Census learning centre
Table builder: Part 6, Summary of data table components, table display and metadata

Release date: July 30, 2025

Catalogue number: 982000032021041

Hello and welcome to the "Table builder: Part 6, Summary of data table components, table display and metadata" video.

The purpose of this series of videos is to provide you with a good understanding of data table building concepts and to present you with some of the data table key components that might come into play when analysing data. The purpose of this video is to summarize data table components, and introduce table displays, as well as metadata.

Subject
Table builder
Length
00:08:18
Cost
Free
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Video: Table builder: Part 6, Summary of data table components, table display and metadata - Transcription

Welcome to video six of the table builder video series.

In the previous video, you were provided with a deeper understanding of census geographies and how to use them when building a table.

(A white box highlights the heading titled "5. Geography".)

The purpose of this video is to summarize data table components, and introduce table displays, as well as metadata.

(A white box highlights the heading titled "6. Summary of data table components, table display and metadata".)

Using our knowledge from previous videos, let’s start by putting together the various pieces of the puzzle.

(An image consisting of five pieces illustrates the five key elements required for building a table. The five elements are: Focus, Variables or statistics, Geography, Census year and cycle, and Metadata.)

The final piece, metadata, will be discussed later in this video.

To fit these pieces coherently, you can put this information in a table specification sheet.

What is a table specification sheet?

As explained in the video “Table builder: Part 2, Data requirements,” a table specification sheet is like a recipe to create your table. It contains the written ingredients and instructions that are required to make it. It is an important part of the table creation process.

Here is an example of a table specification.

(A table appears with the following column titles: Population of interest, Cycle, Geography, Variables, Dimensions, Statistics, Metadata, and Output.)

Let’s fill it out together using census information:

  • The population of interest is what is being counted and which filters, if any, need to be used.

    (Under the Population of interest column, “Persons 15 years of age and over in private households” appears.)

  • The cycle is the census year and the census questionnaire type, short-form or long-form, that you are interested in.

    (Under the Cycle column, “2021 2A-L” appears.)

  • The geography indicates which geographic locations you would like to see in your table.

    (Under the Geography column, “Canada, provinces, and territories” appears.)

  • The variables are the raw variables that are used to create your dimensions. They can be qualitative, quantitative, or both.

    (Under the Variables column, “AGE, GENDER_BINARY, and TotInc_Grp” appears.)

  • The dimensions are created from the raw variables and are used to customize database variables to the user’s needs. Any manipulations of variables are done at this step. Manipulations can include creating groups, adding labels, and adding notes.

    (Under the Dimensions column, “Age groups (12), Gender (3), and Total income groups (11)” appears.)

  • The statistics will only be available if you are using quantitative variables or variables that are both qualitative and quantitative, such as Age.

    (Under the Statistics column, “Average income and Median income” appears.)

  • The metadata is the written information that helps users understand what the table is showing. Examples include table titles and table notes.

    (Under the Metadata column, “Notes for the calculation of income statistics” appears.)

  • The output is the software that you will use to show your data table.

    (Under the Output column, “Beyond 20/20” appears.)

Now that you have created a table specification sheet, you must decide how you want your table to be displayed.

When choosing a table display, you need to think about how you want your data to be sorted and presented.

Please note that the table display may be limited by the output software you are using.

Two types of display are available: dynamic and static.

Dynamic display methods allow data users to display different portions of the table, depending on what they want to see. An example of a software that uses dynamic display is Beyond 20/20.

(A video shows a table displayed in the Beyond 20/20 software. The dimensions are being moved from columns to rows and nested to un-nested, by simply clicking and dragging the dimension labels with the cursor. Each time the dimensions are moved, the amount of datapoints showing in the table changes from less to more and vice versa.)

Static display methods do not allow the user to manipulate the data after the table has been created.

(An image of a table is shown. The dimensions in the columns and the dimension in the rows are unable to be moved. The amount of datapoints showing does not change.)

Therefore, you must consider which type of display you need and choose the software accordingly.

Now you will learn about metadata, which is the final piece of the puzzle mentioned earlier.

Metadata allows the user to better understand the data presented in a table.

(A new table appears. This table has been customized from a standard table and can be found here.)

Depending on the software you are using, metadata may be added before or after the final table is produced.

Metadata are the table title, the dimension labels, and the notes.

The table title gives an indication of what data can be found in a table.

(The table title is “Census family status and household living arrangements (6) and Gender (3) for Canada, Province or Territory, Census metropolitan area, Census agglomeration, Census metropolitan area part, Census agglomeration part for the Population aged 17 and over in census families in private household, 2021 Census — 25% Sample data.”)

The dimension labels provide definitions for each dimension found in a table.

(The table shows Gender (3) in the columns and Census family status and household living arrangements (6) in the rows and has 18 datapoints. Underneath the table, there is a note that provides the definition for Gender (3). For this definition, please refer to the Dictionary, Census of Population, 2021 – Gender.)

