UN/Eurostat/OECD MSIS Meeting18-20 April 2005
Lee Samuelson (EXD/ITN) and Lars Thygesen (STD)
XML and Web Services in OECD’s Statistical
Information System
UN/Eurostat/OECD MSIS Meeting18-20 April 2005
SIS : An Environment for:
Collection, processing and validation of statistical data and metadata
Storage of validated data and metadata in a “warehouse”
Creation and dissemination of statistical products
UN/Eurostat/OECD MSIS Meeting18-20 April 2005
A Central Design Principle
Preserve the decentralised nature of directorates’ statistical activities……
…… while making their data and metadata part of a coherent corporate system
UN/Eurostat/OECD MSIS Meeting18-20 April 2005
A Modular Approach
OECD.Stat: “warehouse” for validated statistics and metadata
StatWorks: for data capture, processing, validation
MetaStore: for management of metadata
PubStat: for production of traditional publications
Browser: for online access
UN/Eurostat/OECD MSIS Meeting18-20 April 2005
Key Design Goals
“Loose coupling” of modules
XML is becoming global “lingua franca” for information exchange
=> XML a logical choice for information exchange within SIS
Standard method for retrieving data
Web services are a widely-accepted means of integrating processes
=> Web services a logical choice for data retrieval
UN/Eurostat/OECD MSIS Meeting18-20 April 2005
Architecture of the Statistical Information System
Production Storage Dissemination
Data ProductionEnvironments
(incl. StatWorks)
MetaStore
Metadata Production
Environment
XML
BrowserUser Interfaces
PubStat
Publication ManagementInterface
PublishedOutputs
Cubes
Web Services
OECD.Stat Corporate Data Warehouse
XML
UN/Eurostat/OECD MSIS Meeting18-20 April 2005
Examples : XML
OECD.Stat Entry Gate
– Creating, adding, updating, deleting– XML inputs from multiple sources– Monitoring and controlling– Flexibility as modules evolve
Data Provider Interface
UN/Eurostat/OECD MSIS Meeting18-20 April 2005
Examples : Web Services
Generating Statistical Outputs
– DatasetBrowser Web service• Allows a “requester” Web service to determine what information is
available in OECD.Stat, and how to retrieve it
– OutputGenerator Web service• Extracts data from OECD.Stat via the DatasetBrowser, and
converts resultant XML to one or more output forms; e.g. : – HTML
– Excel XML
– CSV text files
– PC Axis files
– SDMX (underway)
UN/Eurostat/OECD MSIS Meeting18-20 April 2005
Statistical Publications
Changing the way we work
– OECD.Stat as a single source of data– Use of XML and Web services
UN/Eurostat/OECD MSIS Meeting18-20 April 2005
A Close Look …….
Computer To Plate
Online (PDF and Excel)
Batchcomposition
XSLT
XML
Publications
FrameMakerExcel
Approved
PubStat
OECD.Stat
“Charte graphique”XML schemalayout
UN/Eurostat/OECD MSIS Meeting18-20 April 2005
Numerous Benefits
Standards => modern, common “look and feel” for statistical publications
More automated processes => reduced “time to publish”
Less manual intervention => reduced possibility of error
User-friendly authoring tools => easier creation of new publications
XML-based content => easy re-purposing of information
UN/Eurostat/OECD MSIS Meeting18-20 April 2005
XML and Web Services in Data Sharing
To be taken up at OECD Group of Experts Meeting
– SDMX
– Examples:• NAWWE• With IMF• With NSOs• UN/OECD World Trade Database
UN/Eurostat/OECD MSIS Meeting18-20 April 2005
Lee Samuelson (EXD/ITN) and Lars Thygesen (STD)
XML and Web Services in OECD’s Statistical
Information System