Play and Learn 2/19941.ZIP/19941/EDUCHICS/STATFL/STATE.EXE/TUTORIAL.DOC

Text File | 1991-06-17 | 24.0 KB | 444 lines

                           TUTORIAL FOR STATMASTER

    This document provides you with an introduction to the state versions of
StatMaster, tells you how to install StatMaster, and provides a step-by-step
tutorial.


INTRODUCTION

    StatMaster is a self-contained IBM PC-compatible database of demographic
Bureau of the Census information.  The Professional Version contains the
900,000 statistics from the Bureau of the Census's 1988 County and City Data
Book.  During September, 1991, StatMaster will include the data from the first
batch of 1990 Census Data.  This data, known as "PL 94-171 Data" will be vali-
dated and released no later than July 15, 1991 (CD-ROMs will be available the
first of August).  This data contains population, housing, and race statis-
tics.  After this release, and continuing into 1993, more data will be vali-
dated and released by the Bureau of the Census.  StatMaster will incorporate
all available data as soon as it becomes available.
    StatMaster is 100 to 1,000 times faster than commercial databases and
spreadsheets, it runs on any IBM-compatible PC with 640K of RAM and a hard
drive, and it's simple enough to operate without reading this manual.
    StatMaster Profession provides instant access to demographic, economic,
and geographic statistics for the United States, its four regions, nine
division, 50 states, Washington DC, 3,139 counties, 957 cities, and 9,542
places with populations over 2,500.  StatMaster performs rankings, displays
statistics, and executes queries (Boolean AND searches).  The registered
version exports (copies) data and text to disks in formats compatible with
word processors, spreadsheets, and databases.
    StatMaster quickly provides the facts you need to improve strategic plan-
ning, advertising, site selection, and direct marketing activities.  Educators
and students find StatMaster useful in preparing well-supported and well-
documented reports, articles, presentations, and homework.
    State Versions of StatMaster contain an average of 18,000 statistics per
state.  This single-state version of StatMaster "looks and feels" exactly like
StatMaster Professional, which contains data for all 50 states and Washington
DC.
    The original StatMaster was designed to run 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
StatMaster functions just by trying them.  This is because most StatMaster
capabilities are easier to perform than they are to explain.
    The first step to using StatMaster is installing it to your hard drive
(see INSTALLATION section for details).  After you install StatMaster, you can
simply jump in and try using StatMaster without consulting this manual.  This
is how many people learn StatMaster.  If you find you need help, or if you
want to make sure you don't miss any feature of the software, go to the
TUTORIAL section and follow along.  Using the tutorial may be the quickest way
to learn all the features of StatMaster.


INSTALLATION

    You'll need an IBM-compatible PC, 640K of RAM, and a hard drive with at
least 1 Mbyte of free space to install state versions of StatMaster.  Instal-
ling StatMaster is simple.  Just turn your computer on, insert Disk 1 into
drive A.  Log onto drive A by typing "A:", then press Enter.  Type "INSTALL".
Press Enter.  Then just follow the instructions.  You can install as many
state versions of StatMaster in the same subdirectory as you have disk space
for.
    If you have any difficulties, please call us at [phone], and we'll
walk you through the installation.


TUTORIAL

    This tutorial walks you through the major features of StatMaster.  Since
each section builds on what you learn from the previous section, we recommend
you follow this tutorial in the sequence it is presented.

