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46 changes: 23 additions & 23 deletions content/hub/get-started/get-data.md
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -4,43 +4,41 @@ description: Search the DFO on /data in plain language, adjust the result, then

# Get data

On [/data](/data) you describe the data you want in plain language, check the results, then download them or share a link. No account is needed. This example gets Kenya's population from 2000 to 2024 as a downloadable file and a shareable link, in about five minutes.
On [/data](/data) you describe the data you want in plain language, check the results, then download them or share a link. No account is needed. This example gets Kenya's population from 2000 to 2025 as a downloadable file and a shareable link, in just minutes.

## Step 1: ask a question

Go to [/data](/data). Type a question into the search box and press Enter, or pick one of the suggestions below the box. For this example, click **Population of Kenya**.
Go to [/data](/data). Type a question into the search box and press Enter, or pick one of the suggestions below the box. For this example, type **Population of Kenya** and press Enter.

After a few seconds, /data restates your question as a sentence:

> Total population in Kenya, 1960 to 2024, according to 4 sources.
> Kenya's total population, 1960 to 2025.

The sentence is your search. Each part of it (the measure, place, years and sources) can be clicked to change that part.
The sentence is your search. Each part of it (the measure, place, years, and sources) can be clicked to modify that portion of your search.

## Step 2: change the years

1. Click **1960 to 2024** in the sentence.
1. Change the **From** year to 2000.
1. Click **1960 to 2025** in the sentence. The **Edit Time Range** panel opens.
1. Change the first year from 1960 to 2000.
1. Click **Apply**.

The sentence now reads:

> Total population in Kenya, 2000 to 2024, according to 4 sources.
> Kenya's total population, 2000 to 2025.

Only the years change. The place and measure stay the same.

!!! tip
The **Why these results?** line under the sentence shows how /data interpreted your question and which data it matched. **Start New** clears the page.
**About this answer**, under the sentence, shows the measure, years, and place /data read from your question. Its **How this was chosen** section names the source it picked and why. **Start New** clears the page.

## Step 3: check the results

Scroll to **Results Preview**. The table shows the year and value, ten rows at a time. Check that it starts in 2000 and that the values are in the tens of millions.
Scroll to **Results Preview**. The table shows the year and value, newest year first, 10 rows at a time. Click **Load more** to see the rest. Check that it runs from 2025 back to 2000 and that the values are in tens of millions.

The panel next to the table shows the number of observations. Click **Details** to see the measure, place and dates covered.
The panel beside the sentence shows the number of **Rows in your data**. Click **Details** to see the years covered, the number of series, and the licence.

!!! note
The panel counts 60 observations across all four sources for 2000 to 2024. The download contains one source, World Development Indicators, so it has 25 rows, one per year.

<!-- TODO: verify on the staging site that the panel shows 60 for this window; the figure comes from the Search API's coverage.observation_count on 28 September 2026. -->
The data comes from one source, World Development Indicators, so the panel shows 26 rows for 2000 to 2025, one per year.

## Step 4: download the data

Expand All @@ -58,28 +56,30 @@ Click **Download CSV**. After a moment, a ZIP file downloads. It contains:
The data file looks like this:

```text
stat_var,observationAbout,time_period,value,unit,measurementMethod,provenance,status
dcid:Count_Person,country/KEN,2000,30642890.0,,,dc/base/WorldDevelopmentIndicators,
dcid:Count_Person,country/KEN,2001,31619170.0,,,dc/base/WorldDevelopmentIndicators,
stat_var,stat_var_label,observationAbout,observationAbout_label,time_period,value,unit,unit_label,currency,price_basis,base_year,measurementMethod,measurementMethod_label,provenance,provenance_label
dcid:Count_Person,Total population,country/KEN,Kenya,2000,30642890.0,,,,,,,,dc/base/WorldDevelopmentIndicators,World Development Indicators
dcid:Count_Person,Total population,country/KEN,Kenya,2001,31619170.0,,,,,,,,dc/base/WorldDevelopmentIndicators,World Development Indicators
…
dcid:Count_Person,country/KEN,2024,56432944.0,,,dc/base/WorldDevelopmentIndicators,
dcid:Count_Person,Total population,country/KEN,Kenya,2025,57532493.0,,,,,,,,dc/base/WorldDevelopmentIndicators,World Development Indicators
```

Places and measures appear as codes, such as `country/KEN` for Kenya. `data/codes.csv` gives the name for each one. The `provenance` column shows the source of every row. To cite the data, see [Cite and licence](../about/cite-and-licence.md).
Places, measures, and sources appear as codes, such as `country/KEN` for Kenya, and the `_label` column beside each code gives its name. `data/codes.csv` lists every code in the file with its name. The `provenance` column shows the source of every row. To cite the data, see [Cite and licence](../about/cite-and-licence.md).

To change what's included, click the arrow next to the download button:
To change what's included, click the arrow next to the download button. The **Download options** panel offers:

- **Format:** CSV, Excel, or Parquet.
- **README** and **Sources & Citations:** included by default. Untick them to leave those files out.
- **Additional Options:** extra columns, such as ISO3 country codes.
- **Additional columns:** ISO3 country codes, ISO2 country codes, and entity types.

Click **Download CSV** at the bottom of the panel to download with those choices.

## Step 5: share a link

Click **Share** under the download button. Keep the default, **Live Data**, which reruns the search each time the link is opened. When the link appears, click the copy button.
Click **Share** under the download button. Keep the default, **Live Data**, which reruns the search each time the link is opened. When the link appears, click the copy button beside it. The panel also shows a **Download link**, which downloads the latest data as a ZIP file with its citation.

The link ends in `/s/` followed by an 8-character ID. Open it in a new tab to check that it loads the same sentence and results.

## Next

- [**Share live data or a snapshot**](../build/share.md)**:** when to share a live link and when to share a snapshot that keeps the numbers fixed.
- [**The data bundle**](../data/bundle.md)**:** every file in the download and how they're named.
- [**Share live data or a snapshot**](../build/share.md)**:** When to share a live link and when to share a snapshot that keeps the numbers fixed.
- [**The data bundle**](../data/bundle.md)**:** Every file in the download and how they're named.
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