SDMX – AN OECD
PERSPECTIVE
Paul Schreyer OECD
CCSA Special Session, September 2014 Rome
Outline
• Why we think SDMX is important
• Key OECD Activities
• What Have We learned: Lessons and
Challenges
• Looking Ahead
Why we think SDMX is important
Why we think SDMX is important
• Standardisation of data transmission
• Speed
• Quality: accuracy, readability
• Consistency between international sources
Example: data differences between international sources
Example: Government Deficit 2010
Differences between highest and lowest result, in %-points of
GDP
4.5
4.0
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
5
Why we think SDMX is important (2)
• The Process itself is useful:
• Detailed discussions with other IOs and
with countries concerning:
– Data requirements
– Templates
– Data sharing
Why we think SDMX is
important (3)
• Example Mexico
• SDMX is enabler of co-ordination of data
production and dissemination at the
national level
Key OECD Activities
1. Definition and maintenance of Global Data
Structure Definitions (DSDs)
• Already established:
– National Accounts (SNA 2008)
– Balance of Payments
– FDI (OECD is maintenance agency)
• Forthcoming:
– Education, R&D, Merchandise Trade Statistics
• Ongoing: Management of Global Registry in
2013-2014 with Eurostat
– Administrative duties for users
– Maintaining the registry content
– Coordination with SDMX working groups
2a. Implementation: OECD Short Term
Economic Statistics collection
• DSD for OECD-specific data transmission of short-term
indicators (prices, real indicators, etc.)
• 8 countries providing STES SDMX data, 9 countries
ongoing implementation work
• Goals:
– For disseminators:
• An open format specification with which to transmit data
• Avoids having to package and push the data to OECD
– For OECD:
• Timeliness
• One format and structure enables automated processing and
checking of collected data
• Ease of validation of data structure (correct coding, file
format)
2b. Implementation: Task Force on
International Data Co-operation
• Pilot exercise under the IAG (see ECB presentation)
– testing SDMX data exchanges (push mode)
– decreasing respondent burden of national data providers
– Minimising data differences between IOs
• First phase, since 2013: Key National Accounts and
population data (annual and quarterly)
• Second phase, 2015: institutional sector accounts
• The first exchanges:
– proved technical feasibility
– revealed problems in coding data available according to pre 2008
SNA
– helped clarifying formulation of SDMX messages
– were extremely useful in understanding other IOs’ data collection
2c. Implementation: OECD Preparations for
regular data collection and dissemination
• Implement SDMX IT Infrastructure for Global
DSDs, both collection and dissemination
– Focus on existing tools, reusability, generic tools
• Build SDMX capacity for IT and non-IT staff
• Align existing questionnaires with SDMX coding
Announcement: SDMX Expert Group
meeting in Korea
• Co-organised with the KoStat, and SDMX Sponsor
organisations
• Seoul, 27-30 October 2014
• Focus on
– Experience with implementing Global DSDs
– SDMX Working Groups new guidelines and improvements to
standards
– SDMX Technical solutions
• 2 days training
– Using SDMX Reference Infrastructure
– Implementing Global DSDs
• Enquiries: Gyorgy.Gyomai@OECD.org
Lessons learned
What has OECD learned after over 10 years
of SDMX?
• SDMX adoption is not simply a technological challenge
• Methodological and subject-matter knowledge and resources are key
• ‘Business process’ led by statisticians
• SDMX knowledge good in Ios
• Knowledge base in NSOs and central banks growing but still
unevenly between countries
• The early focus was on developing the SDMX technical standard.
Now the main focus is how to ease adoption and provide guidelines
for common issues and use cases
Key Challenges
•
Motivating statistical agencies to adopt SDMX
– Make business case
– IO support to implement SDMX
•
Motivating broader group of IOs to broaden subject matters (CCSA)
•
Dealing with cost of adoption
– Legacy systems and standards must be maintained until all providers have phased out
non-SDMX dissemination
– Building SDMX knowledge in NSOs
– Provide shared tools to ease the move from legacy systems (such as the SDMX
Convertor)
•
Governance structure may need to evolve with take-up of SDMX by
more countries and IOs
Way Forward
The way forward – general considerations
• Near future should be consolidation phase
• Demonstrate real-life workability
• Involving more non-European countries and other
CCSA members
• Addresses practical implementation problems
• Provide practical guidance; revisit and consolidate
existing guidelines where required
• Clearer prioritisation of tasks developments
• Seek closer co-ordination with related initiatives, in
particular High Level Group on Modernisation of
Statistics
The way forward – specific issues
• Complete global DSDs for major statistical domains
– e.g. currently the SNA DSD can only code properly SNA 2008
data, and activity breakdowns with ISIC rev 4;
• Further integration with Statistical Information
Collaboration Community (SIS-CC)
• OECD.Stat fully SDMX compatible
• Use SDMX for PGI
Thank you!