CD-ROM Problems Reported

Two problems with CD-ROM products from the Census Bureau were recently reported by data users.

A problem has been detected in downloading files for metropolitan areas from the Census Bureau's Summary Tape File 3A CD-ROM files. The Census Bureau decribes it as an "inconsistency that appears when producing a report for metropolitan areas (summary levels 319, 321, 329, 331, 340, and 341) or an urbanized are (summary levels 420, 430, 440, 450, and 460) in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, California (Los Angeles disk #8), Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. In these records, the area name appears correctly on the screen, but when output files are created, the area names are incorrect. All FIPS codes on the printout are correct."

Correction software is available from Customer Services at (301) 457-4100 or via the Internet at http://www.census.gov under "Data Access Tools."

Also, a defect has been detected in the County-to-County Migration Flow Files: 1990 Census of Population and Housing Special Project 312 (SP312) In-Migration CD-ROM. According to Administrative Notes from the Federal Depository Library Program, the error is reported in the January issue of the disc and is corrected in the May 1995 impression of the disc. Further information on this defect was not available at press time.

Source: APDU Newsletter, Volume 19, No. 8, October 1995, page 11.