AGID System Help

Quick Guide to Using AGID

Here are basic instructions for using AGID; click on the underlined text for more detailed information:

• Step 1: Select a database - data to be included in your table or data export



• Step 2: Select year(s) - choose one or multiple years (the years for which data are available varies across the databases)



• Step 3: Select data element(s) - click on any individual topic to list details (this will create the columns of your table)



• Step 4: Select geographic location(s)/stratifier(s) - data elements may be stratified (this will create the rows of your table)



• Step 5: Select table format (optional) - some tables can be formatted in a horizontal or stacked view



• Step 6: Print/export data or change table - additional options to further modify or finalize your table

Instructions for Using the AGID System to Generate Tables

The AGing Integrated Database (AGID) enables you to create customized tables from a variety of Administration on Aging (AoA) and Census data sources. Below are detailed instructions for using the AGID system to create data tables. Generally, clicking on the tabs across the top of each screen from left to right will help guide you through the process. A tab will be highlighted to indicate which step of the process is being performed. In the example pictured below, the "Years" tab is highlighted to indicate that the user is selecting a year or years for the final table.

You can also use the "next" and "previous" buttons to navigate through the system in a similar manner:

Step 1: Select a database.

To select a database from the AGID Home Page, click on that data source’s underlined name. Databases are classified and listed under different tabs according to whether they are AoA databases, Census databases, or the Multi-Database feature of AGID. To help with your selection, additional detailed information about each data source, including data collection instruments and instructions in some cases, is available by clicking on the "Database Information" link at the top or bottom of the screen, or individually by database from the menu on the left of the page.

Step 2: Select data year(s).

For some data sources, only one or two years of data will be available; in fact, the Survey of AAAs only has data for FY 2005/2006, so a year selection tab is not presented for that database. For all other databases except the OAA Survey, the year selection tab will list the available range of years using checkboxes which will allow you to select one or more years of data. For the OAA Survey, the data elements available for selection are year-dependent, so the year and data elements selection screens are combined on the data elements tab (on that screen, the user is presented with radio buttons, thus allowing the user to select only one year at a time for data tabulation.) For the SPR, you will find links after each year's check box to navigate directly to the AoA web site's SPR Tables and Reports section for that year.

Note that for highly detailed data elements (SPR client detail and NORS complaints) your final table will only display data for the most recent year selected, even if you have selected more than one year. This is because producing a table of more than one year's data could exceed the either the time-out limitations of the web browser or the row limitations in Excel for exported data.

If you do not select any option on this tab, the table will display with the earliest year for which data are available.

Step 3: Select data element(s).

This tab will allow you to select the data items you would like to include in your final table. For most data sources (SPR, NORS, OAA, ACS) you will be presented with a list of radio buttons displaying the main topics of interest for that database. Clicking on any of the buttons will immediately produce detailed list boxes of variables in that category for inclusion in your table. To close a list, double-click on that radio button. This is a useful method of working your way down the list of main categories one by one to see what subcategories of data elements are available for each.

For the other data sources (AAA and Population Estimates) you will be presented with check boxes that allow you to select multiple data categories at this level before selecting data elements in more detail. For example, for Population Estimates you can select the 60 and older population, the 65 and older population, or both. Checking one of the population boxes will immediately display detailed lists of what data categories are available within those populations. For the AAA survey, the first level of check boxes will allow you to select one or more survey sections; the next level of check boxes is the list of actual survey questions. For both the OAA and AAA surveys, survey instruments and codebooks are available for the data elements by clicking on links from this page.

Once you have decided what category or categories of data elements you would like to include in your data table, you will need to select individual data elements. For AAA and OAA, your selections will be made by clicking on check boxes for specific survey questions you would like to include. For all other databases, your selections will be made by clicking on items in list boxes. To make multiple selections within the same box, hold down the control key on your keyboard before clicking the mouse on any subsequent choices. Similarly, you can use the Control key to deselect an item or items, including the very last selected item in the box, by holding down the control key and clicking on the item(s) with the mouse. Depending on the database chosen, variable selections can range from counts to percentages to margins of error. On two databases, additional cross tabulation selections can be made at this level; SPR client detail and ACS have checkboxes to allow for additional data stratifications on this page.

If you would like to create a table using data elements from different data sources, this can be done in many instances. The following databases have data collected at the state level, and therefore are available to be queried simultaneously in the multi-database feature of AGID: SPR 2000-2004, SPR 2005-2007, NORS, ACS, and Population Estimates.

If you do not select any options on this tab, a table will be displayed with the first data item for that database only. Note that there is an upper limit, approximately 75, to the number of variables that can be selected at one time. It is unlikely a user would ever exceed this limit, but it should be noted nonetheless.

The following example shows a typical data element selection screen:

Step 4: Select geographic location(s)/stratifier(s).

