This article gives you a jump start to building your first simple analysis with Version 3.0. It is designed to help familiarize you with your new software system. For more details, please check out the associated links found throughout the article to link into the reference manual or IMPLAN exercises that may assist you in understanding and working with your new Version 3.0 software.

This article is a quick start to familarize you with building and working through your first model. If you need help installing the software please check out our installation video.

 

Once you have the software installed, you will need to build your first model. To build a model, click on New Model underneath the Tasks bar, located on the left-hand side of your screen. This will open a Save As window. Name the model and save it.

Now you need to choose the data you want to incorporate into your model in the Select Model Data screen (to review how to select a Study Area click here). Initially this screen is blank. This does not mean that your drive does not have data on it. The software just needs to be directed to your data files. This is done using the Change Data Folder button. Use the browsing window to locate the folder IMPLAN Data Files>2008, and  select the state folder associated to you data region (If you have purchased the County Plus Package, your zip code files may be located in a Zip Code folder that appears at the bottom of the state list). Once you have highlighted this folder, close the browsing window. Your data will appear in the upper portion of the Select Model Data screen. Move the desired files from the Available data to the Selected data by double clicking on a file name, or by highlighting it and selecting Select Data File. Ensure that Build through Multipliers is selected and hit Continue. Your new model will build. The progress of the model building can be viewed in the progress bar.

 

Once the model is built through Multipliers Setup Activities should activate in the Tasks bar. If your model is not built through Multipliers, Setup Activities will be greyed out along with the rest of the Analyze menu. If the model is not built through Multipliers you can build your current model or models through Multipliers using the Options>Construct>Multipliers pathway.

 

Click Setup Activities. In the Setup Activities page, create a new Activity. Industry Change should be the only option available. Name the Activity (analogous to Group in Version 2.0) and set level if it is required for your study.

 

Once you have created an Activity you will need to create Events that define the Activity. (You can think of this as version 2.0 turned upside down, so that groups come before events.)  In the events screen, choose the Sector in which the demand change will occur, then, in the Industry Sales field, enter the value of the Industry sales change. (Click here for an example using the Washington County 2007 data file included on your device for practice.)

 

If you are using employment, employee compensation, or proprietor income, as a proxy to estimate the Industry changes, display these fields using Event Options> Show>Employment and/or Labor Income. You can also choose to show any of the other fields, or select Show All to display all the available fields for the Event.

 

If you need to customize the data to represent your specific industry, this is done by entering a value into more than one of the following fields: sales, employment, employee compensation, proprietor income. This creates a Custom Event.  Here is an example of an industry where we create a Custom Event using the provided 2007 Washington County data set.  The last example in this article shows estimation with both employment and employee compensation.

 

Once you have added Events to an Activity, the Analyze Scenarios activates in the Tasks menu. You can move to this screen by selecting NEXT or by clicking on Analyze Scenarios in the Tasks bar. The first time you open this screen in a model you will be prompted to create a Scenario. Take the Activity or Activities you wish to include in the Scenario and move them from the Available Activities to the Selected Activities screen. When all the Activites that need to be included into a single analysis are selected, click Analyze Single Region.

 

Once you have Analyzed your first Scenario the Scenario Results will activate. To display the results click Yes when prompted by the Run Analysis popup (selecting No returns you to the Analyze Scenarios screen, so that you can run multiple Scenarios without having to review results). The tab that displays intially is the Summary Results, but you can also click on the remaining tabs to view Detail Results or Tax Results.

To print you results, simply export them from this page directly to Excel or to a CSV formatt.

 

Looking for Multiplier Reports? You will need to turn on the Accounts Explorer by activating the Advanced User function in User Preferences, located under the File menu. This will also opens displays for additional Activity Types and other Study Area information.

 

Need to Aggregate? Ordered more data and need to download it?

 

Still have questions, let us know at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or on our support forum. We strive to answer questions within 1-3 business hours.