**PC-Axis Family Software**

**A Consortium for Dissemination of Statistics**

##### Author: Lars Nordbäck

##### Statistics Sweden

**I. Introduction**

PC-Axis is a suite of software created to serve as a platform for
coherent, efficient, and user-friendly dissemination of official
statistics. It is ideal for national statistical offices and other
organisations engaged in dissemination of social and economic
statistics. The suite supports the whole specter of dissemination
products: Comprehensive on-line databases, off-line electronic products
like CD-ROM's, and publications on paper or on the web.

The PC-Axis software family is the result of a long tradition of
statistics dissemination in machine-readable form from Statistics Sweden
and other statistical offices in the Nordic countries. The development
emerges from the thesis from the early 70^s^ by Dr. Bo Sundgren
concerning the use of many-dimensional matrices in output databases.
These ideas were first implemented in the mainframe system Axis used
since the beginning of 80^s^ for commercial databanks at Statistics
Sweden and from the mid 80^s^ at Statistics Denmark for the same
purpose. For the 1990 Swedish Population Census PC-Axis was developed,
to be used by the main users of the results from the Population Census.
The **PC-Axis file format** (see below) is a file format in plain ASCII
that mirrors the ideas used in the Axis system. This file format is very
metadata rich. From 1997 the same ideas are implemented in a relational
output database that supersedes the Axis system. This output database
can be accessed on the Internet <http://www.scb.se/indexeng.asp> or
internally by the PC-Axis SQL extension.

The PC-Axis file has the extension PX, which explains the names of some
of the products in the PC-Axis family.

**II. The main features of the software in the PC-Axis family**

Keywords to describe the PC-Axis family are (with relevant piece of
software mentioned within parentheses):

-   Dissemination of statistics online (PX-Web or PX-Web components) and
    off line (PC-Axis Main module)

-   Dynamic tables -- pivot function (PX-Web and PC-Axis Main module)

-   Conversion to different file formats (PX-Web and PC-Axis) i.e.
    Excel, Lotus, txt, etc. and for PC-Axis only Gesmes/TS (and XML when
    a DTD is available)

-   Output database (PC-Axis database and/or SQL database)

-   Many dimensional Matrices/Cubicles/Boxes (PC-Axis files and SQL
    database)

-   Metadata rich data model in SQL and in the PC-Axis file format

-   Windows (PC-Axis) and Internet (PX-Web)

-   PC-Axis files in a catalogue structure forms a PC-Axis database and
    is accessed without using SQL (PC-Axis Main module and PX-Web)

-   SQL-extension (Sybase/Oracle/MS-SQL-Server) for a SQL database
    structured according to the common macro meta data model (PC-Axis
    SQL and in some cases PX-Web components and PC-Axis/PX-Batch
    components in Internet User Interface to a macro database)

-   Grouping facilities (PC-Axis and PX-Web)

-   Graphs (PX-iGraph under development)

-   Maps (PX-Map and PX-iMap)

-   Production of PC-Axis files from different sources (PC-Axis SQL,
    PX-Batch, PX-Make, PX-Edit and the Australian SuperStar/SuperCross)

-   Tables direct from a SQL or a PC-Axis database inserted into MS-Word
    or MS-Excel (PX-Publ)

![](media/image1.wmf){width="3.895138888888889in"
height="5.041666666666667in"}Below follows descriptions of the different
main programs in the PC-Axis family.

In the figure the elliptic area represents the metadata model used for
the output database. The names in the squares touching the ellipse are
the names of pieces of software directly using the metadata model. The
software not touching the ellipse is just using the PC-Axis file and can
be used without a metadata base. The PC-Axis file format is focal and is
developed in harmony with the development of the data model used in the
Meta database. The PC-Axis file can be downloaded on Internet and is
also used as temporary files inside the Internet SQL User Interface
using components from the **PX-Web** system.

