CFS 2002's Data Table feature is a flexible tool that helps you view, organize, and report census information stored in data files. When you open a data file, CFS 2002's Data Table feature automatically formats and displays the file's contents in a data table.

A data table organizes census information into columns (sometimes called fields) and rows (sometimes called records). Each column, or field, in a data table reports the same type of information for every row, while each row reports a record's applicable information according to field. In addition to the displayed data file, the Data Table window includes a toolbar (at the top of the window) and a Row Filter pane (on the left side of the window).

Custom Data Tables

With CFS 2002, you can customize a data table by specifying which information you want the table to contain, and how you want to view that information. Most importantly, you can save your custom data table as a new data file.

• To order data according to a specific type of information the table contains, you can apply a sort order to a data table.

• To view only that data which meets conditions you specify, you can apply filters to a data table.

• To view different categories of information, you can add and remove columns and specify the order in which you want the columns display.

• To change the overall appearance of your data tables, you can display and hide row numbers and grid lines. You can also change the column header format and the appearance of data table text, such as font and font size.

Custom Reports

In addition to helping you analyze data, you can also use CFS 2002's Data Table feature as a "what-you-see-is-what-you-get" (WYSIWYG) report writer. To create a report from a data table, simply format the data table to look like the report you want to create, and then print or save the report.