1. SDMX for International trade – creating a data sharing environment
September 2006

2. OECD’s SDMX work Promoting SDMX as the world standard
Trying to generalise formats
away from stove-pipes
Using SDMX in and out of OECD.Stat
SDMX web service
ComTrade with UNSD
NAWWE
Exchange with IMF and other IOs
Country pilots
Education ?
September 2006

3. ComTrade Mirroring trade databases of UNSD and OECD
A production application, based on SDMX data exchange format and web services
SDMX cross-sectional format – V1.0
Rapid - exchange can be compressed by web service
Upload/synchronise with SQL database - no specialised SDMX knowledge necessary for end-users
SDMX is becoming “just a part of the plumbing”
September 2006

4. Member country Member country
DES - Data Exchange &
Synchronisation
Disseminate
Disseminate
Working
Working
Working
Working
Database
Dissemination
Dissemination
Database
Dissemination
Dissemination
Database
Database
Database
Database
Database
Database
Process
Process
Member
country
Member
country
Data Access
Data capture:
Contributors generally send annual data plain text, Excel or .DBF (Foxpro) files
MS Access is used for intermediate storage before loading to SQL Server
SQL Server is used for working and dissemination databases
Countries generally send H1 or H2 format (can go to 10-digit classification)
Correspondance tables/mapping exists to go from one classification to another
OECD uses also the ISIC classification (in STI)
Data Flow formats:
OECD and UNSD databases are kept synchronised through bi-directional data transfers
Format is SDMX V1.0 cross-sectional schema format
Incoming data is converted in CSV format for loading into destination database
Same data format is used for transfer from working to destination database
OECD publications:
Data for 2005 start arriving in Spring 2006
Publication of data for groups of countries according to availability
OECD publishes OECD-only data in SITC format, 5 paper publications in all
Also 6 CDs including historical data
Data capture
Data capture
September 2006

5. Perspective Countries use same standard message as UN and OECD
Can be generated from database
Countries can post data on web site (pull)
- or they can send it (push)
September 2006

6. Tour
Europe
The End
September 2006