Starting StatMaster
    To start StatMaster, log onto the directory you installed StatMaster onto.
Let's pretend you installed the Texas version of StatMaster in a subdirectory
called "SM" on your drive C.  Make sure you are logged onto drive C.  Then
type "cd\sm", then press Enter.  Now type the two-letter state code for the
state you have installed.  In the case od Texas, you would type "tx", then
press the Enter key.  The Texas version of StatMaster will load and run.  A
"signature screen" will appear.  Just press any key to continue on to the Main
Menu.
    For your convenience, we've included a batch file for each state version
that permits you to simply type in the two-letter state code to run the pro-
gram.  (The installation program tells you about this after it is finished
installing your software for you.)
    You may install as many state versions of StatMaster as you wish in the
subdirectory you created.  If you wish to install a large number of states,
you may be better off registering StatMaster Professional, which contains the
information for all 50 states and runs in just 2.7 Mbytes of hard disk space.
The individual state versions require more hard disk space per state because
each contains a large amount of information (200 pages of Source Notes on each
disk, for instance) that is contained only once in the StatMaster Profession-
al.  Another major difference is that searches in state versions are confined
to the counties and cities of a single state; StatMaster Professional permits
searches across every city or every county in the U.S. if you wish.

The Message Bar
    The bottom border of each screen is called a message bar.  The informa-
tion in the message bars tell you everything you can do from that screen.
    If you see a word like "Print" in a message bar, it's telling you that
you can press the letter "P" on the keyboard to print the screen.  If you see
"Search" in the message bar, it means you can press the letter "S" on the
keyboard to start a search.  All message bar functions with highlighted first
letters work like this.
    The information on the right side of a message bar indicates which keys
you can use in the current screen.  Press Home, End, and the down and up
arrows and observe what happens.
    If you need additional information regarding any aspect of StatMaster,
just select the "Information" option at the Main Menu.  From the Information
Menu, select "Overview of StatMaster Functions" for help and explanations of
all StatMaster functions.

How To Select an Option
    StatMaster is menu-driven.  This means you'll tell StatMaster what you
want it to do by selecting options from menus.  To select an option, use the
arrow keys to highlight the option you wish to select, then press the Enter
key.
    If you have a mouse, you may point at any menu selection with the mouse
cursor, then press the left mouse button.  The right mouse button acts like
the Esc key.

The 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 lets you "escape"
from where you are or what you are doing.

The Information Section
    "Information" is an option on the Main Menu.  Select this option now.
Take a few moments to look at each section of the Information Section.  This
section provides you with a glossary of functional definitions (take a look
at "age," "cities," and "places").  The section titled Overview of StatMaster
Functions tells you how every feature of StatMaster works.  When in doubt,
move to this section of the program and read the area you need help with.
"Data Contained in this Database" provides an alphabetical listing of all the
data contained in StatMaster.  Take just a moment to look at these lists...
you'll probably be surprised at how much data is available to you.
    Make sure you look at Source Notes.  StatMaster contains complete source
notes for all statistics.  For accurate interpretation of the data contained
in this program, these source notes must be taken into consideration.
    The Information Section also provides information regarding how you can
register to obtain the retail version of StatMaster which contain the latest
1990 Census data.  One of the options permits you to print a registration
form on your printer.
    After you've looked at everything in the Information Section, just press
the "M" key to return to the Main Menu.  If you have a mouse, you may point at
the "Main Menu" selection in the Message Bar, then press the left mouse
button.

