With tens of thousands of variables available in SimplyMap, it’s common for users to wonder whether or not a particular variable they have in mind is available in SimplyMap. This is where the value of our variable search function comes in. The variable search allows you to type in a keyword or two, and will output any related results. Let’s take a look at an example.

We’ll start with something broad and go with a simple search for data related to income.

Open the Variables Panel and click on the Search icon. Enter your keyword, “income,” in the empty text box and hit the search button. Your results will be displayed (over 2,800 income related variables!).

By default, SimplyMap will display results ordered by the popularity of that given related variable among all SimplyMap users. In this example, popular income variables include: Family Income Average, Family Income Median, and HH Income ranges. Hover over a variable and select Use This Variable to add into your report or map.

Using the basic keyword search is a quick way to determine the availability of a variable. Equally helpful is the ability to combine an additional keyword into your search.

To narrow down the 2856 “income” results displayed, return to the search box and add an additional query. In this example, we will look for all variables related to “income” and “Hispanic”.

Your results will now be refined to display variables related to “income” and “Hispanic”, (233 in total), including Hispanic Household Income Average.

Final TIP:

There is a dropdown option located directly to the right of the keyword search function. This dropdown will allow you to specifically search by: Variable Name, Source Agency, Folder or All of the Above.

NOTE: If you do not select the dropdown box above, the keyword search will include all of the search options.

That’s it for this week’s tip, we hope that we’ve inspired some users to go out and try the variable search function.

Stay tuned for more tips and SimplyMap reports!