CANSIM Tables

Question

I have been exploring the Stats Canada CANSIM Tables. I have a class of Nursing PHD students coming on Tuesday October 31, and I am not sure what to say about CANSIM. Sometimes I discover a CAMSIM Table and it is free. Then, I take another path, (to get back to the table quickly), and the same CANSIM Table is only available for a price.

I would like to understand what is going on with the CANSIM Tables and how to systematically find the free access paths to the CAMSIM Tables. How many of the CANSIM Tables are free and under what conditions? How can we know in advance if the table is available free and discover the path to the free version? At this point, it all seems rather hit and miss.

Here are some examples:

EXAMPLE A: (the EXE links fail, but you can still follow the path)
When I browse to Table 102-0535, via the following steps, I am asked to pay $3.00 to see the table.

1. http://www.statcan.ca/menu-en.htm (Stats Canada Home page)


2. http://cansim2.statcan.ca/cgi-win/cnsmcgi.exe?CANSIMFile
   =CII/CII_1_E.HTM&RootDir=CII
   (Welcome to CANSIM)


3. Select Browse by Subject


4. http://cansim2.statcan.ca/cgi-win/cnsmcgi.exe?LANG=E&ROOTDIR=CII
   /&RESULTTEMPLATE=CII/CII_Subj&CIISubj=2966
   (Health)


5. http://cansim2.statcan.ca/cgi-win/cnsmcgi.exe?LANG=E&ROOTDIR=CII/&
   RESULTTEMPLATE=CII/CII_FLst&CIITables=1887 (Diseases)


6. http://cansim2.statcan.ca/cgi-win/CNSMCGI.EXE?regtkt=&C2Sub=&ARRAYID
   =1020535&C2DB=&VEC=&LANG=E&SDDSLOC=&ROOTDIR=CII/&
   RESULTTEMPLATE=CII/CII_PICK&ARRAY_PICK=1&SDDSID=&SDDSDESC=
   (Table 102-0535)


7. Select parameters and eventually arrive at a page that says: 1 payable series @ $3.00

EXAMPLE B:
When I browse to the same table the following route, I can access Table 102-0535 for free, as follows:

1. http://www.statcan.ca/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=84-208-X
   (Causes of Death Main Page)


2. http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/84-208-XIE/84-208-XIE2005002.htm
   (Causes of Death html)


3. http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/84-208-XIE/2005002/tables.htm
   (Data Tables)


4. http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/84-208-XIE/2005002/tables.htm#15
   (Pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00 to O99))


5. select CANSIM and a new window opens
   (titled http://camsim2.statcan.ca - CANSIM Table 102-0535)


6. select parameters and continue


7. select output format


8. a table appears with the numbers

EXAMPLE C:
As in B above, when I start from a publication that has CANSIM tables referenced as a Related Product, I can get to the Table:

1. http://www.statcan.ca/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=83-237-XWE#formatdisp
   (Residential Care Facilities Product Main Page)


2. http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/83-237-XIE/83-237-XIE2006001.htm
   (html)


3. http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/83-237-XIE/2006001/related.htm
   (Related Products)


4. select Table 107-5501.. Can select Parameters and a table is displayed BUT if try to access this same table by following a browse path via the SUBJECTS on the STATS CANADA home page, as described in EXAMPLE A, the notice to pay $3.00 appears.

If I happen to luck out, and find myself at an html publication featuring CANSIM links (as in Examples B & C above), I seem to be able to access the CANSIM TABLES for free. But if I want to get to these same Tables directly using the Subejct Browse path on the StatCan Home page, I seem to have to pay when I get to the CANSIM Table. So, this is all very confusing and seems inconsistent.

As I mentioned above, I have a class of Nursing PHD students coming on Tuesday October 31. I am not sure what to say about CANSIM. Well, I can say that when I do stumble on a free CANSIM Table, that the interface it quite wonderful, so, I am very motivated to understand how to know about, and get to, the free CANSIM Tables at StatsCanada.

Answer

The Health Division of Statistics Canada is trying to make as much of their data available free of charge to its users. As CANSIM is a pay-for-use product, a bypass could not be achieved via that databank. However, by creating an HTML document with links directly to CANSIM tables, the users were able to access the stats they needed without paying.

The HTML publication which provides the by-pass to CANSIM for health statistics is entitled "Health Indicators" (catalogue number 81-221-XIE, click on "view" from the main box on the page, and then use the left-hand menu to select "Data tables and maps").

National Accounts also has a similar set-up to by-pass payment to some economic tables. To access this module, visit the Statistics Canada main page (www.statcan.ca and continue in English). At the bottom right of the page, we can browse Statistics by subject - click on National Accounts, then you will see a little line at the bottom "Also available: free data tables and comprehensive information from the National Economic Accounts module" - click on the National Economic Accounts link and click on data tables from the main page.

Let us also remember that many series are available in CANSIM on E-STAT which has free access as well. If the time series do not require to be "fresh" (as the E-STAT CANSIM database is only updated once a year during the summer months), this has a practical user interface and usually meets simple student needs.