UserGuides:Variables

The Variables table
The variables found matching your search criteria are displayed in a table. Each variable is shown in one row along with its description, category, survey type (survey), dataset, survey year and how many data extracts it appears in (popularity). The variable table can be sorted by clicking on the column headers. Detailed metadata about the variable can be viewed by either clicking on the variable name to take you to the page about that variable or clicking on the arrow next to its name to show more details in the table. If you click on the category for a variable then it will find all the variables that have that category through all the surveys.

Viewing the metadata in the table
Click on the arrow next to the variable name. It includes information about how the variable was derived, what values it can contain, a link to the source documentation (if available) and some basic statistics.

Viewing the page for a variable
Click on the variable name itself and you are taken to a web page for it. Some suggestions for other variables to look at may be displayed at the bottom. There are also links back to the source dataset, survey and source documentation.

Shopping for variables
If you are a registered user and logged in then you can add variables to your cart. There will be some extra buttons on the search bar area on the variable search results page to add variables to your cart and to view your cart as well as a cart icon beside your profile picture on the header. The cart shows the usual variable table where you can view the metadata but also has suggestions of variables you may want to also add to your cart. To remove variables from your cart you select the checkbox next to the variable name and click the Remove selected variables from cart button. If you are happy with the variables in your cart you can then create a Data Extract by clicking on the button to the top right of the table.