Key Dates for Census 2010 Data
By · CommentsThe U.S. Census Bureau begins sending out census forms next month. And because so many of you utilize our U.S. Census and GeoCoding database services and products, we know there is a great deal of interest in when the 2010 information will be made available. To keep you informed we put together a key dates list for this year’s U.S. Census Bureau activities as well as the availability of Census 2010 data and updated GeoCoding information. Below the date list is an interesting fact sheet provided to us by the U.S. Census Bureau. Dates are approximate except those required by law.
Census 2010 Key Dates and Peacock Data Release Schedule (data release dates are in bold)
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| March 2010 | Census forms are mailed or delivered to households |
| April 2010 | Census takers visit households that did not return a form by mail |
| December 2010 | By law, the Census Bureau delivers population information to the President for apportionment |
| December 2010 | Peacock Data releases new GeoCoding data to prepare customers for Census 2010 data releases the following year |
| January 2011 | Peacock Data releases initial Census 2010 data |
| March 2011 | By law, the Census Bureau completes delivery of redistricting data to states |
| June 2011 | Peacock Data releases initial Summary File 1 (SF1) 100% counts |
| December 2011 | Peacock Data releases initial Summary File 2 (SF2) 100% counts |
U.S. Census Bureau Fact Sheet
What is the U.S. census?
Every 10 years, the government reports the number of people who live in the United States by conducting a count called the census. This count is required by the U.S. Constitution.
Why is the U.S. census count necessary?
Census data are used to determine the number of representatives your state receives in the U.S.
Congress, as well as your county’s representation in the state legislature. Government agencies
use the data to make funding decisions for more than $300 billion each year, including:
- Title 1 allocations
- College grant and loan programs
- Public transportation
- Road and community improvements
- Public health services and hospitals
- Neighborhood improvements
- Senior services
How is the 2010 Census taken?
- Census questionnaires are given to everyone living in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- The information is collected in two ways: by a questionnaire that is sent to every home, and through confidentiality-bound census workers who travel door-to-door.
Who should be counted?
Everyone! All children, babies, and adults who live in a household should be counted, regardless of
nationality, citizenship status, race, age, or gender.
Why are some people reluctant to be counted?
The U.S. Census Bureau believes these are the most common deterrents to census participation:
- Privacy: Some people are reluctant to give the government personal information.
- Confidentiality: Some people worry that the information they provide could be used against them. However, census information is completely confidential. It is never shared with other government agencies, including the IRS, any office of immigration, or the FBI. Sharing census data is a federal offense.
- Immigration and citizenship concerns: People may not want to draw attention to themselves. However, every person in every home should be counted as part of the census.
Be Kind—Don’t Pollute Telephone Fields
By · CommentsOne of the most exasperating things about processing telephone data is all the junk that often gets added next to the numbers. Little notes like “cell”, “parent’s phone”, “call before 8 p.m.” and “disconnected” can wreak havoc when the information is processed with telephone update services or sent through merge/purge, as well as when utilized in-house.
While here at Peacock Data we clean up telephone fields before processing, many service provides do not. Having the extra information included is particularly destructive when trying to verify telephone numbers or running a reverse append. Often these numbers are flagged as invalid and not properly processed.
Merge/purge can also be harmfully affected if telephone information is used in the match criteria and matches are missed due to the “database pollution”.
The little notes can be a problem in-house as well. They show up when printing telephone lists and when supplying data to your call center. And they can also cause issues when performing queries on the tables.
If notes about telephone numbers are necessary, a separate field should be provided and utilized by the end user. And if the problem persists, database managers can limit the size of the telephone fields so there is not enough room for the notes.
Most importantly, lessons in database etiquette, including a list of do’s and don’ts, should be included in training for anyone who accesses the database tables.
A company or organization’s data resources are among its most important assets. Following a few simple rules when accessing them can greatly help maintain their value and extend their effectiveness.
Be kind—don’t pollute!
Restructuring the pdNickname Database
By · CommentsAn alternative structure for pdNickname is to have one record per name with the variations in fields next to it. This tutorial explains how to do it.
Matching and merging names can be tricky. How do you relate William Smith with Bill Smith? The pdNickname database can be utilized to match names that are dissimilar because one has a given first name while another has a nickname or other variation, or vice versa.
Out of the box pdNickname is structured to allow immediate compatibility with the greatest number of database systems as well as to make it easy to become familiar with.
The nickname database is setup with two names per record. The first name field contains the names you are looking up, and in the second is a variation for each name—nickname, diminutive, given name, variant, etc. The same name can be listed several times in the first field, each time with a different variation. (See Figure 1.)