For most databases, you will select geographic stratifiers (State, AoA Region, US Total, etc.) for your table data. Where data are available by state, in most cases they have also been aggregated by AoA Regions, Census Regions, Census Divisions, the 50 States + DC, and the 50 States + DC & Territories (Puerto Rico and Guam where available). SPR client detail and NORS complaints data are not available as aggregated totals. An example of the typical geographical selections is below:

For the OAA and AAA databases, demographic categories such as Rural/Urban are available as stratifiers. For the OAA survey, stratifiers differ somewhat by year. Following is an example of the stratifiers available for OAA for 2005.

If you do not make any selection on this tab, the table will be stratified by the first stratifier for that database, usually "All States" or "No Stratifier."

Step 5: Select table format (optional).

Some tables can be displayed in either a stacked or horizontal format. For tables with multiple years of data, Horizontal View provides side-by-side comparisons across years, whereas Stacked View stacks the table output vertically by year, from earliest to latest. Generally, fine detail level tables such as the SPR client detail cannot be displayed in horizontal view. If no selection is made and both choices are available, a stacked table will be produced. Here are two versions of the same table, displayed first as Stacked, and then as Horizontal:

Step 6: Print/export data or change table.

Click on the tab "Display Table." Once your AGID table appears, you can:

• Print your table. Click on the "Print" tab for a more printer-friendly version. This will open a new browser window without the tabs and other links on it to print your table.



• Export your table. You can save your table in Microsoft Excel by clicking on either of the tabs "Export as Is" or "Export for Data." "Export for Data" will download all numeric data as "general," stripping off dollar and percent signs and any other undesirable text. "Export as Is" preserves all data and they are downloaded "as is." You will be given the option by Excel to either open the file or save it to disk.



• Change your table. If you click on this tab, you will navigate back to the Years tab (if available); all your original table choices will have been preserved. You can add or delete data elements, change years, etc. Once you have made changes to your current table by clicking on any tabs corresponding to choices you wish to edit, click on "Display Table" again.



• Create a new table. Start a new table by clicking on the tab "New Table." Doing this will clear your current selections, but allow you to create a new table from the same database(s). To select a different database or databases, click on AGID Home at the bottom of the screen.



• Sort your table. In many cases, an option will appear at the top of the page allowing you to sort by any of the variables you have chosen for your table. This will be indicated by the variable name's being a link instead of just text. Clicking on that link would immediately re-sort and redisplay the table in increasing order by that variable, and clicking on the link once again would re-sort the data in descending order. There is a link supplied at the top of the page to re-sort in the default order (usually geographic region). An example of this is shown above in Step 5.



• Show missing data. This option is only available for the OAA and AAA surveys. A link is provided to allow you to show all missing data in your final table; it is also possible to re-hide the missing data using the link provided. This is shown in the example below.

Maneuvering Through the System

Here are some additional tips to help you use AGID more efficiently:

• Tab structure or next/previous - You can either use the tabs at the top of the screen or the next/previous buttons to navigate from one selection screen to the next (both ways perform the same function).



• CNTRL-CLICK for multiple selections - If you want to select multiple items in the same select box, hold the Control key down while using your mouse to click on your selections. Similarly, you can use the Control key to un-select an item or items, including the very last selected item in the box, by holding down the control key and clicking on the item with the mouse.



• Selecting all items in a selection box - You can quickly select all items in a box one of two ways. The first way it to click and hold your mouse on the first item and just drag your mouse down through the items. The second way it to click on the first item to highlight it, and then type Shift-Control-End on the keyboard.



• Double Click radio buttons to de-select an item - On the Data Elements page, you can double-click on a radio button you have already selected, and the choices that had been displayed for that radio button will disappear and only the original radio button list will again display. This is useful if you want to peruse the detailed data elements under the main topics one-by-one before making a final selection for your table.



• Changing an existing table when categories are checkboxes instead of radio buttons - if you have displayed a table and wish to make changes to it, be aware that all your original selections will remain in place unless you explicitly de-select them. This will be true even if you un-check a main category check box (unless you enter that category's data element choices and deselect all items from the selection boxes). However, the "hidden" checked boxes will not appear in your final table.



• Some specific differences across the databases:
  
  
  • Some databases let you choose data elements from more than one main heading while others do not. This is indicated by whether the main data elements are radio buttons (only one can be chosen) or check boxes (multiple selections can be made).
  
  
  
  • The AAA and OAA survey databases allow you to include missing data in your tables by selecting this when your table is displayed. Missing data can be rehidden also.
  
  
  
  • The AAA and OAA survey databases don't have Year tabs. This is true for the AAA because only one year of data are available, and for the OAA survey because Years are combined with Data Elements on the Data Elements tab.
  
  
  
  • SPR 2000-2004 and SPR 2005 and beyond are two separate databases because the data reporting requirements changed so significantly between 2004 and 2005. The data collected and the formats for that data were different enough that a new database was necessary. However, there are plenty of data elements in common, so use the multi-database feature if you would like to see common data elements side-by-side in a table for the years spanning 2000-2007.