Transcript Joint UNECE/EUROSTAT/OECD METIS Work Session (Geneva, 10-12 March 2010) The On-Going Review of the SDMX Technical Specifications Marco Pellegrino, Håkan Linden (Eurostat) Arofan Gregory (Open.

Joint UNECE/EUROSTAT/OECD METIS Work Session
(Geneva, 10-12 March 2010)
The On-Going Review of the SDMX
Technical Specifications
Marco Pellegrino, Håkan Linden (Eurostat)
Arofan Gregory (Open Data Foundation)
1
Benefits of SDMX
 XML-based (“open” format) neutral in terms of underlying technologies
 Can be used by national and international agencies as a key building
block in internal IT systems used for collecting, compiling and searching
statistical information
 Avoids duplication of efforts in developing and maintaining standards and
IT tools for processing statistical information: pools the expertise and
resources working on data/metadata issues (community of developers)
 Can improve quality and efficiency in the exchange and dissemination of
data and metadata (harmonisation and coherence of data, focus on
meaning)
 Can reduce the reporting burden
 It is an international standard anchored in recognised bodies such as ISO
SMDX important dates
Version 1.0
GESMES/TS
Version 2.0
SDMX-EDI
SDMX-ML
SDMX Registry
ISO/TS 17369
Version 1.0
accepted as an ISO
technical
specification
September 2004
Version 2.0
approved and
published
November 2005
2008
Acceptance of SDMX
at UN level
SDMX recognised
and supported as
the preferred
standard
February 2008
The SDMX main components
SDMX
Information
model
Contentoriented
guidelines
IT infrastructure
for exchange
and sharing
...not just a data transmission format
5 years after the SDMX version 2.0…
Proposed amendments:
1. Bugs in the published SDMX technical standards and
inconsistencies to fix;
2. Missing information in order to broadly implement the
information model;
3. New features (including convergence with other
standards, e.g. DDI and semantic web)
Attention: only the changes really needed should be made
to the SDMX technical standards
DDI and SDMX
SDMX
DDI
Aggregated data
Microdata
Indicators, Time Series
Across time
Across geography
Open Access
Easy to use
Low level observations
Single time period
Single geography
Controlled access
Expert Audience
 Crucial overlap and mappings, normally not well documented
 Interoperability would provide users with a full picture of the production
process
Main issues at stake
 Backwards compatibility
 Analysis of the most common use cases behind each
change (e.g. need of adapting some of the data formats)
 Impact assessment: costs Vs benefits expected
 Use of a common terminology: SDMX technical
vocabulary
Technical Workshop on the review of the SDMX
technical standards held
 Luxembourg in February 2010
 Workshop attended by more than 30 participants coming
from 11 national agencies (statistical institutes or central
banks) and from 6 SDMX sponsoring organisations
 Main issues discussed: analysis of the change requests for
the technical standard, use cases, impact assessment,
backward compatibility, ……….
8
Agreement on the following points
 The new version of the SDMX technical standards must
fix bugs and inconsistencies, while providing solutions to
well-identified use cases;
 The improved SDMX technical standard 2.1 should not
get too complex; this could block its further use and
implementation and cause higher costs…..
 There is a need for a proper documentation.
Technical subgroups installed
Technical subgroups working on the following issues:
1. Web services (work already started)
2. Structure Query And Registry Interface Reconciliation
3. Code-lists
4. Cross-sectional format
5. Compact format
6. Query format
Additional issues to be tackled in a second step: Business registers,
transformations and expressions
Timeline and planning
1.
March-April 2010: Comments, follow-up, working of the
sub-groups
2.
May 2010: Technical report on the SDMX Technical
Standards 2.1
3.
June 2010: Submission to the SDMX Secretariat and
SDMX sponsors for defining the further process