A Data Dictionary and Access

In any Monitoring and Evaluation project, a Data Dictionary is essential. It defines exactly what each column means, ensuring that everyone calculates indicators using the same logic.

A.1 Accessing the Data

All datasets used in this book can be downloaded from the link below.

Download the Project Data (Google Drive)

The folder contains:

  1. fact_patient_visits.csv
  2. dim_facility.csv
  3. dim_date.csv
  4. dim_patient.csv

A.2 Dictionary: Fact Table

File: fact_patient_visits.csv Description: This table records every individual patient visit to a health facility. It is the transactional line list.

Column Name Data Type Description Values / Notes
VisitID Text Unique identifier for the visit e.g., VIS1001
FacilityID Text Foreign Key linking to dim_facility e.g., FAC001
Date Date The date the patient presented at the facility Format: YYYY-MM-DD
Age Whole Number Age of the patient in years 0 - 99
Sex Text Biological sex of the patient Male, Female
Test_Type Text The type of Malaria test conducted RDT (Rapid Diagnostic Test), Microscopy
Test_Result Text The result of the malaria test Positive, Negative
Treatment_Given Text The medication dispensed to the patient Artemether, Quinine, None
Service_Type Text The program area for the visit Malaria, ANC, TB, OPD

A.3 Dictionary: Dimension Tables

A.3.1 Facilities

File: dim_facility.csv Description: Metadata for all health facilities, allowing analysis by geography and ownership.

Column Name Data Type Description Values / Notes
FacilityID Text Unique Key. Links to Fact Table. e.g., FAC001
FacilityName Text The common name of the facility e.g., Central Hospital
District Text The administrative district Highland, Coastal
Province Text The larger administrative region North, South
Ownership Text Who manages the facility Government, Private, NGO, Faith-Based
Type Text Level of care provided Hospital, Health Center, Dispensary

A.3.2 Date Table

File: dim_date.csv Description: A standard calendar table used for time intelligence calculations.

Column Name Data Type Description
Date Date Continuous dates from Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2024
Year Whole Number The calendar year (e.g., 2024)
Quarter Text Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4
Month Text January, February, etc.

© 2025 Oluwatobi Olatunbosun · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Power BI for M&E and Public Health Data Analysts