This article will introduce you to the fundamentals of finding data in the application. We’ll take a look at the different Activities you can use to find data, which is: The Browse, Analytics, Search and Releases tabs. As we review them, we will look closely at some of the features that will help you navigate them as effectively as possible.
Browse vs. Analytics
When looking for data in the application there are four options. Depending on what you want to do with the data or what you know about the series, you might go into Browse, Analytics, Search or Releases.
The application database can be navigated directly via Browse or Analytics. Browse is good to use if you simply want a quick way to review headline series for different countries and company data as the selected series are instantly visualized. For more information about this feature see Comparing main indicators.
The Analytics tab is the powerhouse of the application. If you start by looking for the data here in Analytics, you’ll be able to analyze and chart your work in the same workspace.
How it works
When opening the drop-down menu, you’ll see three main entry points to navigate the database, as well as a list of specialized databases that allow you to access the data separately. These are available in Browse as well as in Analytics.
Country & Region
For each of the three main entry points, the structure is organized according to a different principle, for example Country and Region, which is what you’d use if want to look at a variety of data for a particular country.
Source & Release
For finding data from a specific source, choose the Source & Release view, especially if you’re familiar with the way the source organizes its data.
Concept & Category
If you’re looking for one indicator to compare across several countries, unemployment for example, the Concept & Category view is the place to go.
Add-on databases
You can also access data from a specific sources directly. When you do so the data will be presented the same way that the source does.
In-house data
Here you have access to all your Account in-house and Excel in-house data. This is another place except from My series tab, where you can easily access series created by you. For more about these see Account in-house – creating & managing and Excel in-house – creating & managing.
Features for navigating data
Next, let’s look at tree filters, bookmarks and favorites. You can use these to customize and organize the data in a way that suits your work and will make finding data much faster.
Country/region filter
We’ll start with the tree filter. This allows you to define and apply filters based on countries and regions. That way you can limit the data you are shown in the tree to the countries you are interested in, as opposed to having to look through the entire collection.
Bookmarks
Bookmarks are a great way to keep track of the data categories you’re interested in or look at often. What’s good about using bookmarks is that you can view the data in a separate, dedicated tab. Separate tab allows you to keep data well-maintained and tidy in one easily accessible place.
Favorites
Favorites are similar but allow you to highlight specific series, rather than branches of the database as you would with Bookmarks. There are many benefits to saving series as favorites, it's especially helpful as a way to highlight the correct series to use in different cases, if there are a few similar options in the database.
Search tab
Now, let’s have a look at finding data in Search using keywords. Using the search tab allows you to get results from all the databases in the application simultaneously, as opposed to searching in the series browser. For more see Search – overview.
Filters
The application contains many millions of time series, so it’s likely that a single keyword relates to multiple series. To get the right results quickly you can use filters to tailor your search. Filters are based on series attributes such as frequency, region, or source. For more see Using the tree filter in Browse or Using filters in Search.
Locate in tree
When you’ve found a series via Search it can be helpful to view it in a database tree structure, especially if you’re interested in related series. That’s where Locate in Tree comes in, it’s one of the actions you can take when you click on a series. By choosing one of the 3 views, you’ll be able to see where to find the series in that database and take a look at the other data located there.
Releases tab
To finish off we’ll take a quick look at the Releases tab where you can view and monitor data updates from all the sources. Selecting a particular release gives you access to a variety of information and the main indicators included in that release. Filters are also available in this activity, to help you refine the results. For more see In Releases activity tab.
