Introduction

This module builds on the knowledge and skills previously acquired regarding SDMX structural modelling.

Statistical agencies, Central Banks, and other data-driven organisations need to collect data. MS Excel is a common tool used for this purpose.

A Reporting Template is a metadata driven MS Excel form. Reporting Templates enable data collectors to design and run efficient data collection processes using MS Excel XLSX documents. This approach makes it easy to validate these data, to integrate these data into production workflows, and to improve data quality. Reporting Templates enable data providers to report data in a simple and easy manner, whilst allowing data collectors to run efficient processes and manage data quality concerns.

Taking a model-based approach ensures that questionnaire design is aligned with the data model and that there are no inconsistencies which may result in a break in time series, aggregations which no longer have prerequisite input data, production outputs which are missing required inputs, or other data quality concerns.

In addition, a model-based approach allows all incoming data to be automatically subjected to nine quality-control checks before the scarcest and most critical resource, employees, start working with the data. The primary focus of this module is on template driven data collection using the Reporting Templates feature of the Fusion Metadata Registry (FMR). To illustrate the ease in which an SDMX dataflow can be transformed and reused in other production processes, the questionnaire data will be transformed, imported into .Stat-Suite and published in a data portal.

What you’ll learn

Learning Objectives

In this module, you will learn:

  • How model-based processes can improve efficiency and contribute to improving data quality.
  • The features and capabilities of FMR Reporting Templates.
  • The FMR web services relating to Reporting Templates.
  • The steps involved in creating an FMR Reporting Template and factors to consider.
  • How to validate data provided by data providers.
  • How data providers can validate their own data prior to sending, is a major gain in data quality and process efficiency efforts.

Prerequisites

You should already have a basic understanding of SDMX fundamentals and be familiar with the Fusion Metadata Registry (FMR) user interface.

Units in this module

Unit 1: Introduction to FMR Reporting Templates for Data Collection