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AHS User Aids Updated

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The user-supplied program library and the variable name index for the American Housing Survey datasets have been updated.  They are available for download from

https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/ahs.html


USER-SUPPLIED PROGRAM LIBRARY

The AHS User-Supplied Program Library is a collection of
routines written by AHS data users for performing common
tasks on AHS data.  This update consists of a set of record
layout files for the AHS metro survey datasets, 1974-1983.  
These older datasets   are available on CD-ROM, but the CD has
no record layouts for them.  The record layouts are plain ASCII
files using the syntax of SAS INPUT statements.  Users of other
software can edit the files to conform with the syntax they
need.

Most of the programs in the library are for importing
data into SAS datasets.  There are a few programs to
import data into SPSS or STATA, and a few for categorizing
AHS records in analytically useful ways.  We are always
looking for additional contributions.  If you have programs
or routines that you frequently reuse or which took a lot of
effort to write, please consider sending me copies to include
in the library.


VARIABLE NAME INDEX

The AHS variable name index shows which variables are present in
which years for all American Housing Survey (AHS) public use
files (PUF).  Analysts can use this index to check whether a
variable was present in a certain survey year and the range of
years in which variables were used.  Users of the datasets
since the 1997 redesign will also be able to determine the
specific file in which they will find each variable.

The index is distributed as a comma separated values
(CSV) file.  This is an ASCII file that can be examined with
any text editor or word processor.  Most database, statistical, and spreadsheet programs can import CSV files automatically.

The current update adds columns for the 2004 metro survey.

Dav Vandenbroucke
Senior Economist
U.S. Dept. HUD
david_a._vandenbroucke@hud.gov
202-708-1060 ext. 5890