Clients downloading files from the database on Internet use the
**PC-Axis main module**. It is also used for CD-ROM products. These
CD-ROM products also include the **PX-Map** software developed at
Statistics Norway. PC-Axis files can be retrieved as mentioned above on
the Internet, but internally they can also be produced by the **PC-Axis
SQL** addition as well as the batch version of that software named
PX-Batch. Other ways of making PC-Axis files are using **PX-Make** (from
Statistics Denmark), **PX-Edit** (from Statistics Finland) or SuperCross
(from Space Time Research in Australia). **PX-Publ** delivers tables
from the output database into MS-Word or MS-Excel using macros developed
by Statistics Denmark and produces ready-to-print statistical
publications.

There are different conditions concerning the data entry of metadata and
data at different NSI's. The NSI's has their own history concerning how
they handle metadata, classification and documentation. The following
are used at Statistics Sweden and are not transferable, although UN/ECE
have picked up some inspiration from the programs. **Macrometa** is an
interactive program for entering the metadata. The **Metalist** program
makes listings from the Meta database. **MacroData** is a program to
load the data into the database according to the descriptions in the
Meta database. For description of individual micro data in registers
another data model exists. That metadata can be entered using the
Metadok program.

######## ![](media/image2.png){width="4.995833333333334in" height="3.2645833333333334in"}*PC-Axis main module*

The PC-Axis main module looks like this. It has options to change
between stub and heading (pivot function), put the present table into
other software like MS-Excel, it brings footnotes on different levels,
it can make simple diagrams and has a link to the map program PX-Map.

######## *PC-Axis file format*

![](media/image3.png){width="7.011111111111111in"
height="2.692361111111111in"}

######## ![](media/image4.png){width="3.9166666666666665in" height="3.048611111111111in"}*PX-Map* 

PX-Map can make Choroplet maps and symbol maps from PC-Axis files.
PX-Map is developed at Statistics Norway.

PX-Map is also available in a Web-version called PX-iMap.

######## 

######## ![](media/image5.png){width="5.166666666666667in" height="4.133333333333334in"}

######## *PX-Make*

With PX-Make you can produce PC-Axis files from Excel or any table in a
grid under Windows.

The Meta data is entered interactively using cut and paste from any
source including the use of other PC-Axis files. PX-Make is developed at
Statistics Denmark.

######## *PX-Edit*

![](media/image6.png){width="5.166666666666667in"
height="3.875in"}PX-Edit is used for editing of very large PC-Axis
files.

PX-Edit is developed at Statistics Finland.

![](media/image7.wmf){width="5.875in" height="3.7930555555555556in"}

######## *PX-Web*

PX-Web is used to establish dynamic tables on Internet from PX-Axis
files on an MS-Internet Information Server. It is used at more than 30
statistical agencies all over the world.

######## *PX-Web application generator*

![](media/image8.png){width="6.0125in" height="3.4229166666666666in"}

The PX-Web applications are generated automatically from a PC-Axis
database i.e. a catalogue structure containing PC-Axis files. See above
how you just select a database, language and options for how the PX-Web
application shall appear. By using style sheet technique the application
will fit into most website layouts.

######## *PC-Axis SQL Macro*

![](media/image9.png){width="5.25in"
height="3.857638888888889in"}PC-Axis SQL Macro accesses the relational
database containing metadata in the process of selecting statistics from
the output database.

The same user interface is used from the PX-Publ when accessing the
output database from MS-Word as can be seen below. By using the option
[S]{.underline}ave Query the selection can be used later online or in
batch in the software PX-Batch

######## *PX-Publ*

Notice the extra tool bar in this template where all the extra
facilities for a proper table presentation are available. One of the
options is the access to the Output database using PX-Publ.