The notes can apply to a table in its entirety or just to a category of a dimension. The notes for a whole table are called table notes. The notes applied to categories of a dimensions are called footnotes.

(The Gender (3) dimension has a footnote for the Men+ category, which states “This category includes men (and/or boys), as well as some non-binary persons.” And it has a footnote for the Women+ category, which states “This category includes women (and/or girls), as well as some non-binary persons.”)

You will now learn how to create a census data table title.

There is an order we generally follow to create table titles for our census tables.

(The table from earlier appears. It has the following information in it: a POI of Persons 15 years of age and over in private households; a cycle of 2021 2A-L; a geography of Canada, provinces, and territories; the variables “AGE,” “GENDER_BINARY,” and “TotInc_Grp”; the dimensions “Age groups (12),” “Gender (3),” and “Total income groups (11)”; the statistics “Average income” and “Median income”; the metadata “Notes for the calculation of income statistics”; and the output, Beyond 20/20.)

Let’s use the specification we created earlier to write our table title.

  • Start with the dimensions: Total income groups (11) by Age groups (12) and Gender (3)

    (Note: The most important dimension goes first in the title, which is Total income groups (11) for this example.)

  • Next, the population of interest: persons 15 years of age and over in private households

  • Then the geography: Canada, provinces, and territories

  • And lastly, the cycle: 2021 Census of Population — 25% Sample Data.

Once these four elements are put together, it forms the title for our census data table.

(The table title for this example is “Total income groups (11) by Age groups (12) and Gender (3) for persons 15 years of age and over in private households of Canada, provinces, and territories, 2021 Census of Population — 25% Sample Data.”)

A useful tool to help you with dimension labels and notes is the Census of Population Dictionary.

To access it, starting from the Census of Population home page, click on the “Census reference” button and select “Dictionary, Census of Population, 2021.”

(The screen remains on the Census reference page, “Reference materials, 2021 Census” for now.)

The Census Dictionary is a reference document which contains detailed definitions of the Census of Population concepts, variables, and geographic terms, as well as historical information.

Let’s look at Gender as an example of a concept we want to learn about.

(The “Dictionary, Census of Population, 2021” page appears.)

To do that, you’ll need to click the “A to Z index” button, select the letter “G,” and select “Gender.”

The Dictionary provides the official definition of “Gender” and other information, such as the variables that are created from this concept.

(The definition of Gender is highlighted. For this definition, please refer to the Dictionary, Census of Population, 2021 – Gender.)

The classifications for gender are “Cisgender, transgender and non-binary” and “Gender.”

If we select “Gender,” we can see all the categories and their corresponding codes.

(The codes and corresponding categories for Gender are 1: Man, 2: Woman, and 3: Non-binary person.)

To see the definition of each category, click the “Display definitions” button.

(To see the definitions of each category, please see Classification of gender.)

If desired, you can choose to include these definitions as footnotes to give the user a more thorough understanding of the categories displayed in your table.

With the information from these six videos, you should now understand what is needed to build a data table.

Here is a summary of the main points of each video:

  1. (The title of the first table builder video, "Table builder: Part 1, Introduction to census data and tables," appears along with its summary.)

    Census data, collected via short-form and long-form questionnaires, are stored in a database and can be tabulated as profiles or cross tabulations.

  2. (The title of the second table builder video, "Table builder: Part 2, Data requirements," appears along with its summary.)

    Before creating a table, brainstorm, research, and prepare the necessary elements.

    Key information includes focus and population of interest, census year and cycle, variables or statistics, geography, and metadata.

  3. (The title of the third table builder video, "Table builder: Part 3, Focus and population of interest," appears along with its summary.)

    Choosing the correct focus (person, family, household, or dwelling) for a Population of Interest (POI) is crucial, as it affects the table's numbers even with the same variables.

    Filters can refine the POI.

  4. (The title of the fourth table builder video, "Table builder: Part 4, Variables and dimensions," appears along with its summary.)

    Variables are qualitative, quantitative, or qualitative-quantitative.

    They can be manipulated into "dimensions," such as by adding totals or grouping categories.

    Quantitative variables can calculate statistics like mean and quantiles.

  5. (The title of the fifth table builder video, "Table builder: Part 5, Geography," appears along with its summary.)

    All tables must include at least one geographic location, either standard or user-defined, ranging from all of Canada to dissemination blocks.

    Census geographies are categorized as place of residence or place of work.

  6. (The title of the sixth table builder video, "Table builder: Part 6, Summary of data table components, table display and metadata," appears along with its summary.)

    Using a table specification sheet helps create accurate data tables.

    There are two display methods: dynamic and static.

    Metadata, including table titles, dimension labels, and notes, aid user understanding.

This concludes the sixth video of the Table builder video series.

Thank you for watching.

To watch the previous table builder videos, go to the Census learning centre.

(The census logo appears with a link, which is also available to view here: Census learning centre. The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) 978-0-660-75464-2 appears underneath the link.)

(The "Canada" wordmark appears.)

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