The CDXZipStream ACS data feeds for state, county, ZIP code (ZCTA), place, and CBSA (Core-Based Statistical Area) have been updated with the latest data releases from the U.S. Census Bureau. These data are from the American Community Survey, which surveys about 1 out of every 38 households every year. These feeds are available in the CDXZipStream Premium ACS version. Data are aggregated over the years 2014 through 2018, with the exception of state demographics, which are provided for the year 2018.
The demographic areas covered in all ACS feeds are: age, population, household size, household income, individual earnings, race and ethnicity, educational attainment, school enrollment, housing value and rent, mortgage status, and marital status. For a full listing of all data fields included in the feeds, please download the CDXZipStream Data Feeds and Definitions file here.
If you already own CDXZipStream ACS Premium and have an active data maintenance contract, select the "Account" option on the CDXZipStream Excel menu and click on "Check for Available Database Updates". Then select the option to update your premium database.
For users without an active account you can update your data feeds by logging into your on-line account on CDXTech.com. Under "My Account", then "Product Management", select "Buy Data Update" and then purchase the Premium Maintenance contract. If you don't have the correct CDXZipStream version select "Upgrade License" in the account area and select the option to upgrade to the ACS version. The latest data will automatically be included with your purchase.
In addition to 5 digit Zip Code functionality all CDXZipStream versions have built-in function for Zip+4 address correction. This will allow you to get an exact zip code for any US address, correct errors and provide a USPS standardized output. The CDXZip4 function is accessed by right-clicking on any cell in your worksheet, click on CDXZipStream functions, select CDXGeodata functions followed by Insert CDXZip4 function.
Requests are checked against a USPS database to determine the correct format and if it is deliverable. Addresses not validated with return “Unknown or Invalid Address”. The results should closely match the individual results returned at the USPS site.
To gain access to this functionality you must have a CDXGeoData API Key which is not part of the CDXZipStream license. Tokens are used to access CDXGeoData with different levels for each service request. This Zip+4 address verification will require 5 tokens per request. Any number of users can access the CDXGeodata service with a single API key.
A free CDXGeodata API key to try out the service can be obtained on our website. Click the "Generate API Key" button to get your free key. The free key can be used for evaluation, development or non-profit use and is good for 24 hours. Users are allowed to generate one free key each day. The key can also be used to evaluate our other CDXGeodata Excel templates.
For higher usage levels and commercial use purchase blocks of additional token requests at this link. A single key can be used for all the licenses in your account, it is licensed by requests and not users. The tokens are available for up to one year and include an additional development API key with 1000 tokens per month. The development key will reset each month. No automatic rebilling.
CDXZipStream licensed users can request a development account by contacting support@cdxtech.com.
When you purchase CDXZipStream, you will automatically be assigned an account that can be accessed from the "Your Account" menu option on cdxtech.com. A username (normally your email address) and password for the account were provided in the email that confirmed your original purchase. You can always request a password reset if needed. So what can this account do for you?
After logging in with username and password the website will display "Account Settings" which include your email address other information. Links are provided where you can change your account username or password. A product dropdown menu for "CDXZipStream" will also appear which has the following options.
For CDXZipStream
1. Account Status - Review the license purchased. The computers activated with CDXZipStream will also be displayed. CDXZipStream is a user based license with two activations per license.
2. Buy Data Update - Purchase data maintenance agreements or optional add-ons such as Canadian data, Maptitude support or the "Geographic Access Analysis Template"
3. Buy Additional Licenses - Purchase additional licenses of the same version originally purchased.
4. Upgrade Licenses - Purchase more advanced versions of CDXZipStream for the difference in price. For instance you can upgrade from Basic to Premium for $100 to add demographics.
5. Download Data Files - In addition to automatic download thru Excel, you can separately download the zip code data files and import them using the "Update Manually" function in the Account button of CDXZipStream.
If you have purchased other products from CDX Technologies such as CDXGeodata additional menu dropdowns will appear specific to those products.
We’ve talked previously about the advantages of formula arrays in the following blog article.
For performance reasons we recommend that arrays be used when working with large address lists. Formulas arrays allow Excel to request a bulk data call, instead of copying individual formulas one at a time. Since much of the calculation time is caused by internet delays in reaching cdxtech.com servers a single request will have significantly faster response time.
When using CDXStreamer manually, you can enter formula arrays using the standard Address Verfication right click-dialog. Make sure you enable the “Autocopy” option which applies the array to all contiguous items in your address list. Formula arrays can also be entered manually should you choose using CTRL-SHIFT-ENTER.
But what if you have a template where you want to automate multiple data items for a variable length list? This is where the use of VBA comes to the rescue. The template VBAFormulaArrays.xlsm is an example of using VBA. It will calculate the corrected and verified address information for a list of addresses (address, city, state and zip) in columns A thru D. The data returned includes the verified address plus Zip+4 and County. Run the macro “GetData” to automatically enter the formulas. You must have CDXStreamer installed with an active demo or purchased account for this to work.
The macro code can to do this can be reviewed in the upprotected Module1 in the GetData subroutine. The code first determines the length of this list and then subsequently uses the formula array property of each column range to enter the data.
This concept can easily be applied to other formulas for speed advantages in requesting data over the internet in bulk.
CDXStreamer started out as an Excel Add-in for address correction and Zip+4 data. We have significantly expanded the capabilities of this product line with our cloud based software available at cdxtech.com. It’s now possible use the same address correction function by simply using your browser to upload an address list and then retrieve the processed results. This doesn’t require Excel and will work on non-Windows platforms such as the Mac or Linux or even on your phone.
We’ve expanded the CDXStreamer product line with additional tools to retrieve zip code demographics for a particular geography, radius or for a custom list of zip codes. Reports can be generated for a particular state, county or city or combination thereof. We’ve gone into more detail on this software in a previous blog article.
With the online tools you have an option to purchase a one time report for a price of $.01 per address request or zip code with a minimum charge of $9.95. But if you will be creating many reports over an extended period of time it makes sense to purchase a CDXStreamer account. Pricing for CDXStreamer is available here. Both monthly subscription and yearly fixed accounts are available with significant savings over the one-time cost of reports.
Using your online CDXStreamer is a simple matter of logging in at CDXTech.com at https://www.cdxtech.com/login/ with your username and password received with your purchase. Once logged in simply upload your file or select the desired report, preview your data, and if satisfactory press “Next”. The next screen should appear:
Press the “Use My CDXStreamer Account” button to get access to the report. Please be patient as when the report is ready a “Download” button will appear. The number of requested data points are simply deducted from the number you originally purchased. No additional credit charge is made. This also saves you significant time from having to enter your original purchase information again.
If you see the following screen this means that you did not log-in before using the online tools.
Simply press the “Log into your account” blue link text and enter your credentials. A screen with the “Use My CDXStreamer Account” button will appear if successful.
If you would like to see how this all works you can try CDXStreamer for free for 7 days for up to 1000 total requests by signing up for our free trial.