In 1997, The AIDS Public Information Data Set was rewritten to be fully Windows compatible. While much of the original program design remained unchanged, many features were added, cursor and mouse controls were enhanced, and the installation procedure changed to reflect Windows conventions. Changes to the software are more fully described in the on-line help screens. The December 2002 edition contains the changes made in 1997. As with previous releases, the software allows you to display simple statistics without additional software such SAS, SPSS, BMDP, or PRODAS. More complex analyses, however, require statistical software.

To transfer the data to another software package for analysis, you may wish to download only the ASCII version. You may also load the software and use the export option (under File) to extract the records and variables you wish to analyze. The export option will create an ASCII data file, which can then be processed by other software.

Loading the Software

The AIDS Public Information Data Set is available on CD, as part of the CDC HIV/AIDS Information Guide, or can be downloaded from CDC’s web site. Installation instructions vary, depending on the medium you are using.

Minimum requirements for installation are:

• Windows 95 or greater
• 80486 CPU
• 32 MB RAM
• 50 Mb of free disk space

To install the software from CDC’s web site

• Download the self-extracting file (APIDS02.EXE) to desired directory (e.g., C:\AIDSPIDS).
• Click on Start and Run. Using the Browse feature, locate and run APIDS02.EXE.
  You may change the drive and directory to which the AIDS Public Information Data Set will be extracted.

If you want to be able to run the program from the Start Menu, be sure “Create program group(s): AIDS Public Information Data Set” is checked.
• Click on Extract.
• After the program has been extracted, double click on the AIDS Public Information Data Set icon to run it. You may also locate and run the program in the Programs group of the Start Menu The first time it is run, it will perform a setup/indexing process that will take up to a few minutes to complete.
• In order to save disk space, the file APIDS02.EXE can be deleted.

To load the software from the CD, insert the disk into the reader. The software will automatically display the initial screen for the CDC HIV/AIDS Information Guide. To access the AIDS Public Information Data Set, first select menu item 7, “Software.” Then select AIDS Public Information Data Set. Finally, select “Download APIDS02.EXE.” This selection will initiate the software installation procedure described above. Simply proceed with steps 1 through 5, above.

Return to Manual

Getting Help

The AIDS Public Information Data Set uses standard Windows interfaces, and can be mastered with minimum effort. On-line help screens describe how to use the program to display information. You can access help by pressing the <F1> key, by clicking the right (secondary) mouse button, or by selecting the Help menu. The information displayed will vary depending upon the last option you accessed. If you need additional information, contact the Statistics and Data Management Branch, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, telephone (877) 659-7725.

Return to Manual

Displaying the Menus

Once you complete the installation procedure and run the program, you will see a screen with four options displayed on the upper-left corner: File, Tools, Window, and Help. Select File to display data from either the main data file or from the state, MSA, or county tables. A second screen will display so that you may select the variables you wish to tabulate. Select Tools to create indexes or set various options that control the display of data. Select Window to scroll through the tables you have created. Select Help to see further information on how to use this program

Return to Manual

Cursor Control

Cursor control uses a standard Windows interface. Select variables by double-clicking the left (primary) mouse button or by pressing the Enter key. An asterisk will display next to the fields you have selected. Menus and other options can also be selected by pressing the <Alt> key and typing the highlighted letter of that option.

Return to Manual