![](media/image10.png){width="6.745138888888889in"
height="4.095833333333333in"}

**List of software in the PC-Axis family**

  ------------------- ------------ ------------------- ----------------------
  **Software name**   **Origin**   **Transferable**    **Documents in
                                                       English**

  PC-Axis Main module SCB          Easy for new        Users and systems
                                   languages           manual

  PC-Axis SQL Macro   SCB          Easy for new        Users and systems
                                   languages           manual

  PC-Axis SQL Micro   SCB          Easy for new        Users and systems
                                   languages           manual

  PX-Batch            SCB          Easy for new        Users and systems
                                   languages           manual

  PX-Web              SCB          Easy for new        Installation
                                   languages           instructions

  PX-Check            SCB          English             No

  PX-Publ             SCB          Easy for new        Describing the SCB
                                   languages           installation

  PX-Publ Macros      DSt          Not so easy         No

  PX-Make             DSt          English             Users manual, also
                                                       Spanish

  PX-iGraph (to come) DSt          Easy for a new      No
                                   language            

  PX-Map              SSB          Easy for a new      Users and Producers
                                   language            manual

  PX-iMap             SSB          Easy for a new      No
                                   language            

  PX-Edit             SC           English             Users manual

  **Outside the                                        
  family but used in                                   
  SCB**                                                

  Macrometa           SCB          Swedish, not easy   No
                                   to transfer         

  Metalist            SCB          Swedish, not easy   No
                                   to transfer         

  Macrodata           SCB          Swedish, not easy   No
                                   to transfer         
  ------------------- ------------ ------------------- ----------------------

**III. Users of the PC-Axis family software**

As mentioned above different NSI 's are using PC-Axis software in
different extensions. Some offices are only using PC-Axis main module
internally, while others are using the SQL-extensions and also have the
PX-Web for the Internet access to the PC-Axis database.

Outside Sweden the following sites are licensed to use the PC-Axis
family software: Algeria, Basque country, Bolivia, Brasil, Croatia,
Denmark, ECE/Geneva, East Africa Community, Estonia, Faroe isles,
Finland (9 sites outside Statistics Finland), Greenland, Iceland,
Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Namibia, Norway, Philippines, Slovenia, South
Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Uganda and close to join is Slovakia.

Within Sweden 13 sites outside Statistics Sweden.

One can say that the PC-Axis family consists of a Nordic kernel and the
other users of PC-Axis. The Nordic kernel consists of Denmark, Norway
and Sweden that are working very close to each other developing the
common Meta data model. The model that is used together with PC-Axis SQL
and PC-Axis components in Internet user interfaces to the macro
database. These databases can be accessed on the following addresses:
[www.dst.dk](http://www.dst.dk/) , [www.ssb.no](http://www.ssb.no/) and
[www.scb.se](http://www.scb.se/) . They are all free of charge.

Other institutes using the SQL parts but not yet on the web are CSO of
Ireland, Slovenia, Croatia and UN/ECE Statistics Division in Geneva. The
heaviest users of the PC-Axis file level of the concept are Statistics
Finland and INE Spain. Then we have all the NSI 's using PX-Web for
dissemination of statistics on the Web. Institutes using PX-Web and
where the applications are accessible from outside their office can be
found and studied from the PC-Axis website
[www.pc-axis.scb.se](http://www.pc-axis.scb.se/)

**IV. Function of the PC-Axis consortium**

The structure of the "Consortium" can be described as follows:

-   Statistics Sweden as the leading country managing the cooperation

-   The PC-Axis International Reference Group for all parties outside
    Sweden using PC-Axis as a dissemination tool

-   A Nordic kernel for cooperation in the output database area where
    Denmark, Norway and Sweden are using the same data model

-   A Swedish user group for the use of PX-Web applications in other
    organisations in Sweden

-   An internal user group at Statistics Sweden

-   A board where some of the main end users are consulted concerning
    the development of Sweden's Statistical Database

-   A steering committee for the Data Base Project at Statistics Sweden,
    where PC-Axis constitutes one of the important ingredients

The first three instances above are described more in detail below.

1\. Statistics Sweden is the origin of the PC-Axis file format and the
PC-Axis software. After presentations on different international
conferences, other NSI' s became interested in the product. Since
Statistics Sweden has no funds for supporting other NSI' s that are
interested in or are using PC-Axis, it was decided to charge other
organisations using PC-Axis for dissemination of statistics.

After negotiations with the first interested countries a kind of
pricelist for an annual license fee took its form. Since Statistics
Sweden is a non-profit organisation and is also using the software, the
price has become rather low.

