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Metadata

Basics

All metadata can be retrieved using the query string below. Learn about the SDMX standard and SDMX metadata here.

protocol://wsEntryPoint/resource/agencyID/resourceID/version?detail=value&references=value

Syntax definition

Protocol
As of 28 January 2021 the web service is only available over `https`. `http` calls made via a browser will be automatically redirected to `https`.

wsEntryPoint
The web service entry point is available at the following location: `https://data-api.ecb.europa.eu/service/`

resource
The following resources (also known as artefacts) are supported by the web service, though not all of them are currently used: `datastructure`, `metadatastructure`, `categoryscheme`, `Conceptscheme`, `codelist`, `hierarchicalcodelist`, `organisationscheme`, `agencyscheme`, `dataproviderscheme`, `dataconsumerscheme`, `organisationunitscheme`, `dataflow`, `metadataflow`, `reportingtaxonomy`, `provisionagreement`, `structureset`, `process`, `categorisation`, `contentconstraint`, `attachmentconstraint` and `structure`.

agencyID (Identifying the maintainer)
Organisations defining metadata are known as agencies in SDMX. In order to retrieve an artefact, you should know the identifier of its maintainer.

resourceID (Identifying the artefact)
The `identifier` of the resource, such as `CL_FREQ` for the frequency codelist maintained by the ECB.

version (Getting the right version)
The `version` of the artefact to be returned. When the version number is not supplied, the latest version is returned.

detail (Defining the amount of detail)
Using the `detail` parameter, you can specify the desired amount of information to be returned. For example, it is possible to instruct the web service to return only basic information about the resource (i.e. its `id`, `agency id`, `version` and `name`. This is also known as a stub in SDMX). The allowed values are: `full`: all available information for all artefacts will be returned. This is the default. `allstubs`: all artefacts will be returned as stubs. `referencestubs`: the referenced artefacts will be returned as stubs.

Caption
Using the `references` parameter, you can instruct the web service to return (or exclude) the artefacts that use or are referenced by the artefact matching the query. This includes, for example, the codelists and Concepts used by the DSD matching the query. You can also retrieve the artefacts that use the matching artefact, such as the Dataflows that use the DSD matching the query. Possible values are: `none`: no references will be returned. This is the default. `parents`: the artefacts that use the artefact matching the query (for example, the Dataflows that use the DSD matching the query) will be returned. `parentsandsiblings`: the artefacts that use the artefact matching the query, as well as the artefacts referenced by these artefacts, will be returned. `children`: the artefacts referenced by the matching artefact (for example, the Concept schemes and codelists used in a DSD) will be returned. `descendants`: references of references, up to any level, will also be returned. `all`: The combination of `parentsandsiblings` and `descendants`. In addition, a concrete type of resource, may also be used (for example, References=Codelist).

Examples

Retrieve version **1.0** of the DSD with id **ECB_EXR1** maintained by the **ECB**, as well as the codelists and the Concepts used in the DSD
`wget -O md.xml --header 'authorization: Basic ZXV1c2VybmFtZTpwYXNzd29yZA==' https://data-api.ecb.europa.eu/service/datastructure/ECB/ECB_EXR1/1.0?references=children`

Retrieve the latest version in production of the DSD with id **ECB_EXR1** maintained by the **ECB**, without the codelists and Concepts of the DSD
`wget -O md.xml --header 'authorization: Basic ZXV1c2VybmFtZTpwYXNzd29yZA==' https://data-api.ecb.europa.eu/service/datastructure/ECB/ECB_EXR1`

You can also use the keyword **latest**:
`wget -O md.xml --header 'authorization: Basic ZXV1c2VybmFtZTpwYXNzd29yZA==' https://data-api.ecb.europa.eu/service/datastructure/ECB/ECB_EXR1/latest`

Retrieve all DSDs maintained by the **ECB**, as well as the Dataflows using these DSDs
`wget -O md.xml --header 'authorization: Basic ZXV1c2VybmFtZTpwYXNzd29yZA==' https://data-api.ecb.europa.eu/service/datastructure/ECB?references=dataflow`

You can also use the keywords **all** and **latest**:
`wget -O md.xml --header 'authorization: Basic ZXV1c2VybmFtZTpwYXNzd29yZA==' https://data-api.ecb.europa.eu/service/datastructure/ECB/all/latest?references=dataflow`

Retrieve the **latest** version in production of **all** codelists maintained by all maintenance agencies, but without the codes
`wget -O md.xml --header 'authorization: Basic ZXV1c2VybmFtZTpwYXNzd29yZA==' https://data-api.ecb.europa.eu/service/codelist?detail=allstubs`

You can also use the **all** and **latest** keywords:
`wget -O md.xml --header 'authorization: Basic ZXV1c2VybmFtZTpwYXNzd29yZA==' https://data-api.ecb.europa.eu/service/codelist/all/all/latest?detail=allstubs`

The **structure** keyword can be used to retrieve metadata regardless of their type (codelist, Concept scheme, etc.). For example, the following string retrieves the **latest** version in production of **all** maintainable artefacts maintained by the **ECB** as stubs:
`wget -O md.xml --header 'authorization: Basic ZXV1c2VybmFtZTpwYXNzd29yZA==' https://data-api.ecb.europa.eu/service/structure/ECB?detail=allstubs`

Again, you can also use the **all** and **latest** keywords:
`wget -O md.xml --header 'authorization: Basic ZXV1c2VybmFtZTpwYXNzd29yZA==' https://data-api.ecb.europa.eu/service/structure/ECB/all/latest?detail=allstubs`

Nothing in data comparison