Changelog

BLSloadR 0.3.1 patch notes

Function Enhancements

• load_bls_dataset():
  • Added the which_data argument to this function, which allows use of this function in a pipeline without needing manual entry in the console for any BLS datasets which have exactly 1 series file and at most 1 aspect file.

Documentation Enhancements

• Corrected typos for get_salt()

BLSloadR 0.3.0

Major Enhancements

Enhanced CES Functions with Performance Filtering

• get_ces() - Major performance improvements with new filtering options:
  • states parameter: Download data for specific states only (90%+ faster than full download)
  • industry_filter parameter: Focus on specific industries (retail_trade, manufacturing, etc.)
  • current_year_only parameter: Get only recent data (2006-present) instead of complete history
  • Mutually exclusive filtering prevents conflicting options
• get_national_ces() - New specialized dataset options for optimal performance:
  • dataset_filter parameter with 4 options: all_data, current_seasonally_adjusted, real_earnings_all_employees, real_earnings_production
  • Up to 95% faster downloads with specialized datasets
  • Enhanced documentation with performance notes
• get_qcew() - New function designed to access the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages(QCEW):
  • Get quarterly or annual data for one year or multiple years.
  • Append area and industry definitions to the data.
  • QCEW represents highly detailed data across counties, combined areas, states and national regions.
  • Includes detailed employment and wage data.

New Helper Functions

• CES Discovery Functions:
  • list_ces_states() - List available states for filtering
  • list_ces_industries() - List available industry filters with descriptions
  • show_ces_options() - Comprehensive usage guide for CES options
• National CES Discovery Functions:
  • list_national_ces_options() - List national dataset filter options
  • show_national_ces_options() - Usage guide for national CES datasets
• QCEW Lookup Tables included:
  • area_lookup data table has details on QCEW area codes to pre-filter data requests.
  • ind_lookup data table has details on NAICS codes used in QCEW files.

Infrastructure Improvements

• Fixed URL parameter passing in download_bls_files() (downloads[[‘key’]] vs downloads$key)
• Consistent parameter naming across functions (suppress_warnings instead of mixed naming)
• Enhanced error handling and validation throughout
• Improved diagnostic messaging and user feedback

Documentation and Vignettes

• New comprehensive vignette: “Working with CES Data: Enhanced Features and Performance”
• New article on working with OEWS data.
• Updated main package vignette with enhanced CES capabilities
• Complete function documentation regeneration
• Performance comparison tables and best practices

Breaking Changes

• Parameter show_warnings changed to suppress_warnings in get_national_ces() for consistency
• Enhanced parameter validation may catch previously ignored invalid inputs

BLSloadR 0.2

CRAN release: 2025-11-25

• Initial CRAN release.