FIGURE 1: PDNICKNAME OUT OF THE BOX
If the names compared are Alexander Jones and Alex Jones, all names matching Alexander (NAME-A) are scanned until a variation is found that matches Alex (NAME-B). This works well, but there are other ways of organizing pdNickname that could work even better for you. In fact, we have restructured the table for utilization in our own services.
An alternative structure is to have one record per name and the variations in fields next to it. It is not practical to have separate fields for each variation, which can range from one to over two hundred. So what we do is have two Memo fields (also known as Long Text), one for close variations (relflag = "1") and the other for more distant variations (relflag = "2"), with the string of variations separated by delimiters for easier matching. (See Figure 2.)
FIGURE 2: PDNICKNAME RESTRUCTURED
Note: when browsing a table, normally you cannot see the content of a Memo or Long Text field because the database keeps it in a separate file. For this screenshot we have made the content visible.
Structured this way, when your program finds a match for NAME-A, it then determines if NAME-B can be found in variation field one or variation field two. This can be faster because you only access one record in each search request. The code sample below is an example in Visual FoxPro that illustrates this. Of course other programs use different commands and syntax to achieve the same outcome.
* CODE SAMPLE *- this Visual FoxPro function receives as parameters *- the two first names being compared - it returns a *- variable indicating what matches are found - this *- function is based on the restructuring of the *- pdNickname database described in this tutorial FUNCTION pdNickname LPARAMETERS cNameA, cNameB LOCAL nMatch IF NOT USED("nicknames") USE nicknames ALIAS nicknames IN 0 ENDIF cNameA = PADR(UPPER(ALLTRIM(cNameA)),25," ") cNameB = "/"+UPPER(ALLTRIM(cNameB))+"/" nMatch = 0 IF SEEK (cNameA, "nicknames", "name") DO CASE CASE OCCURS(cNameB, nicknames.variations) > 0 nMatch = 1 CASE OCCURS(cNameB, nicknames.var2) > 0 nMatch = 2 ENDCASE ENDIF RETURN nMatch
pdNickname, like all our Database Products, are structured to satisfy most users from the start. But there are many ways to integrate the databases into your system. It is up to you to determine what works best for you. Do not be afraid to experiment.
Start at the Finish Line
By · CommentsWhen planning a new data management projects, results will be better, costs lower and headaches lessened if you consider what your objectives are before you begin. Always start by thinking about what you want to do with your data both now and down the road.
The worst kind of database system is one put together piecemeal as new demands arise. At some point it becomes more of a hindrance that a help. Many become monsters that seem to have a life of their own.
Before you design your databases, tables and user interfaces and decide on purchases, consider all the kinds of data you want to track and the best and most resourceful way of doing so. But to do this you need to gather some information first.
Talk to the end users who will utilize your data. Find out what they need and how they will be using it. Just as important, determine what they would like to do in the future and what has frustrated them most about data in the past.
Also talk to those who will be entering information and the techs who will be working directly with the database system. Find out what will make them more efficient and what has previously held them back.
Finally talk to the vendors who will be processing your data and supplying equipment and third-party lists. Ask them what you can do to help them achieve the best results for you and reduce costs without sacrificing quality.
All of this will affect what tables you design, what fields they will contain, what relationships there will be between them and how end-users will access the information. It will also affect what equipment and lists you acquire, when you buy them and who you hire to make it all work.
Your new data management project should not be planned until after gathering the insight needed to establish what the end results should be. Once you have seen the view from the finish line, you will be much better equipped to create a database system that will get you where you want to be days, months and years from now.
Product Price Changes
By · CommentsGood news! We are pleased to announce that as of today, February 1, 2010, there are new prices on most of our Database Products and Developer Licenses—and they are all down. Reductions range from $5 to as much as $1,210. See the chart below for a complete listing of changes:
PRICE ADJUSTMENTS
| Product | Old Price | New Price |
|---|---|---|
| pdZIP – 5-digit ZIP Code Database | $25 | |
| pdCensus2000 – Census Demographics Database | $195 | |
| pdGeoTiger – Address Range & ZIP+4 GeoCoding Databases | $395 | |
| pdNickname – Name & Nickname Database | $495 | |
| pdCountry – Country Database | $25 | |
| pdSuite Master Collection – All database products in one package | $990 |
| Developer Licenses | Old Price | New Price |
|---|---|---|
| pdZIP – Developer License | $100 | |
| pdCensus2000 – Developer License | $195 | |
| pdGeoTiger – Developer License | $395 | |
| pdGender – Developer License | $350 | |
| pdNickName – Developer License | $495 | |
| pdCountry – Developer License | $25 | |
| pdSuite Master Collection – Developer License | $990 |
Glossary of Data Management & Technical Terms
By · Comments
Boolean Logic, Checksum, COBOL, Data Dictionary, Foreign Key, Fuzzy Logic, Information Needs Analysis, Information Warehouse, Netware, Object Oriented Programming, ODBC, Pixel, Primary Key, RDBMS, SQL, Token Ring, Topology. . . .