The contract for the license for another NSI is also covering the right
to disseminate the software on the Internet or CD-ROM together with
statistics. It also gives the right for the NSI to sublicense other
organisations in the geographical area it covers, to use the product for
dissemination of statistics. The NSI may also charge for its
redistribution of the software or decide not to charge. This all
together is the background to have a differentiated price list.

The license fee is covering the cost for the administration of the
customer contacts, part of the development of PC-Axis at Statistics
Sweden, arrange the annual PC-Axis Reference Group Meetings and the
other meetings and contacts with the different groups mentioned above.

2\. The *PC-Axis International Reference Group* was established in 1992.
It uses to meet once a year.

-   The first day morning session is focused on exchange of experiences
    in the field of dissemination statistics in electronic form and the
    use of the PC-Axis family software. The hosting organization has a
    more deep presentation of its work and plans in the field.

-   The first day afternoon is devoted to demonstrations and
    presentations of news in the field. It is developments at the
    different organizations where the main development takes place at
    Statistics Sweden.

-   The second day is completely devoted to discussions on the
    development that will take place the next coming year on the PC-Axis
    file dependent software.

-   The third day is focusing on the SQL extensions related to the
    PC-Axis family software. Experiences are exchanged and desired
    development discussed.

3\. The Nordic kernel of *Cooperation in the field of Output databases
and the PC-Axis family software*

The development work is nowadays as mentioned above distributed on some
of the users of the PC-Axis family software. It is Statistics Denmark,
Statistics Norway and Statistics Sweden that use to meet once a year for
planning purposes and discuss the development. The concept is divided
into the common **Meta data models**, the common **PX-Main programs**,
the common **PX-components**, **groups of cooperation** and other
**groups for cooperation linked to the database activities**. For the
common Meta data models and the PC-Axis file format certain common rules
are stated for how it must be used as well as for the creation of new
versions. This is to make sure that the users of the data model not
should come to a dead end. In a similar way there are rules for the
common PX-Main programs and PX-components. A sketch showing the
structure of the PC-Axis family is available as an attachment to this
document.

**V. The use of the PC-Axis family software in developing countries**

As an example how the PC-Axis family software can be used in a
developing country, some fragments from a report from a mission to
Tanzania in June 2004 to disseminate the result of the census from the
latest population and housing census in Tanzania are quoted below.
\[Ulrika Arver, june 2004\]

1.  ***Background***

> The Central Census Office (CCO) conducted the 2002 Population and
> Housing Census. The Census has been successfully completed and part of
> the result have been converted into a Super Cross database. A
> dissemination strategies handbook has been developed describing the
> vision and mission statement of the dissemination process. "To
> discover and then meet the expressed needs of data users by producing,
> promoting and disseminating easily acquired, user-friendly and
> accurate data products in a timely and service oriented manner".
>
> A dynamic, comprehensive and user-friendly tool for dissemination of
> the census results in a timely manner was needed.

2.  ***Mission objectives and particulars***

> The objectives of the mission were to make the census results
> available on the
>
> Internet using PX-Web. PX-Web provides a dynamic and user-friendly way
> to extract tables according to the users specific needs. It creates
> tables that easily can be printed or exported to various formats e.g.
> Excel.
>
> The mission would result in a prototype PX-Web database for the census
> results as well as making sure the associated tools for creation of
> the database and the files were mastered.

3.  ***Activities***

    1.  ***Using the Super Cross database to get PC-Axis files***

> The results from the census was to be transferred from the IMPS file
> format into the Super Cross database. At this point in time only 10 %
> of the results had been added to the Super Cross database. Data
> extractions was done from the database and then saved in the PC-Axis
> file format.

2.  ***PC-Axis***

> ...\... We created value sets from the variables in the files. From
> the value sets we could continue to create aggregates. Aggregates were
> mainly used for the geographical variables, age and citizenship.

3.  ***Editing PC-Axis files saved by Super Cross using PX-Make***

> All the files were edited and completed using PX-Make. The main
> changes that
>
> needed to be made were editing the subject area and content as well as
> adding a
>
> subject and matrix code. The elimination function was also used to
> simplify the selection process for end users. This enables the file
> creator to choose a default value. When a user selects no value this
> one will automatically be selected. Normally this is the total value.