Defining a Target Area
    Before you can conduct any type of search, you must first define a target
area.  At the Main Menu, use the arrow keys to highlight "Define Target Area,"
then press Enter.
    StatMaster will present a list of major target area groupings.  Select
"States."  The menu will list the two-digit state codes for all 50 states plus
Washington DC (listed as "DC").  These state codes are listed alphabetically
by state name (rather than by state codes).  To select all states in the U.S.,
select "All."  Asterisks will appear next to every state code.  You just
selected all states in the U.S.
    Let's pretend you changed your mind and you wanted to "unselect" all the
states you just selected.  To do this, just select "All" again.  That is,
highlight "All" and press the Enter key again.  Notice that all the asterisks
disappear.  You just "unselected" all U.S. states.
    Now suppose you wish to select among the counties in a state you have
installed.  Press the Esc key to return to the listing of major target area
groupings.  Now select "Counties."  StatMaster will present a list of the
counties in your state.  Highlight "All" and press Enter if you wish to select
all the counties in that state.
    If you wish to select just a few counties in this state, just select the
counties you are interested in.  You may "cherry pick" as many or as few
counties as you wish.  If you want to quickly select all the counties in this
state except for a few, do so by selecting "All" to select all the counties,
then "unselect" the few counties you wish to exclude.
    You select all other target areas in a similar manner.  After you've
defined your target area, you can return to the Main Menu by pressing the Esc
key a few times.  A much faster way to return to the Main Menu is to press the
"M" key (for Main Menu) once.
    You will find the mouse very handy for selecting target areas.  Simply
"point and shoot" the selections you wish to make.  That is, point at the
item you wish to select, then press the left mouse button.
    If you decide to register this product, you will gain the capability to
save the target areas you define for future use.  If you had a customer who
marketed her products in 87 out of the 174 cities in your state, you might
consider saving her target area for use in subsequent searches.  After
defining the target area, just go to the Main Menu and press "S" (for Save
Target Area), then follow the simple instructions.  (Consult "Retrieving
Saved Target Areas" and "Saving Target Areas" in the Reference Section of
this manual for more details.)


HOW TO PERFORM A RANKING

    A ranking is a search that sorts a statistic from high-to-low or from
low-to-high.  Because StatMaster contains 353 individual statistics, you can
perform over 700 rankings.  Suppose you wish to rank all U.S. states from
high-to-low by their number of violent crimes known to police.  Just perform
the following steps:

Define a Target Area
    Select "Define Target Area" from the Main Menu, then select "States" as
your target area.  Select "All" from the states listing to select all U.S.
states.  Then press "M" to return to the Main Menu.  The message box should
say "51 States Selected" (Washington DC is counted as a state).

Select Type of Search
    At the Main Menu, select "Conduct Search."  StatMaster offers you three
search options:  Ranking, Display Statistics, or Query.  Select "Ranking."

Select a Statistic
    After you select "Ranking," a highlighted listing of the major categories
of statistics appropriate to U.S. states will appear.  Select the "Crime and
Law Enforcement" category.  From this menu, select "Violent crimes known to
police, 1985."

Select Sort Direction
    As soon as you select a statistic, the program will ask you if you wish
to sort this statistic from high-to-low or from low-to-high.  Select "high-
to-low."  StatMaster will display the statistics for "Violent crimes known to
police, 1985," sorted from high-to-low.  Use the PgDn, PgUp, Home and End keys
to move through the data.

Options
    Notice the message bar across the bottom of the screen.  It says:

Goto    Footnotes    Print    Export Data    Main Menu

    This message bar summarizes the options available to you.

Note: The "Export Data" option is an enhancement that is available with
      the retail (registered) version.

Goto
    Notice the highlighted triangle to the left of the first item in the rank-
ing.  It's pointing at item 1 of 51.  It says "1 of 51" in the upper-right
corner of the screen.  This means you are looking at item 1 of 51 items.
Press the down arrow key.  The triangle moves and the message changes to "2 of
51."  Each item in the ranking has an item number.  The counter keeps track of
where you are in the list.
    Suppose you wanted to "go to" item number 39.  Since the "G" in "Goto" at
the bottom of the screen is highlighted (unless you have a mouse), you may
press "G" (for Goto) to activate the Goto function.  StatMaster will prompt
you with "Go to item number:_".  Just type in "39" and press Enter. StatMaster
will take you there.  (The highlighted triangle has a much more important
function that we'll discuss when we cover the "View Mode" in a moment.)
    If you simply want to go to the end of the data, you don't need to use
the Goto function.  Simply press the End key to move to the end of the list.
Press the Home key to return to the first item in the list.  The Goto func-
tion becomes useful when you are conducting searches across thousands of
locations at once (as is the norm with StatMaster Professional).
    If you have a mouse installed, StatMaster provides a better way for you to
scroll through a text or data presentation.  When your mouse is present, 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.

