Open Data Portal Help

Welcome to Open Data Portal Help. We encourage you to view the tutorial for help on how to use the data portal.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Open Data Portal includes searchable keywords that provide access to "raw" datasets and various links. In the "raw" data, you will be able to access data in PDF, EXCEL, and CSV formats. Search results will also provide you with an option to view metadata on that specific dataset. Please view our tutorial for additional help using the portal. If there are additional datasets that you would like to see included on this site, please suggest more datasets on our survey page.

Some web browser configurations, particularly those that are designed for high security computing environments, can interfere with access to certain datasets. This is most commonly related to government websites that use security certificates and end user browsers that are not configured to recognize those certificates as being authoritative. If you are having difficulty downloading one or more datasets from Open Data Portal, please contact your local IT support staff to determine whether browser configuration issues can be addressed for your workstation. This website is compatible with the following browsers: Opera, Internet Explorer, Safari, Chrome and Firefox.

You can view OPEN CDTFA on your mobile or tablet device by using one of the following supported browsers: Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, or Safari.

The terms of use outline what the data consists of and proper usage. It is legally binding and subject to change.

The datasets were selected because the data was already available on the Departments's public website in a different format. More datasets will be available in the future.

Additional datasets and tools will be added regularly as a result of agency submissions and in response to specific requests made by users of the site. The content, structure, and scope of the site will evolve over time and the categories will continue to grow as datasets are added.

Data is a value or set of values representing a specific concept or concepts. Data becomes "information" when analyzed and possibly combined with other data in order to extract meaningful content. The meaning of data can vary according to its context. Source: Federal Enterprise Architecture Data Reference Model.

Open data is the idea that some data should be freely available to everyone to use and republish as they wish, without restrictions from copyright, patents or other mechanisms of control. Open data and content can be freely used, modified, and shared by anyone for any purpose.

Open Data Definition. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_data.

Metadata is "data about data." Metadata includes data associated with either an information system or an information object for purposes of description, administration, legal requirements, technical functionality, use and usage, and preservation. Source: Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI).

Open Data Portal is an initiative of California's State Chief Information Officer (CIO) to present a tool to support open government. CDTFA developed the service.

Yes. Comments sent through the survey page will be forwarded to the appropriate department for review.

Please view our Public Access Policy.

Large datasets in Open Data Portal may take time to display, especially if you are trying to view the entire dataset. Use Contact Us or Survey links to let us know if datasets do not display successfully.

Footnotes can be found by using the Annual Report or Research and Statistics links. They are the source websites for the statistical information found in Open Data Portal and contain any corresponding footnotes.

Open Data Portal works with the Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, and Safari internet browsers. We understand there are differences in browsers, even specific versions of browsers, and have tried to ensure that Open Data Portal functions properly with any supported browser. If you experience problems displaying Open Data Portal in your current supported browser, you can try to update your browser or use another supported browser.

Yes, cookies are used to store session information allowing certain features in Open Data Portal to work properly. Open Data Portal does not collect or use any personal information. Please refer to the Open Data Portal Terms of Use for more information.