4.  ***Setting up a prototype of a PX-Web database for the census
    data***

> A light prototype was done before arriving in Dar es Salaam and this
> version was used for demonstrating the process of setting up a
> functioning web based database. The different files and their diverse
> functions were explored as well as the needed adjustments to customize
> them for individual needs. The other available PX-Web solutions from
> different countries were explored for ideas and inspiration
> (www.pc-axis.scb.se) The Swedish website and the Swedish databases
> were explored as well.
>
> After this process a new version of the prototype was created using
> the results from the 10 % census results. The prototype was created
> extracting files from Super Cross, editing them in PC-Axis and in
> PX-Make.

4.  ***Conclusion and recommendations***

    1.  ***Completed result***

> During the mission Mrs. Minja created a prototype database. She now
> has the knowledge to create a database including generating and
> editing PC-Axis files.

2.  ***Get the full results into the Super Cross database***

> As only 10 percent of the census data is available in the Super Cross
> database it is essential for the future success of the project to get
> the complete data. Only when this is complete the true generation of
> files can begin.

3.  ***Setting guidelines on how to set up the files in collaboration
    with a statistician***

> It will be important when setting up the complete database to have a
> system developed for naming and coding all the files. Also the
> aggregates, totals, percent etc. should be standardized. It is
> probably a good idea to work with a statistician when doing this as
> footnotes also needs to be added correctly.

4.  ***NBS Website***

> It is of greatest interest to get the new NBS website to work properly
> and to be published as quickly as possible. This will provide a forum
> for dissemination of all available statistics including the census. It
> also provides the place for the PX-Web database.

5.  ***Extending the knowledge***

> Having only one person who knows how to make updates makes the
> database very vulnerable. It is important to extend the knowledge so
> there is more than one person knowing how to add edit and add files
> into the database to ensure that new data is added as soon at it is
> available.

6.  ***CD with PC-Axis files***

> Sometimes problems with Internet connections arise around the country.
> To ensure that all the intended users can access the data a CD
> containing the data could be also created. PC-Axis would then have to
> be installed on the computer (from the CD) and the user can choose to
> work with the PC-Axis files from the CD or copy the files onto the
> computer.

7.  ***Translation into Kiswahili***

> Using PX-Web adding an additional language is a fairly easy task. In
> this case a suggestion for the future could be to add the language
> Kiswahili into the database. Translating the language section in the
> file global1.asp does this. However, the Meta data in the PC-Axis
> files need to be translated as well.

8.  ***Add the PX-i-Map function***

> The census data works perfectly for dissemination of data using maps.
> To use this function map files in the shape format are needed. As part
> of census data is displayed in a map format this type of files might
> already exist, and not a lot of additional work would be needed. The
> files required for doing so are included on the PC-Axis CD.
>
> End of quote of the report

**VI. Final reflections**

The use of PC-Axis in different NSI' s is based on the common macro Meta
data model that is reflected in the PC-Axis file format as mentioned
above. Some of the NSI' s are using only the PC-Axis file format while
others are using also the macro meta data model in a commercial Data
Base Management System, DBMS, like Sybase, Oracle or MS-SQL server.

######## *Stepwise development for dissemination of statistics on the web*

-   A simple way of establishing an Internet based statistical Database
    is to make PC-Axis files using PX-Make and put them together with
    PX-Web on the website.

-   A further step then can be taken establishing a SQL based output
    database using the Macro Meta data model.

-   Internal use of the PC-Axis SQL additions making PC-Axis files for
    the PX-Web

-   Make publications on paper or on the web using PX-Publ.

-   Establish a SQL user interface using components from PC-Axis SQL
    saved queries, PX-Batch and PX-Web.

######## *Further information and questions*

For more information and references visit the website
<http://www.pc-axis.scb.se/>

Questions on the PC-Axis software family and the license conditions for
the use of the software for dissemination of statistics can be put to
<lars.nordback@scb.se>