SAGE Explorer

Using Data Planet

This tutorial provides an in-depth look into the features of the Data-Planet interface, including exporting, citations, and more.

Data Planet has many available datasets for users to explore. To browse the available datasets, look through the folders on the left-hand side of the statistical datasets page. There are folders organized by subject and source.

Dataset selection menu

Datasets can also be found by searching keywords in the search bar at the top of the page.

Selecting the Data to Graph

To graph datasets, click on the desired dataset from either the menu or search function. The data will appear in the Results Panel on the lower right-hand side of the screen. To select multiple items, press the Ctrl button on the keyboard (command on mac) and click on additional datasets. This will graph multiple datasets at once, make sure that the data has the same underlying structure before graphing. 

Graph Types

Data Planet provides four different graphing options: trends over time, a map, pie chart, and rank. The graph type can be changed by clicking on the highlighted option in the toolbar.

Data Planet graphs menu

Availability of Mapping, Pie Chart, and Rank varies by dataset so all four graphing options may not be available for the selected data.

Statistical Abstracts

Under the graph, there will be a statistical abstract that has information about the source and dataset. This information also includes broad category labels, subject terms, technical documentation, a DOI or option to create a DOI, and a citation that can be changed into many different formats using the toolbar above the graph.

To save data from Data Planet Statistical Datasets, click on the Export button on the toolbar above the graph.

Export button

This will open a menu with list of file type options for saving.

Export Data

To further manipulate the data in an external software program, Excel, Delimited Text, SAS, and XML are available options.

Some common software programs and recommended file types:

  • SPSS (Delimited Text and Excel)
  • SAS (SAS) 
  • STAT (Excel)

Check the documentation provided with software to find the best file type.

Export Images

Data visualizations and data abstracts can be saved by exporting the data to a PDF or Powerpoint file.

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