Footnotes
    The heading "Violent crimes known to police, 1985" contains two foot-
notes.  They are the "f" and "g" characters that appear in the heading in a
highlighted color.  To see what they mean, just press "F" for Footnotes.  A
window pops up and shows you what all the footnotes in that screen mean.
Press the Esc key to remove the footnote to continue studying the data.

Print
    To print the screen, make sure your printer is on, then press "P" for
Print.  StatMaster will print the screen for you.

Export Data (Retail Version Only)
      When you export data, you are simply copying it in a specified format
to a disk drive for use later.  If you wish to include these ranking statis-
tics in a report, you can do so by using the Export Data function. Press "E"
for Export Data.  StatMaster will ask you to select one of the following
formats:

                  Columnar Format (Word Processor)
                  Comma-Delimited (Spreadsheet/Database)

    If you're going to merge this information into a report you are creating
with your word processor, select "Columnar Format (Word Processor)" as your
output format.  This will keep the data in a tabular format, just as it
appears on the screen.  If you wish to import this data into a spreadsheet or
database, select "Comma-Delimited (Spreadsheet/Database)."  After you've
specified the format, you are ready to export the data.
    The program will prompt you for the full pathname.  The prompt will look
similar to:

                  Enter full pathname: _

    Suppose you wish to store this file in the C:\SM subdirectory, with a
filename of VCRIMES.RNK.  Just type the following:

                  Enter full pathname: c:\sm\vcrime.rnk

    Press Enter to start the Export Function.  StatMaster will copy the data
to the file you specify.

    StatMaster will export the first 76 items (lines) of data, up to 250
characters in width.  After the first 76 lines are exported, the program
beeps and asks you if you want to export another 76 lines of data or
"finish."  If you select "finish,"  StatMaster will close the file and await
further instructions.


Return to Main Menu
    Press "M" (for Main Menu) to return to the Main Menu.


HOW TO DISPLAY STATISTICS

    The Display Statistics option permits you to display up to twenty statis-
tics for every location in your target area.  Suppose you wish to a display a
number of statistics for every county in your state.  Just perform the follow-
ing steps:

Define a Target Area
    Select "Define Target Areas", then select "counties."  From the list of
counties for the state you are studying, select "All."  You just selected all
the counties in your state.  Return to the Main Menu by pressing "M" (for Main
Menu).

Select Type of Search
    Select "Conduct Search" from the Main Menu, then select "Display Statis-
tics" as your type of search.

Select Statistics
    After selecting "Conduct Search," you'll see a menu of major categories
appropriate for U.S. counties.  Select "Age Characteristics."  From the this
menu, select "Percentage" of population 35 to 44 years old, 1984."  Press Esc
to return to the menu of major categories.  Select another major category,
then select one or more statistics listed in that major category.
    Continue selecting other categories and additional statistics until you've
selected all the statistics you wish to display.  You may select up to 20
statistics from 20 categories per search.
    Any time during this process, you may press "R" for Review.  ("Review"
appears in the message bar at the bottom of the screen.)  The Review screen
appears and shows you the statistics you selected and the order in which you
select them.  You may use Review before or after conducting a search.
    To return to the previous screen press any key.  Then press "S" (for
Search) to display the statistics you selected.  The data will appear in a
tabular format on your screen.  The program will display all the statistics
you selected for all counties in the state.  The locations will be listed
alphabetically.
    If you've selected more statistics than will fit on the screen, just press
the right arrow key to see more data.  The left and right arrow keys move you
left and right through the data.  Notice the "electronic fanfolds" and arrows
in the screen borders.  These fanfolds and arrows intuitively communicate how
you should scroll through the data.
    Notice that your first statistic, "Percentage of population 35 to 44 years
old, 1984," is grouped with another statistic, "Population, 1984."  This is
called a "grouped statistic."  StatMaster automatically groups statistics for
you when appropriate.

