SDMX user guide

1
OECD Expert Group onStatistical Data and
Metadata Exchange (10-11 May 2007)
Part 2 Update on the technical standards,
guidelines and tools SDMX User Guide John
Allen john.allen_at_ec.europa.eu Marco
Pellegrino marco.pellegrino_at_ec.europa.eu
2
What is the SDMX User Guide?

• The User Guide aims at providing explanations and
  guidance to users and potential users of SDMX
• It includes
• basic tutorials
• guidance on how to make use of SDMX in tipical
  situations
• examples
• answers to Frequently Asked Questions

3
The SDMX User Guide is not ...

• not a reference manual
• does not replace the official SDMX standards and
  guidelines which are the definitive reference on
  SDMX
• does not describe specific implementation projects

4
Structure of the SDMX User Guide
1. Getting started Takes potential users of SDMX through the first steps in using SDMX to structure data and metadata.
2. Tutorial data structure definitions Gives further explanations about data structure definitions
3. Tutorial SDMX registries Explains what an SDMX Registry is and what it does
4. Data on the web using SDMX Explains the scenarios for using SDMX to publish statistics on the Internet
5. Common tasks for SDMX users Describes a set of typical tasks which users of the SDMX standards might wish to perform
6. Frequently Asked Questions Gives answers to common questions about SDMX
5
Getting started first steps in using SDMX

1. Overview
2. What is SDMX?
3. What are the goals of SDMX?
4. When can SDMX be used? Box push and pull
5. What kinds of metadata can be exchanged with
   SDMX?Box Structural and reference metadata
6. First steps in using SDMX Box XML technologies
7. First steps in structuring data Box
   Definitions
8. Understanding data structure definitions
9. The different kinds of standard messages
10. Deriving one SDMX-ML message from another
11. Reference metadataBox Elements for Metadata
    Structure Definitions

6
Where can I find the SDMX User Guide?

• Working draft (release 2007.1) prepared for the
  SDMX Conference in January 2007 can be downloaded
  from the SDMX website at
• http//sdmx.org/?p22
• Note This page does not provide the examples
  which accompany the User Guide. In the near
  future, the User Guide will have its own page on
  the SDMX website, with examples files and other
  supplementary material.

7
What is the future of the SDMX User Guide?

• The SDMX Advocacy Group (composed of volunteers
  from SDMX sponsoring organisations) is working on
  the next release of the User Guide
• It will include new material contributed by
  organisations working with SDMX and based on
  real-world experience using SDMX
• Comments on the User Guide and proposals for
  contributions can be sent to the SDMX Secretariat
  - User Guide Contact Point john.allen_at_ec.europa.e
  u
• When sending comments, please state which version
  of the User Guide your comments refer to (e.g.
  2007.1)