United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Statistical Division The Importance of Databases in the Dissemination Process Steven Vale, UNECE

Steven Vale - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 201 November 2015 Contents  How are data currently disseminated?  Advantages and disadvantages of different approaches  Introduction to data cubes  Good practices

Steven Vale - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 301 November 2015 Dissemination Practices  Web sites of statistical agencies for all 56 UNECE member countries checked during spring  Data dissemination systems and formats recorded.  Not possible to check all national language versions of websites.

Steven Vale - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 401 November 2015 Results Internet Dissemination Tools Number of Countries % Static html / pdf / word pages2951.8% Excel spreadsheets1221.4% National database software1730.4% PC-Axis1221.4% Statbank / PC-Axis35.4% SuperWEB23.6%

Steven Vale - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 501 November 2015 Static html / pdf / word Pages

Steven Vale - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 601 November 2015 Static html / pdf / word Pages  Advantages Quick, easy and cheap to prepare Data at a glance Possible to combine tables, graphics and text Html and pdf viewers are free  Disadvantages Only a picture - users can not easily download or manipulate data Manual updates

Steven Vale - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 701 November 2015 Excel Spreadsheets

Steven Vale - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 801 November 2015 Excel Spreadsheets  Advantages Users can download and customize data Most common format for basic data analysis  Disadvantages Excel software is not cheap! Manual updates User has to download the whole file

Steven Vale - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 901 November 2015 Output Databases

Steven Vale - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 1001 November 2015 Output Databases  Advantages Interactive with flexible outputs User friendly (usually!) Can be tailored to national requirements Some generic systems available  Disadvantages Can be expensive to develop and maintain, particularly if you develop your own system

Steven Vale - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 1101 November 2015 What Do Users Want?  Depends on the type of user  Quick access to key figures  Options to select and manipulate data  Easy export to own analysis packages  Graphic visualizations (maps, charts,..)  Appropriate metadata  Multiple languages

Steven Vale - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 1201 November 2015 What is a Data Cube?  A multi-dimensional structure containing data points that represent unique combinations of several classifications  A flexible way of storing and disseminating data

Steven Vale - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 1301 November 2015 Two-dimensional Cube Year Country AAA BBB CCC

Steven Vale - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 1401 November 2015 Three- dimensional Cube

Steven Vale - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 1501 November 2015 More dimensions are possible, but not easy to display!

Steven Vale - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 1601 November 2015 Why Data Cubes are Important  Many statistical data management models and systems are based on cubes  Users can select just those data that are of interest  Cubes can easily be expanded, e.g. for extra years, countries, or other categories  At least in theory, cubes can have an infinite number of dimensions

Steven Vale - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 1701 November 2015 Good Practices  Static tables can be useful for key figures  For detailed or large datasets, allow users to create and manipulate their own tables  Store data as multi-dimensional cubes  Offer graphic visualizations  Allow users to download data in a range of formats (including SDMX)

Steven Vale - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 1801 November 2015 Good Practices (2)  Link data and metadata  Share development in an open-source environment or network, with an electronic forum for discussions and questions  Don’t try to re-invent the wheel!

Steven Vale - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 1901 November 2015 Thank you for listening Questions?