Search page

On the SOTKAnet search page you can further specify your search according to indicator, area, year and sex. The specified data is retrieved by clicking on the "Start search" button.

Separate tabs on the search page show a list of indicators to choose from, which indicators have already been chosen, and a search box for inputting user-defined search terms. Click on the tabs to switch between them.

Selecting indicators

Section 1 on the search page is where you can select indicators or user-defined search terms for your search. It includes three tabs: the "Select indicators" tab, with indicators organised by groups; the "Show selected indicators" tab; and a tab that includes a search box where user-defined search terms can be used to find specific indicators.

Select indicators tab

The "Select indicators" tab initially shows the groups under which indicators are organised. Expand a group by clicking on the group’s name. You will see the expanded group indicated in bold and below it a list of related subgroups where applicable and the actual indicators.

Search selection takes place at the indicator-level, though you can select all indicators in a given group by clicking on "Select entire group" below the name of the group. Each indicator in a group is placed on its own row with a tick box after it. Select an indicator by ticking the appropriate box. Click the tick box again to cancel your selection.

You can go back to a previous group by clicking on "Show group". Click on "Show all indicator groups" to go back to the first view.

The blue information button after each indicator and group opens a window with additional information. The info button provides more detailed metadata on the group or indicator. The number in parenthesis after each group name shows how many indicators the group includes. The indicator names, in turn, are followed by an indicator ID number. The ID number can also be used as a search term.

Show selected indicators tab

The "Show selected indicators" tab shows the indicators that you have selected. This tab allows you to delete selected items. De-select an indicator by clicking the box next to the indicator. De-select all by clicking on the "Delete selected indicators" button.

The number of selected indicators is shown in parenthesis on the tab heading.

Search tab

The third tab contains a search box that allows you to look for indicators using search terms. Enter your search term directly in the text box in the tab heading. Click on the "Search" button to start the indicator search. You can then select the indicators you want by ticking the appropriate boxes.

The search term can be any word or part of a word that is included in the indicator’s name, keyword or other metadata. If keywords are found that match the search term, then these are displayed. For example, a search with social assistance retrieves all indicators whose keyword description includes the term social assistance.

If you get too many search results, try to refine your search by adding additional search terms, separated by spaces. For example, a search with social assistance euro retrieves all indicators whose description includes the term social assistance and the word euro.

You can also look for indicators with indicator IDs. If you enter a number in the search box, the search engine will try to find a matching indicator ID. For example, a search with 1259 will retrieve an indicator with the indicator ID 1259.

You can also combine number and text searches by using commas. The results for search terms separated by commas will be presented one after the other. For example, a search with 1259, social assistance will retrieve an indicator with the ID 1259 as well as any indicators whose descriptions include the term social assistance.

Selecting areas

Geographical criteria for the search can be selected in the same way as the group criteria for indicators. The areas are selected by ticking the box next to the name of the area. You can select several areas for the same search.

You can also use the search tab to look for areas by name (e.g. a municipality’s name). The search engine also identifies municipality codes.

Selecting years

By default, the three most recent years are pre-selected when you arrive at the search page. Click on a year to select it, click and drag up or down the list of years to select a group of adjacent years and use Ctrl+ click to select a group of non-adjacent years.

Selecting sex

By default, both sexes are pre-selected when you arrive at the search page. Select male, female or combined by clicking the appropriate box.

Search restrictions and limitations

To successfully perform a search,

select at least one indicator, area, year and sex,
do not select both European indicators and other indicators for the same search,
do not select both European and Finnish areas for the same search,
do not combine European indicators with Finnish areas and vice versa.

If your search does not return any results,

make sure that there are indicator values for the areas you selected (click on the blue info button),
make sure that there are indicator values for the sexes you selected (click on the blue info button),
include more years in you search.

Saving search criteria

You can save your search criteria for later use. Only search criteria that retrieve results directly can be saved.

Save your search criteria by giving your search an identifier in the text box "Save your search" and by clicking on the "Save" button. The identifier can include letters and/or numbers as well as hyphens and spaces.

The search criteria do not always appear among your saved searches immediately after you have clicked on "Save". In this case, try refreshing you browser (F5 in most web browsers).

The saved search criteria are stored in cookies in your web browser. As cookies are stored in the cache specific to the browser and computer you are using, you cannot access your saved searches from another computer terminal or browser. Saved search criteria will be deleted automatically after one year if the searches have not been used. Deleting cookies manually will also remove saved searches.

Accessing saved search criteria

Your saved searches can be accessed by first selecting the identifier from the "Saved searches" drop-down menu and then clicking on the "Open saved search" button.

Deleting saved search criteria

You delete saved search criteria in the same way as you access them. Delete a search criterion by selecting the identifier from the "Saved searches" drop-down menu and by clicking on "Delete saved search".

Problem situations

Problems when selecting groups, switching tabs or selecting indicators and areas

The SOTKAnet search page uses JavaScript (a web scripting language) to make your selections run as smoothly as possible. Therefore, you will need to have JavaScript enabled in your web browser. See the Help section of your web browser to get browser-specific instructions for enabling JavaScript if it appears to be disabled. JavaScript works with all major browsers, i.e. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, etc.

My search criteria have disappeared when I return to the search page

You often need to refresh your browser to see the selected search criteria. You can refresh your browser with the F5 function key (works with most browsers) or with the key combination Ctrl + r (with Macs, use option (alt) + r).

Please use the navigation bar and side bar provided by SOTKAnet to move between pages, not the "Back" button on your web browser.

Your session may expire if it is left idle for too long. In this case, your search selections may have disappeared and you will need to start the search again.

My saved search is not on the list

Saved searches appear after a slight delay. Saved searches should appear on the list after you refresh your browser (function key F5 in most browsers).