieving Saved Target Areas
One of the options under "Define Target Areas" is called "Saved Target Areas."

If you select this option, a menu of previously saved target areas will
appear.  Simply select the target area you wish to use.  Of course, if you
haven't saved any target areas, you won't see any saved target areas listed.

You'll want to save your target areas if it takes you a long time to define
it.  For instance, if you have a sales territory that includes 25 cities from
seven states, you should consider defining your sales territory once and then
saving it for use in subsequent searches.

Saved Target Areas
The Save Target Areas function is an enhancement that is available on regis-
tered versions of StatMaster.  Each time you return to the Main Menu after
defining a target area, the message "Save Target Area" will appear in the
message bar at the bottom of the screen.  Press "S"" (for Save) to Save your
target area.  StatMaster will ask you what you want to call this target area.
Just type in a name like "Joe's sales territory,"  You may save up to 20
target areas.

You'll want to save your target areas if it takes you a long time to define
your target area.  For instance, if you have a sales territory that includes
25 cities from seven states, you should consider defining your sales terri-
tory once an then saving it for use in subsequent searches.  You may save up
to 20 target areas.  After you've saved 20 target areas, you may overwrite
existing ones.

Screen Colors
To change screen colors in the Professional Version, select "U" (for Utility)
at the Main Menu.  To select screen colors in the Library Version, go to the
Set-up Screen and select "Screen Colors."

Scrolling
To scroll from screen to screen when data is displayed, use the right and left
arrows to move right and left.  Use the PgDn and PgUp keys to move down and up
a screen at a time.  Pressing End takes you to the last item in the list and
pressing Home will take you to the first item in the list.  The message bars
always indicate the keys that will perform functions for you.

Selecting an Option
StatMaster is menu-driven.  This means you tell the software what you want it
to do by selecting options from menus.  To select an option, use the arrow
keys to highlight the option, then  press Enter.  Notice that the message bar
at the bottom of the screen tells you every function or key that is active.

Select Printer
This utility helps optimize your printed output to your printer "Standard
Printer" handles most printers, including lasers.  "IBM Graphics Printer"
provides "What you see is what you get" output for IBM Graphics Printer-
compatible printers.  "Spooler/Network" permits printouts on shared printers.

This utility is accessed in the Professional Version by going to the Main Menu
and typing "U" (for Utilities).  Access this function in the Library Version
by going to the Set-Up Screen.

Set-Up Screen
This screen is present only in the Library Version of StatMaster.  To get to
the Set-Up Screen, you must first move to the Main Menu.  Just press "M" (for
Main Menu), then press Ctrl F1.  (Hold down the Ctrl key and continue to hold
it down while you press F1 key, then release both keys.)  The screen prompt
will ask you to enter your six-character password.  Enter it then press Enter
to move to the Set-Up Screen.  Your options are: Exit to DOS, Select Printer,
Printer and Page Settings, Screen Colors, and Floppy Disk Drive Settings.
Each of these are discussed in this Reference Section.

Smart Messages
In addition to the information in message bars, you'll notice messages and
prompts appearing on the screen from time-to-time as you use StatMaster.
These messages tell you what to do or offer you suggestions when you are
having difficulty.  The most immediate messages appear in the lower-right
corner of the window you are working in.

Sometimes prompts appear when you fail to locate items during a search.  For
instance, if you conduct a query and the program fails to locate any "hits"
for you, it will prompt you with something like: "0 items located.  Please
try a smaller value for money income per capita, 1985."  In this case, simply
re-conduct the search, substituting a lower value for the statistic indicated.

Speed
StatMaster searches, sorts, and displays information between 100 and 1,000
times faster than commercial databases or spreadsheets.  StatMaster can
perform complex search and sort functions in approximately one to ten seconds.

Conventional databases conducting similar searches can take over an hour to
conduct identical searches.  We believe StatMaster boasts the fastest search
and sort algorithms in the industry.

You can see significant performance improvements if you run StatMaster in a
RAM drive or if you use disk caching software.  Also, the more available RAM
you have, the faster StatMaster will run.  We've achieved maximum search times
of under two seconds for very complex searches (a query with 20 statistics
from 20 different categories across all 3,139 counties) on a 16 Mhz PC with
software disk caching and 589 Kbytes of free RAM.

Source Notes
This is one of the options listed in the Information section.  Source Notes
provide you with source citations for every one of the statistics you are
working with.  They also provide you with information crucial to the inter-
pretation of the data you retrieve.  It is strongly recommended that you read
the source notes before using any of the data you retrieve.  It's simple to
print these source notes or to export them (see Export Text) to a file for
inclusion in a document that presents your findings.

Starting StatMaster
To start StatMaster, log onto the subdirectory you installed StatMaster into.
For instance, if you copied the program into a subdirectory called C:\SM, just
type "cd\sm", then press Enter.  After logging onto the proper subdirectory,
just type the two-letter state code for the state you installed, then press
the Enter key.  You'll see an identification window.  Pressing any key will
take you into the Main Menu.

Target Areas
Before you conduct a search, you must define a target area.  Your  target area
is the sum of the places you wish to conduct searches across.  To define a
target area, just select "Define Target Area" from the Main Menu.  For more
details on how to select target areas, consult the "Defining a Target Area"
section of the Tutorial (located on TUTOR.DOC).

Technical Support
If you have questions or comments regarding StatMaster, please feel free to
call us at [phone].

Timer
This feature is found in the Library Version of StatMaster only.  When the
program detects that no key has been pressed for three minutes, it will return
to the Main Menu.  Every minute (or until a key is pressed), the screen will
alternate between the Main Menu and a "message screen" containing information
regarding this program.  This prevents the screen from "burning in" the Main
Menu.

Utility
Pressing "U" (for Utility) at the Main Menu will take you to the Utility Menu.
You may select from three options: Select Printer, Page Settings, or Screen
Colors.  Each of these is described separately in this Alphabetical Reference
Section.

View
The view mode is enabled when data is displayed for "Display Statistics" or
"Query" type searches.  To generate a single-screen "view" of any location on
the screen, use the arrow keys to position the highlighted triangle next to
the location you are interested in, then press Enter.  Press "P" (for Print)
to print the screen.  For help with View, just press "V" (for View) when
"View" appears in the message bar.


"What If?" Sessions
One very useful feature of StatMaster is its ability to conduct "what if?"
sessions.  StatMaster permits you to quickly re-conduct your previous
searches, tweaking just a single statistic or two with each pass.  After you
conduct a search, the screen displays your results.

Suppose you want to repeat a Query, except that you'd like to see what happens
when you use a slightly lower money income per capita statistic.  From the
menu of major categories, begin pressing the Enter key.  Each time you do,
StatMaster will present your previous selection or value.  Continue tapping
the Enter key until you reach the value you wish to modify.  (You must press
Esc to exit the major categories as you go.)  Just type in the new value and
continue or press "S" (for Search) to start the search.

Because StatMaster is fast, you can repeat these searches as often as you
wish.  Conducting these "what if" sessions allows you to perform in-depth
analysis of the data you are studying.  Try it.  Like most StatMaster func-
tions, "what if?" sessions are a lot easier to conduct than they are to
explain.

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