SDMX facilitates the exchange of information between international organisations and data providers.
Statistics and information
Last update: 22/07/2022
SDMX standard for Statistical Data and Metadata eXchange
Eurostat is one of the sponsors of the SDMX (Statistical Data and Metadata eXchange) initiative that aims at standardising and modernising (“industrialising”) the mechanisms and processes for the exchange of statistical data and metadata among international organisations and their member countries. The other sponsors of SDMX are the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), the European Central Bank (ECB), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Statistical Division (UNSD), and the World Bank. In short SDMX is…
Statistics and information
Last update: 22/07/2022
Reference metadata reporting standards
Reference metadata reporting standards This section covers the two main standards used within the European Statistical System (ESS) to describe the data sets disseminated on Eurostat's website, both in terms of content and quality. This specific type of information is called reference metadata. ESMS (Euro SDMX Metadata Structure) files are standardised, user-oriented files used for describing the statistical data sets published by Eurostat on its website. The purpose of the ESMS files is to document the methodologies, the quality aspects, and the statistical production processes in general…
Statistics and information
Last update: 22/07/2022
Statistical concepts
Glossaries are useful for identifying and acquiring the vocabulary of a given domain. They are also essential tools to improve linguistic interoperability. The CODED database (COncepts and DEfinitions Database) contains more than 12,000 definitions of key terminology and concepts used within the European Statistical System (ESS) and outside, and relating closely or loosely to statistics. These concepts cover all statistics domains (e.g. agriculture, economy, environment, culture, etc.) and are taken from many official sources (e.g. statistical methodological manuals, Official Journal of the…
Statistics and information
Last update: 22/07/2022
Standard Code Lists (SCLs)
Code lists are a type of controlled vocabulary containing a finite list of codes and meanings that represent the only allowed values for a particular data item. Standard Code Lists are cross-domain code lists used in Eurostat's reference database, recommended for production databases and data transmission. They are used to operationalise statistical classifications from data collection to dissemination. Code lists can also exist without classifications, especially when serving as structural metadata for the dissemination of statistical data. The RAMON server hosts hundreds of SCLs covering…
Statistics and information
Last update: 22/07/2022
Correspondence tables between statistical classifications
RAMON, Eurostat's metadata server, provides access to hundreds of correspondence tables between the main international statistical classifications which form the basis for data collection, compilation and dissemination in every area of statistics. Correspondence tables provide bridges between different classifications or between different versions of a given classification. Such tools are used by researchers, analysts and others to compare datasets compiled on the basis of different classification systems. The RAMON server covers not only correspondence tables between EU classifications but…
Statistics and information
Last update: 22/07/2022
International Statistical Classifications for Official Statistics
RAMON, Eurostat's metadata server, covers the main international statistical classifications which form the basis for data collection, compilation and dissemination in every area of statistics. They provide standardised concepts used to describe phenomena such as economic activity, products, expenditures, occupation or health. They are necessary to consistently measure these phenomena within and across countries and geographical regions. International reference classifications set standards for internationally comparable classifications, which in turn serve as models for the development of…