Our full list of time series and seasonal adjustment courses:

• Introduction to Seasonal Adjustment
• Seasonal Adjustment with X-12-ARIMA in Windows®
• Seasonal Adjustment with TRAMO/SEATS for Windows®
• Seasonal Adjustment with X-12-ARIMA and TRAMO/SEATS in Windows®
• Advanced Diagnostics: Case Studies
• Advanced ARIMA Modeling for Forecasting and Seasonal Adjustment
• Advanced Seasonal Adjustment with X-12-ARIMA
• Advanced Seasonal Adjustment with X-12-ARIMA and Advanced ARIMA Modeling
• Advanced Seasonal Adjustment with TRAMO/SEATS
• Advanced Seasonal Adjustment with X-12-ARIMA and TRAMO/SEATS

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Seasonal Adjustment with X-12-ARIMA in Windows^®

Purpose:
Seasonal adjustment is an important component of most published monthly and quarterly economic time series and is usually done with off-the-shelf software. One such program is X-12-ARIMA from the U.S. Census Bureau, based on the X-11 method--the most widely used method in the world for estimating the components of a time series.

The purpose of this course is to teach participants how to run X-12-ARIMA. The course covers all the commands of X-12-ARIMA, and includes instruction on input files, running the program in Windows, reading the output, and assessing the results. We will also discuss the purpose of seasonal adjustment and the methods used by X-12-ARIMA. The course is both practical and technical, and also discusses briefly some theoretical aspects. Involves in-class computer work.

Duration: 2 days

Target audience:
This course is intended for anyone interested in learning how to run X-12-ARIMA. The course is limited to 10 persons.

Prerequisites:
None, only general prior knowledge of time series is assumed. Some topics require some knowledge of statistics, for example, the participants should understand terms like mean, covariance, and linear regression.

Topics Covered:
The course examines the following topics:

• Basic definitions, including time series, seasonal adjustment, trend-cycle, trading day, moving holidays, and benchmarking
• The general syntax of input specification files
• All of the specification functions available in X-12-ARIMA
• Running X-12-ARIMA in both single-series and batch mode
• The basic X-11 algorithm, in detail
• A review of the seasonal adjustment diagnostics, including spectral graphs and stability diagnostics
• A review of RegARIMA models and the various options and diagnostics available in X-12-ARIMA
• Computer work involving a wide range of sample series

The course will involve the practical application of concepts through the use of case studies, group discussion, and computer exercises.

Note: If time permits at the end of the course, participants will have the chance to work on sample series provided or on their own series. Participants are encouraged to bring sample time series with them to class as either text files or in Excel format.

Windows^® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation

Last update: 10 January 2007