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Building analysis

Build tables and analysis

Drag variables to rows and columns; the cross-tabulation computes instantly. Layer on measures, weights, significance tests, and expressions to refine it — and use formula cells for bespoke calculations.

Building a table #

  1. Switch to the Canvas view.

    The canvas is the main analysis workspace.

  2. Create a new table from the toolbar or by dragging a variable onto the canvas.

    Either method starts a new cross-tabulation.

  3. Drag variables to the Rows and Columns drop zones.

    Variables appear as dimensions of the table.

  4. The cross-tabulation computes instantly.

    Results appear as you drop — all computation happens in your browser.

Measures #

Use the Measures pill to choose what each cell shows. You can show multiple statistics at once — for example, counts and column percentages in different table bands.

Count
Weighted or unweighted frequency.
Column %
Percentage within each column.
Row %
Percentage within each row.
Index
Over/under-representation vs. the total.

Weighting #

  • Select a weight variable from the Weight pill.
  • All measures recalculate using the weighted base.
  • The unweighted base row shows the actual sample size for context.
  • Toggle between weighted and unweighted views.

Filters #

  • Apply a filter variable to restrict the base population.
  • Filters affect all measures in the table.
  • Combine filter conditions using expressions.

Significance testing #

When enabled via the Significance pill:

  • Column letter annotations appear on cells that differ significantly from other columns.
  • Tests available: chi-square, z-test, t-test.
  • Bonferroni correction available for multiple comparisons.
  • Significant values highlight in blue (the one accent colour in Recense).

Display options #

Control how a variable's categories appear in the table:

  • All categories — every category gets its own row or column.
  • Top 2 Box / Bottom 2 Box — combine the top or bottom scale points into a single summary.
  • NET — aggregate all items into one summary row.
  • By dimension — show one entry per part of a multi-part variable (e.g. each item in a grid question).

Expressions #

For derived dimensions beyond what drag-and-drop provides:

  • Operators: OR, AND, NOT, parentheses.
  • Helpers: TOP_BOX(), BOTTOM_BOX(), NET(), MEAN(), COUNT().
  • Variable references: by name or group.
  • Implicit expansion: referencing a group expands all its member variables.
Expression example text
NET(Q5_1 OR Q5_2 OR Q5_3)

Sorting #

  • Sort rows by any column's values (ascending or descending).
  • Sorting respects the current measure — sort by percentage, count, or index.

Hiding categories #

  • Hide individual row or column categories without removing them.
  • Hidden categories still contribute to totals and bases.

Calculated rows and columns #

You can add new rows or columns that are calculated from existing ones — useful for showing differences, ratios, or other comparisons that aren't in the raw data.

  • Difference: show the gap between two categories (e.g. Male minus Female).
  • Index: show the ratio between categories (e.g. how one segment compares to the total).
  • Calculated items appear alongside the original data in the table.

Formula cells #

  • Double-click an empty cell to enter a formula.
  • Formulas can reference cells in the same table or across tables by name.
  • Cell-reference mode lets you click to select target cells.
  • Formulas recompute automatically when source tables change.

Canvas workspace #

  • Arrange multiple tables on an infinite canvas.
  • Add markdown notes and anchor them to specific cells.
  • Group tables visually for organisation.
  • Tag tables for filtering and search.
  • Use presentation mode for a clean walkthrough view.

Next steps