The Frequency Tables command allows you to compute the frequency (number of occurrences) of values in any number of fields in the database currently open, referred to as the current database. For example, you can count the number of male and female employees or you can produce a table showing the number of male and female employees in each status category. A summation option allows you to sum a field for each group instead of counting records. This can be used, for example, to compute the total salaries of male and female employees.

The first dialog box displayed by this command lets you select the fields that are used to define the “groups” within which records are counted or summed.

If you select one Grouping Field, a one-way frequency table is produced (an n-by-1 table). If you select two fields, a two-way (n-by-m) table is produced. If you select three ... After selecting the fields, click the Run button to compute the frequency table. The output is displayed in a second dialog box having buttons that allow you to print the table or append the output to the clipboard file.

Ordinarily, coded fields (such as Sex or Status) are used for grouping. These fields are suitable for frequency analysis because they typically have only a few distinct values. If you select a field (such as Salary or Date of Termination) without discrete values, the Breakpoint button will allow you to enter break point values. The break point values are used to transform the field values into intervals, such as less than 100, 100 to 150, 150 to 200, and 200 and over. To enter break points, click the Breakpoint button and enter a list of numbers or dates separated by spaces.

For example, if you enter the break points

100 150 200

the field (call it “x”) will be divided into the following intervals:

x < 100

100 <= x < 150

150 <= x < 200

200 <= x .

The break point values specify the inclusive lower bound for each interval. A shorthand notation is available for entering break points. The following expression is equivalent to “100 150 200”:

From 100 to 200, step 50

Break points are optional; if you omit them, the raw numeric or date values will be counted. This might make sense, for example, if there were only a few different salaries or termination dates.

Type of table can either be “frequency count” or “sum of data field”. Choose “frequency count” to count records in the current database. Choose “sum of data field” if you want to compute sums instead of frequency counts. Select a numeric field to sum.

If the current database contains grouped data, the scale by count box is accessible. You should check this box to scale frequency table totals (in all groupings, or “buckets”, and in the grand total) by the value in the field named “Count”. The field “count” contains, for each database record, the number of plan members represented by the record. If this box is checked, ProVal will multiply frequency counts or summations of data fields for all groupings or “buckets”, and for the total of all groupings, by the value in the “count” field of each record included in the “bucket” or total. If the box is not checked, a “count” of 1 will be assumed for each record contributing to the grouping or total.

Click the Hist. Data button to include fields from other databases, such as prior year data, as if they were fields in the current database. These fields can be used as part of a selection expression (e.g., "salary / py.salary > 1.05"), as grouping fields, or as the data field to sum. The syntax is “prefix.field”, as in “py.salary” where “py” is the prefix associated with a database and “salary” is a field in that database. To use, check Display fields from historical databases and specify:

• Any number of databases along with prefixes
• Key field(s) to match​ records between the current database and other databases. If a key field is of character type, check Match case in keys if upper and lower case letters should be considered distinct. Alt key lets you optionally specify a secondary key field (or fields). If a matching record cannot be found based on the primary key field, a secondary check is performed using the alternate key. This can be helpful in situations where employee ID numbers are corrected from one year to the next. For example, suppose the primary key field is EEID and the alternate key field is OLDEEID. If no match is found in EEID, ProVal will look for a match between the alternate key field (OLDEEID) in the current year data and the primary key field (EEID) in the prior year data.

This command can be applied to a subset of the records in the database by entering a Selection Expression. Clicking the  button accesses the Retrieve Selection Expression dialog box. Pick a selection expression to retrieve by clicking its name in the list of selection expressions in the current Project. You will return to the preceding dialog box and the selection expression will appear in the Selection Expression box.

Name may be any descriptive phrase, including spaces, under which to save your Frequency Tables settings.