Concept Scheme V10
Link to sdmx_2.1_Section2_Informations model
Link to sdmx_2.1_Section6_Technical Notes
Contents
Overview
A Concept Scheme holds descriptive information for an arrangement or division of concepts into groups based on characteristics, which the objects have in common.
Structure Properties
| Structure Type | Standard SDMX Structural Metadata Artefact |
|---|---|
| Maintainable | Yes |
| Identifiable | Yes |
| Item Scheme | Yes |
| SDMX Information Model Versions | 1.0, 2.0, 2.1 |
| URN - ConceptScheme namespace | urn:sdmx:org.sdmx.infomodel.conceptscheme.ConceptScheme |
| URN - concept namespace | urn:sdmx:org.sdmx.infomodel.concept.Concept |
Context within the SDMX 2.1 Information Model
Usage
Concepts are used by Dimensions, Attributes, Measures, and Metadata Attributes to provide them with a semantic meaning. Concepts can also be used to define a default representation, for example it is possible to link the Concept of Frequency to a Codelist containing all the Frequency Codes, any structure using the Concept will inherit the default representation.
Conventions
Concept Scheme IDs IDs are conventionally uppercase using underscores '_' as separators if required. Examples:
| Agency | Concept Scheme ID | Description | SDMX-ML |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESTAT | CS_NA | List of concepts for National Accounts DSDs | SDMX-ML |
| UIS | CS_BOP | Balance of Payments Concept Scheme | SDMX-ML |
| IMF | CS_EDUC_UOE | EDUC_UOE Concept Scheme | SDMX-ML |
| SDMX | CROSS_DOMAIN_CONCEPTS | SDMX Gross Domain Concept Scheme | SDMX-ML |
'CL_' Codelist ID Prefix
Codelist IDs are given a 'CL_' prefix to distinguish them from other structures. For instance: CL_FREQ, CL_REF_AREA, CL_AGE.
Code ID Conventions
Codes can take any legal SDMX ID. But there are several conventions that should be taken into account when choosing Code IDs:
| Uppercase | By convention, Code ID's are in uppercase such as 'ABC'. Lower case Codes are valid (for example 'abc'), but care should be taken in their use to avoid confusion. |
| '_Z' Code | The '_Z' code is conventionally used for the Undefined and Unknown classification. |
| 'TOTAL' Code | The 'TOTAL' code represents the total or sum of the dimension. For a 'country' dimension, series with TOTAL would indicate the sum of observation values for all countries. |
=Other - Dependent on the Structure)
