Electronic data reporting (EDR),metadata,standards and the European statistical system (ESS)

Abstract

We are living in a fast changing world, especially in the ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) sector. In this difficult environment people like to use buzzwords and acronyms – in the title of this paper you find some of them used a lot in the statistical context. It is no problem to add more: CASI, CSAQ, EDI, XML, XBRL – all of them and many more will appear in this article (and in the glossary).

It is not always easy for statisticians and ICT specialists to understand each other. However, ICT is needed to automate statistical data reporting in order to save resources and improve processes – so both communities are condemned to co-operate. In this scenario, a third area with yet another jargon is playing an important role, namely e-business: more and more, statistical EDR is using e-business tools and methods, like for example EDIFACT or ebXML. This paper tries to shed some light on the ICT and e-business aspects of statistical data reporting.

The questions addressed in this paper include: What is EDR? What is metadata for EDR? Which metadata standards for EDR are available or coming up? And how is the ESS concerned or involved? The current situation of EDI standardisation is examined in more detail: the transition from EDIFACT to XML and the adoption of ebXML for the ESS.