ACS Data Users Group

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  • 1.  ACS tables and ArcGISPro

    Posted 07-13-2021 08:21 PM

    Has anyone built or know of a script or tool that will allow the import of the long descriptor of data fields in ACS tables into the alias field of tables in ESRI's ArcPro?

    If would make it much easier to choose variables for mapping if one could see the long field descriptors.

    For example HD01_VD01 is used as the field name in an ArcMap Pro ACS table but it would be helpful to see Estimate; Total: in the alias field.

    HD01_VD01 Estimate; Total:
    HD01_VD02 Estimate; Male:
    HD01_VD03 Estimate; Male: - Under 5 years
    HD01_VD04 Estimate; Male: - 5 to 9 years
    HD01_VD05 Estimate; Male: - 10 to 14 years
    HD01_VD06 Estimate; Male: - 15 to 17 years


  • 2.  RE: ACS tables and ArcGISPro

    Posted 07-13-2021 08:30 PM

    Hi,

    Yes I have!!! Here's a blog about a script tool that does something very similar that I developed with a coworker of mine: https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/arcgis-pro/data-management/bulk-assign-field-aliases/ , and the tool itself can be downloaded here: https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=c238f18683644e94bf39b6e441a2f09f#. Basically have a 2-column table that has the field names and aliases in addition to your layer, and then you can run this tool. Keep in mind that that there's a character limit of 255 for aliases, and some official ACS aliases are longer than that.

    -Diana



  • 3.  RE: ACS tables and ArcGISPro

    Posted 07-14-2021 08:16 PM

    Thanks for the link to the script. We will make use of it.

    I see that you were using it with the ACS/Geodatabase files. ACS/Geodatabase files are handy to use for the GIS person but not so much for the lay user working in Excel.

    Our present application is tied to the csv download files from data.census.gov. These can be opened in Excel, saved, and linked to geography in ArcGIS Pro. Our Excel files have both the long and short field names but the named range only includes the short names. When the Excel file is joined in Pro ( or ArcMap) the files can't be edited and the alias values cannot be changed. I think it probably is an ESRI issue to allow the alias field to be edited.

    Our particular application involves aggregating ACS/Decennial tract data to tract aggregates which we refer to as supertracts. We would like to provide long field descriptions both for the original tract data and that for the tract aggregates.

    The solution might be to script the exporting of the linked Excel file to an ESRI database file followed by your script to change the alias values.