1. acsmcdcprofiles_extract A tool to make it much simpler to access the latest 5-year period estimates from the American Community Survey John Blodgett May, 2013

2. Combining Two Major Resources Data from the American Community Survey The Dexter data extraction software to allow you to define a custom subset of the data with other processing options.

3. This Tutorial Will consist of a series of video modules where we demo an invocation of the application. We look at the “as specified” (via the preprocesser) results. In some cases, we’ll demo at least one alternative query that takes advantage of the full power of the Dexter tool (these may be added later). We hope that casual users who just want to do very basic queries will feel free to ignore all the extra Dexter stuff.

4. Dexter Preprocessor You fill out a simple form with 4 select lists. 3 of the 4 select lists deal with geography: 1.Optional state or county level filter. 2.Summary units. 3.Geographic universe (state or nation) You also get to choose your tables (subject matter). And, an option re “moe” variables.

5. Run Application The information you specified on the acsmcdcprofiles_extract page is used to generate a web page (Dexter query form) that reflects your choices. You have the option of just clicking on one of the “Extract Data” buttons on this page to run the Dexter query as specified. But you can also modify the form to make alternate or additional specs to customize your query. You do NOT have to know anything about Dexter to create your extract. But if you DO know something about Dexter you can do a lot more.

6. May We Suggest… The best way to learn how to use this tool is to actually do it. We strongly encourage you to “follow along” with these examples. Feel free to tweak them to your taste. Choose your own state or states, your own geographic levels and your own favorite data topics. But when just “practicing” we request that you avoid creating really large extract files.

7. We welcome your comments and suggestions regarding these videos as well as the application(s) being documented. Please use the feedback boxes at the bottom of the appropriate pages. Thank you.