There are two methods of navigating the data tables: the List of Tables button in the top-left corner of the screen and the ribbon buttons along the bottom of the screen. The List allows the user to jump directly to a specific table while the buttons at the bottom take the user to tables grouped into sets by economic sector (viewable by scrolling up/down). A complete collection of all the tables is viewable by tapping ‘All Tables’ from either location.

View All is the default view for the Summary of National Economic Data web application. Each time a user initiates a new browser session, all available tables will load into the page and may be viewed by scrolling down.

For the user's convenience, the tables have also been grouped into viewable sets by economic sector. These sets are represented in the main navigation bar at the top of the page and each set title is preceded by an icon. On mouse-over, a sub-menu appears under each set title and the user may choose to view the entire data set by clicking the topmost button, or select individual tables by clicking on the sub-menu items.

Users may desire to present different subsets or unique combinations of data in a single view. For this purpose, users have the ability to create a custom view. Access custom view options by clicking the Custom View button on the main navigation bar. This will launch a modal window in the current browser window with a list of available tables and check boxes. To customize the view, simply check the box next to the set and/or tables desired. To select a substantial number of tables, it may be easier to check Select All and then uncheck unwanted tables. Conversely, if many tables are checked but only a few are desired, checking and then unchecking Select All has the effect of selecting none, and then users can easily select just a few tables.

To save the custom view, click the Save and Close button in the lower right of the modal window rather than closing the window with the Close button in the upper right tab. This will maintain the custom view settings for the duration of the browser session, or until the user resets them. Navigating away from the Summary of National Economic Data web application will reset the custom view settings to the default (none).

Table cells containing data that has been recently released are highlighted in yellow.

When new data is released for a specific series, previous estimates of that data are often revised. In the event of a revision, the new estimate is placed in the primary data row and the former, pre-revision estimate is placed in parentheses underneath it.

Moving the mouse over a table row will highlight that row in a blue color and the data text will turn from gray to black. This allows users to easily focus on a single row of data. Clicking on a highlighted row will launch the graph for that data in a modal window within the current browser window. See the "Graphs" help section.

The Summary of National Economic Data web application provides graph views for all the data available. Graphs are launched in modal windows within the current browser window and provide a number of additional features. See the “Using the Graphs” help section.

Any view of the table data may be printed using the Print icon (printer) in the upper right corner of the screen.

Select this option to print all the tables available. The resulting pages have been optimized for black & white printing in portrait orientation to fit on as few sheets of 8.5 in. x 11 in. paper as possible without breaking tables across pages.

For users desiring to print a subset or a custom view set of the tables, use the Custom View dialog to display the desired tables and select this option. This will print the tables as they currently appear on screen. The resulting pages have been optimized for black & white printing in portrait orientation on 8.5 in. x 11 in. paper, but tables may break across pages.

The Summary of National Economic Data web application provides graph views for all the data available. Graph availability is indicated in the table view by the Graph icon in each table row. To launch the graph window simply click on the Graph icon or anywhere in a highlighted row. Graphs are launched in modal windows within the current browser window and provide a number of additional features.

On launch, the graph window will open to the default view for the data. The data range is indicated by the darkened button on the range bar in the upper left of the modal window, while the data aggregation is indicated by the darkened button on the aggregation bar in the upper right of the modal window.

Users may explore the data by selecting different ranges and aggregation types from the Range and Aggregation bars at the top of the modal window. Available ranges are 3, 10, 30 and all available years. Available aggregation types are Year Over Year, Quarterly and Monthly. The default graph is 10 years of monthly data (when available). Please note: not all date ranges and aggregation types are available for all data series.

Graph ranges shaded in gray signify periods in which the U.S. economy was in recession, as defined by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).

The graphs are available for download in several useful formats including: PNG, JPEG, PDF and vector SVG format. To download a graph, first make sure the correct graph is displayed on screen at the desired range and aggregation settings. Next, locate the Download icon (downward arrow & horizontal line) in the upper right of the modal window and click it. Choose a file format from the drop-down menu and follow any prompts.