Selecting features by attributes

One of the selection methods you can use to select features in a layer is to select features using an attribute query. This is performed using the Select Features by Attributes tool.

Select Features by Attributes allows you to provide an SQL query expression. This is used to select features that match the selection criteria. You may find this tool helpful in locating geographies for district assignments.

Steps:

1. On the Create ribbon, change the Active District drop-down menu to the desired district.

   Because the Select Feature by Location tool lets you assign selections to the active district, you need to ensure the active district drop-down menu is set to the desired district.

2. On the Create ribbon, change the Selection Level drop-down menu to the desired hierarchy.

   The selection level is used as the data layer in the Select Features by Attributes tool.

   The data layer is dependent on the plan hierarchy, for example, County-VTD-Block or County-Tract-Block Group-Block.

3. On the Create ribbon, click Selection Menu.
4. Click Select by Attributes.
5. Create an SQL expression using one of the following methods:
   • Create a query using the expression building tools.
   • Type a query into the selection window.
   • Load a query saved to disk.
   Tip:

   Click Unique Values to see the values for the selected field when creating a query expression.

6. Select how to apply the selection results:
   • One Stage automatically assigns the selection results to the active district.
   • Two Stage lets you preview the selection results on the map before assigning to the active district.
   Caution:

   The assignment type will assign geographies and/or propose geographies to the active district. Ensure you change the active district to the desired district before proceeding. The active district can be changed on the Create ribbon and selecting the district from the Active District drop-down menu.
7. Click OK.

   The Select Features dialog box closes. The assignments are determined by the assignment choice selected above.

   If you selected One stage assignments, the selection results will automatically be assigned to the active district. For more information on One-stage assignments, see One-stage geography assignment.

   If you selected Two stage assignments, the selection results are highlighted on the map. You can click the Proposed tab on the District Statistics window to view all districts affected by the proposed assignment. For more information on Two-stage assignments, see Two-stage geography assignment.