Introduction
This checklist is intended for the design and creation of new SDMX artefacts and the management of such a project. The main target audience is SDMX project managers and structural metadata artefact analysts/designers, though it may also be used for capacity building and to build technical knowledge methodically by referring to each phase's details.
The structure of the checklist is based, to the largest extent possible, on the UNECE Generic Statistical Business Process Model (GSBPM, version 5.0, released in December 2013).
The methodological aspects relating to the design of SDMX artefacts (e.g. creation of code lists or Data Structure Definitions) are addressed in various documents presented on the “Guidelines” page of the SDMX official website.
The checklist can be viewed:
- either as a "cookbook", used to know all the "ingredients" of an SDMX artefacts project, or;
- as an actual checklist, i.e. to make sure that all project phases have been considered in their usual order.
Unless otherwise specified, the presentation of the checklist follows the logical sequence of steps in most SDMX implementation projects. However, the checklist should be applied and interpreted flexibly; it is not a rigid framework in which all steps must be followed in a strict order; instead it identifies all the possible phases of an SDMX design project and the inter-dependencies between them. Importantly, this is not a "waterfall" model: some sub-processes will be revisited a number of times forming iterative loops; for example to fix issues from the pilot phases some re-design is required. Concepts can be added or removed in different loops during the development phase, e.g. in cases where composite dimensions with composite codes need to be decomposed or recomposed.
It should be noted that these guidelines do not interfere with general project management frameworks that might be in force locally within organisations. The main tasks described here are those which are specific to an SDMX design project.
Checklist for SDMX Data Providers
A specific checklist called “Checklist for SDMX Data Providers” has been developed to help statistical agencies implement the provision of SDMX data based on existing structures, such as Global DSDs.
Examples for using the checklist may be reporting data to international organisations (e.g. reporting of ESA 2010 to Eurostat), dissemination of national data using SDMX, or for international agreements (e.g. SDDS+ adherence in cooperation with IMF). It may be used by project managers to speed up implementations based on best practices. The checklist describes the various activities (the individual boxes) to be achieved, which are organised in process phases (the vertical pillars). The process phases are based on the UNECE Generic Statistical Business Process Model.
The checklist should be usable with most project management methodologies such as Waterfall, KANBAN, Scrum, etc. The document "checklist for data provider story.docx" contains a story on how to the checklist may be implemented.