View
    Suppose you wish to view all the data StatMaster located for a single
county.  Use the arrow keys to position the highlighted triangle next to the
county you are interested in, then press Enter.  StatMaster will display all
the data it located for this county on a single screen.  If you wish to copy
this information to a disk drive, press "E" (for Export Text).  Press "P" (for
Print) if you wish to print this screen.  Press Esc to return to the previous
screen.  If you press "V" (for View), a help line appears at the bottom of the
screen to explain how to use the View function.

Return to Main Menu
    Press "M" (for Main Menu) to return to the Main Menu.


HOW TO CONDUCT A QUERY

    The query is probably the most powerful search capability of StatMaster.
Queries permit you to find all the locations within your target area that meet
all the search specifications you enter.  Queries are also known as Boolean
AND searches.
    Suppose you are performing preliminary site selections for a restaurant
franchise.  You are looking for counties in your state in which the money
income is a minimum of $5,000 per capita; in which retail sales of eating and
drinking establishments are a minimum of $500 per capita; in which at least
25% of the people over 25 years old have at least 16 years of education; and
in which the population is a minimum of 500 persons per square mile.  You want
to list only counties that meet all the criteria specified above.  To conduct
this query, just perform the following steps:

Define a Target Area
    Select all counties in your state as your target area, then return to the
Main Menu.  (In StatMaster Professional, you could select every county in
every state as your target area if you wished.)


Select Type of Search
    Select "Conduct Search" from the Main Menu, then select "Query."

Specify Your Search Criteria
    After you select "Query" from the menu, you'll be presented with a list of
categories appropriate for U.S. counties.  Because your first search criteria
is a minimum personal money income of $5,000 per capita, select "Personal
Money Income" from this menu.  Then select "Money income per capita, 1985
($1)."
    StatMaster will prompt you to select either a minimum or maximum value.
Since you are looking for a minimum value of $5,000 per person, select
"Minimum value."  The prompt will then say: "Enter minimum value (dollars):_"
Type in "5000", then press Enter.  (Avoid using commas in numbers.)  The
prompt will ask you if you wish to sort the results from "High-to-low" or from
"Low-to-high."  Since you want the money incomes to be sorted with the highest
money incomes first, select "High-to-low."
    Now press Esc to return to the major category menu.  Select "Retail
Trade," then "Sales of Eating and Drinking Places, with payroll, per capita
1982 ($1)."  Provide inputs like you did in the "money income per capita"
example above.  After defining your search criteria for this statistic, press
the Esc key to return to the menu of major categories and select your next
most important category (Education) and continue defining your search.

Review
    Once you've defined your search criteria for the statistics you were
interested in, press "R" to Review your search definition.  This Review Screen
shows you the statistics you selected, the sequence you selected them in, the
value you entered, whether you specified a minimum or maximum value, and
whether you wanted the results sorted from high-to-low or from low-to-high.
Press any key to return to the previous screen.

Search
    Press "S" (for Search) to start the search.  The results of your Query are
displayed in a tabular format.  The program will display the statistics for
every location in your target area that meets the criteria you specified.

View
    If you'd like to view all the data StatMaster located for a specific
location on the data display, position the highlight next to the location you
are interested in, then press Enter.

Technical Support
    If you have difficulty with any aspect of StatMaster, please consult this
document and the document called REFER.DOC (the Reference Document).  If you
still have a question or concern, please call us for at [phone].

The Future of StatMaster
    CyberSoft will be adding all the 1990 Census data to the 14,000 locations
covered by StatMaster.  The first update will contain the PL-94-171 data
(population and housing statistics).  This data will be validated and avail-
able from the Bureau of the Census on CD-ROM by the first of August, 1991.
We'll have all the appropriate data added to StatMaster by the end of Septem-
ber.  Registered users will automatically receive this updated disk.  If you
would like details, please see "1990 Census Data Available" under the "Infor-
mation" option at the Main Menu of the program.

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