Working with multi-module PUMF surveys

Some Statistics Canada PUMF surveys ship several linked data files rather than one. Each file is a different unit of analysis that shares a common respondent key, and the files are meant to be joined for analysis. Examples include:

Survey	Modules	Join key
GSS cycle 16 — Aging and Social Support (2002)	`MAIN` + `CG4` + `CG6` + `CR`	`RECID`
GSS — Time Use (1998, 2010, 2015, 2022)	`Main` + `Episode`	`RECID` / `PUMFID`
Survey of Household Spending (2017)	`Interview` + `Diary`	`CASEID`
Giving, Volunteering and Participating (1997–2010)	`MAIN` + `GS` / `VD` / `GIVE` / `VOLNTR`	`PUMFID` / `MICRO_ID` / `IDNUM`

canpumf models these as several tables inside one DuckDB file, so the modules can be joined on a single connection. get_pumf() always returns the survey’s primary module (the respondent-level file that carries the survey weight), and tells you which sibling modules are available.

Loading the primary module

get_pumf() returns the main file as usual. For a multi-module survey it also emits a one-time message listing the other modules and how to open one:

main <- get_pumf("GSS", "Cycle 16 (2002)")  # primary module (MAIN), carries WGHT_PER
#> GSS/Cycle 16 (2002) is a multi-module survey; you loaded the primary module. Other linked modules: CG4, CG6, CR.
#> Open one on the same connection with pumf_module(), e.g.:
#>   cg4 <- pumf_module(main, "CG4")
#> GSS/Cycle 16 (2002) is a multi-module survey; you loaded the primary module. Other linked modules: CG4, CG6, CR.
#> Open one on the same connection with pumf_module(), e.g.:
#>   cg4 <- pumf_module(main, "CG4")

main |> select(1:5) |> head()
#> # A query:  ?? x 5
#> # Database: DuckDB 1.5.4 [root@Darwin 25.5.0:R 4.6.0//Users/jens/data/pumf.data/GSS/Cycle 16 (2002)/GSS_Cycle_16__2002_.duckdb]
#>   RECID WGHT_PER AGE_2001_GR5      AGE_2001_GR10     SEX   
#>   <dbl>    <dbl> <fct>             <fct>             <fct> 
#> 1     1     367. 45 to 49          45 to 54          Female
#> 2     2     234. 65 to 69          65 to 74          Male  
#> 3     3     142. 80 years and over 75 years and over Male  
#> 4     4     500. 45 to 49          45 to 54          Male  
#> 5     5     828. 55 to 59          55 to 64          Male  
#> 6     6     762. 45 to 49          45 to 54          Female

Everything you already know about get_pumf() output applies to the primary module: values come pre-labelled, label_pumf_columns() renames columns to their human-readable labels, and dplyr::collect() pulls a local tibble.

Opening a sibling module

Use pumf_module() to open another module. Crucially, it opens on the same DuckDB connection as main, so the two tbls are joinable without a second connection. The first time you open a module for a survey, canpumf reminds you of the key the modules join on:

cg4 <- pumf_module(main, "CG4")   # the caregiving module
#> GSS/Cycle 16 (2002) modules join on 'RECID' (e.g. dplyr::inner_join(main, CG4, by = "RECID")).
#> GSS/2002 modules join on 'RECID' (e.g. dplyr::inner_join(main, CG4, by = "RECID")).

cg4 |> select(1:5) |> head()
#> # A query:  ?? x 5
#> # Database: DuckDB 1.5.4 [root@Darwin 25.5.0:R 4.6.0//Users/jens/data/pumf.data/GSS/Cycle 16 (2002)/GSS_Cycle_16__2002_.duckdb]
#>   RECID PERSONID CG4_FR_Q100_C                           CG4_FR_Q104 CG4_FR_Q105
#>   <dbl>    <dbl> <fct>                                   <fct>       <fct>      
#> 1     6        1 Neighbour of respondent                 Not asked   Not asked  
#> 2     7        1 Father of respondent                    No          Not asked  
#> 3    10        1 Aunt of respondent                      Not asked   Not asked  
#> 4    14        1 Close friend of respondent              Not asked   Not asked  
#> 5    14        2 Co-worker of respondent and Other rela… Not asked   Not asked  
#> 6    14        3 Co-worker of respondent and Other rela… Not asked   Not asked

Joining modules for analysis

Because both tbls share one connection, the join runs entirely inside DuckDB — nothing is pulled into R until you collect(). The respondent-level survey weight lives only on the primary module, so a typical pattern is to join the detail module to the columns you need from main:

joined <- cg4 |>
  inner_join(
    main |> select(RECID, WGHT_PER),
    by = "RECID"
  )

joined |>
  summarise(weighted_n = sum(WGHT_PER, na.rm = TRUE)) |>
  collect()
#> # A tibble: 1 × 1
#>   weighted_n
#>        <dbl>
#> 1   9045983.

The detail modules typically have a different row count than the primary module — for example a caregiving or time-use episode module has one row per episode rather than one row per respondent — so use the join direction that fits your unit of analysis. But specific requirements may vary by use case, and an inner join might not always be the right choice. This decision is thus left to the user.

A second example: the Survey of Household Spending

The 2017 SHS pairs an Interview file (one row per household) with a Diary file (one row per recorded purchase), joined on CASEID. Each module ships its own bootstrap-weight set, so replicate weights stay attached to the correct unit of analysis:

shs   <- get_pumf("SHS", "2017")          # Interview (primary)
#> SHS/2017 is a multi-module survey; you loaded the primary module. Other linked modules: Diary.
#> Open one on the same connection with pumf_module(), e.g.:
#>   diary <- pumf_module(main, "Diary")
diary <- pumf_module(shs, "Diary")        # one row per purchase, same connection
#> SHS/2017 modules join on 'CASEID' (e.g. dplyr::inner_join(main, Diary, by = "CASEID")).

diary |>
  inner_join(shs |> select(CASEID), by = "CASEID") |>
  tally() |>
  collect()
#> # A tibble: 1 × 1
#>       n
#>   <dbl>
#> 1  4012

Cleaning up

All modules opened from one get_pumf() call share a single connection, so a single close_pumf() on any of the tbls releases it:

close_pumf(main)
close_pumf(shs)

Database connections

Alternatively the same functionality can be achieved by opening a general database connection that does not immediately select tables, and then manually select appropriate subtables:

con<-get_pumf_connection("SHS", "2017") 
#> Connected to DuckDB (read-write). Available tables: eng_Diary, eng_Interview.
#> Disconnect with DBI::dbDisconnect(con, shutdown = TRUE) when done.

DBI::dbListTables(con)
#> [1] "eng_Diary"     "eng_Interview"

close_pumf(con)

Notes

get_pumf("GSS", "2002", module = "CG4") opens a module standalone (its own connection). Prefer pumf_module() when you intend to join, so both tbls share one connection.
The join key is recorded in the survey registry and surfaced in the messages above, so you never have to guess it — it varies across surveys (RECID, PUMFID, MICRO_ID, CASEID, IDNUM).
label_pumf_columns() and pumf_var_labels() are module-aware: each module is labelled from its own metadata even though all modules share one connection.