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Last update: 03/2004
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What is SERT?
Objectives
How does it work?
Achievements
Who benefits?
The role of IDA
Background information
Technical information
Documentation
What is SERT?
SERT involves the development of software modules to automate the production of statistical enquiries. It is a program of coherent and efficient actions which aims to progressively put into place bi-directional exchanges of information between enterprises and NSIs (National Statistic Institutes), with the help of data that are managed by the enterprises or their intermediaries (accountants, professional associations etc.).
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Objectives
SERT has three overall key objectives:
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To improve the quality and timeliness of statistical declarations;
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To increase the percentage of respondents (enterprises) using automatic means (software);
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To extend the impact of statistical surveys for which automatic means are available to respondents and the range of categories of enterprises able to use automatic means.
By meeting these objectives, financial burdens on enterprises and administrations will fall.
The SERT project, STIPES (Statistical Inquiries from Popular European Software), is developing software to convert output files from commercial software to required XML formats for statistical offices.
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How does it work?
A good example to understand how SERT works is to follow the development phases of the STIPES project.
In phase 1, a prototype was developed using EDISENT (a module, a piece of computer software which translates business information into information required by the statistical institute) to automate the process of extracting the data from enterprise IT systems, complete questionnaires and generate the required format for the resulting data to be sent electronically.
In phase 2 a prototype translator was developed for the conversion of structured data files, from a selected commercial software and a selected enterprise, to XML documents as required by e-Quest, the Austrian data collection system.
The final phase 3, completed in February 2004, has resulted in the further development of a "transformation program", a generic solution to convert output file formats to formats as required by statistical offices.
The tool includes a "Profile Editor" for creating and editing conversion profiles.
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Achievements
- The design allows for the conversion of a data source (e.g. text file, Excel, ODBC database, XML document) into target formats (e.g. CSV, XML, ODBC database). The tool will allow for varying levels of input/output (single/multiple input to single/multiple output).
Although the prototype has been developed to be integrated with the Austrian e-Quest data collection system, the design allows stand-alone operation or integration with other collection systems.
- The tool and source code, along with accompanying documentation, are available in the STIPES interest group on CIRCA .
A repository of Raw Data Collection Tools and Services, including STIPES, is currently being set up in the EDI & Statistics interest group on CIRCA, with public access.
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Who benefits?
Businesses: STIPES is a concrete software product assisting the completion of statistical enquiries by different types of enterprises. Enterprises will not have the burden of having to produce output file formats which are specific to the needs of statistical offices.
Public Administrations: The provision of an application to automate conversion of output files will encourage enterprises to produce electronic data, resulting in the collection of more accurate and timely data.
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The role of IDA
SERT relies heavily on EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) standardisation which is the subject of DSIS, another IDA project . The development of this project has been financed by a yearly contribution from IDA.
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Background information
Eurostat, the Community authority in the field of statistics, has manifold tasks, two of which are to collect from national statistical authorities and from secretariats of international organizations the data required for Community statistical purposes and to make Community statistics accessible, in accordance with the principles regarding dissemination, to the Community bodies, governments of the Member States, social and economic operators, academic circles and the public in general, in view of the formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of Community policies.
'Article 130 of the EC Treaty states that the Community and the Member States shall ensure that the conditions necessary for the competitiveness of the Community's industry exist. This implies the need at Community level for a range of harmonised industrial statistics in order to assess levels and trends in competitiveness' [Council Decision of 22/12/98 on the Community Statistical Programme 1998- 2002 (1999/126/EC)].
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Technical information
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Documentation: |
Print
SERT GIP - December 1999 (PDF)