Are you unfamiliar with any of these technology terms? Or do you occasionally come across a data management term you do not know?
If so, we have a new free resource for you: try our Glossary of Data Management & Technical Terms for quick lookups. You may want to include it in your bookmarks.
Census 2010 Guarantee
By · CommentsAs you are aware, between March and July of this year a new American national census will be conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. We understand you need to stay up-to-date with your census and GeoCoding data, and in light of this we have established a Census 2010 Guarantee for anyone purchasing pdCensus2000, pdGeoTIGER or pdSuite Master Collection during calendar year 2010:
January 1, 2010
THIS IS OUR GUARANTEE:
If you buy pdCensus2000 or pdGeoTIGER v1 this year, your full purchase price will be credited towards the purchase of the new Census 2010 version of the same database product – pdCensus2010 and pdGeoTIGER v2 respectively – when released. Your credit can be as much as the full purchase price of the new product.
Even better, if you buy pdSuite Master Collection this year, you receive both new Census 2010 version database products free of charge.
To acquire your Census 2010 Guarantee credit or free copies, simply contact us with your purchase information once you see the new version has been released. A reminder will also automatically be sent to you. You have until December 31, 2012 to claim your Census 2010 Guarantee credit or free copies.
Donald E. Fish, President/CEO
Peacock Data, Inc.
ADDITIONAL NOTICE: those who made their purchase prior to 2010 will receive a partial credit towards the respective Census 2010 releases. Contact us for complete details.
New Year’s Sale
By · Comments
Our giant month-long sale begins today at www.PeacockData2.com . . . Huge discounts on all database products and developer licenses!
See you there!
Happy New Year 2010 to everyone!
By · Comments
Hello world!
By · Comments
Welcome aboard! We are happy you could join us. This is the blog for Peacock Data, Inc. Everyone involved with this project sincerely hopes you enjoy it and find it useful. Please visit us often and feel free to contribute. You can also follow us via Twitter, Facebook and RSS Feed. And do not forget about the main websites (links below). All our sites are updated regularly.
Our company is about quality. Quality data management services, quality database products, quality customer support and most importantly, quality results for our customers and clients. Blog@PeacockData is a manifestation of this because the end result will mean even more quality and even more success for you.
About Blog@PeacockData
This blog is designed to communicate about all aspects of data management. Here you will read about related topics and issues, learn from guest bloggers and explore new and time-honored solutions as well as collect tips and advice. Of course you will also read about us, including important information about new and enhanced services and products, sales and discounts, personnel changes and what else is going on with our company.
And because this is a blog, you can participate too by leaving comments and asking questions, and we encourage this highly. There is a reply box at the bottom of individual post pages—please utilize this feature.
It is astonishing how many at any given moment are in the same boat as us, experiencing the same problems and concerns, but we do not know they are there. Blog@PeacockData not only gives you the opportunity to gain valuable knowledge but also the ability to communicate with those in the boat. We fully expect you will not only benefit from and help others in similar situations but will help us improve as well. In the end all boats will rise.
Again, welcome aboard the good ship Blog@PeacockData. We genuinely believe you will find this site an exceptional resource—not just another blog. Here is some additional information about our company:
About Peacock Data, Inc.
Our President/CEO began doing business more than two decades ago as Donald Fish Consulting, which later became Donald Fish Data Management. At first it was one Commodore-128 computer, one Epson dot-matrix printer, one employee and a lot of optimism. Since that time the customer base has grown from a handful to hundreds, and on January 1, 2003 Donald Fish formed Peacock Data, Inc. headquartered in Chatsworth, California, 25 miles north of Los Angeles.
A SERVICE COMPANY: At our original website www.PeacockData.com, you will be able to read about and purchase our quality data management services ranging from list scrubbing to custom programming and beyond. You will not only find the customary array, but also one-of-a-kind services only available from Peacock Data. Our specialty is our trademarked merge/purge services.
AND NOW PRODUCTS TOO: At our new sister website www.PeacockData2.com, we offer a full line of database products crafted with the same quality found in our well-known data management service. There you will find unique packages relating to ZIP Codes, United States Census demographics, GeoCoding, names and nicknames, gender coding and more–and the list is growing.
STAY TUNED: Rest assured we are not sitting still. Each year we obligate ourselves anew to making improvements and advancing forward with new ideas. Our services and products are designed to make database systems more useful, more accurate and easier to use. We are committed to total client satisfaction, state-of-the-art technology, innovation and fair pricing.
Peacock Data, Inc. is an industry leader because of our superior solutions and our renowned loyalty to customers. For us it’s the service AFTER the sale that counts!
