Which are the available formats

The following formats are available for data download:

• Text (TSV or CSV) format

• JSON-STAT format

• XLSX format

• SDMX format

Text (TSV or CSV) format

TSV stands for Tab Separated Value. TSV file is a flat file, which uses the Tab character to delimit data and reports one time-series per line.

CSV stands for Comma Separated Value. CSV file is a flat file, which uses the comma (,) character to delimit data and reports one observation per line.

Both TSV and CSV files can be created and modified using spreadsheet software (like Microsoft Excel).

Here is an example of a TSV data file for a dataset with a single time series:

Here is an example of a data file for a dataset with multiple time series:

• First column - header line is written in upper case letters.

• First column - first line: sequence of codes separated by a comma followed by a code separated by a back slash (\).

The codes separated by a comma (,) are the identifiers of the dimensions. These are used to identify time series.

• Header line: the letter in the column FREQ represents the frequency.

• Time periods are sorted in ascending order.

• The notation for Time period code is:

  • Year: YYYY (example: 2018)

  • Semester: YYYY-SN (example: 2015-S1)

  • Quarter: YYYY-QN (example: 2015-Q1)

  • Month: YYYY-NN (example: 2015-01)

• Usage of colons :: A cell contains a colon if no value is available for a time period, i.e. the colon means not available.

• All other columns (except on the first line): values or colons (:). Flags are attached to values when they are available. The separator used between a value and a flag is a blank.

• The decimal symbol used is the dot (.).

• With a multiple time series:

  • In case there are two frequencies, e.g. A and M, then there are two distinct time series:

    • One time series for the annual data (FREQ = A)

    • One time series for the monthly data (FREQ = M)

  • For a time period that does not match the frequency indicated in the series key the colon means not applicable. As an example, if the series key indicates A (annual) as a frequency, there cannot be a value for a monthly time periods.

Here is an example with multiple time series:

Is to be understood as

JSON-STAT format

JSON-stat is a simple lightweight JSON dissemination format best suited for data visualisation, mobile apps or open data initiatives.

For more information about JSON-stat please visit json-stat.org.

XLSX (Spreadsheet) format

The XLSX is a format based on XML, that can be used by spreadsheet applications. The data are stored in a text file that uses XML to define all its parameters.

This format is only available for data sets whose size does not exceed 750,000 cells.

SDMX format

The Statistical Data and Metadata Exchange (SDMX) initiative is sponsored by seven institutions (the BIS, the ECB, Eurostat, the IMF, the OECD, the UN and the World Bank) in order to provide standards for the exchange of statistical information.

This standard describes and universalises the way to exchange statistical data, and provides standard formats for data and metadata, content guidelines as well as IT architecture for exchange of data and metadata.

The SDMX message formats have two basic expressions, SDMX-ML (using XML syntax) and SDMX-CSV (see specifications).