Double-check the spelling

The ECB Data Portal search engine only generates exact hits, with the exception of conjugations. If you have not received any search results or only results that are unrelated to your query, you may wish to review the spelling of your search query.

British English

You may need to use British English for search terms in order to find the data you are looking for. Be careful of spelling differences, such as labour (British English) and labor (US English) and altogether different expressions, such as ordinary share (British English) and common stock (US English).

Using synonyms and umbrella terms

If your search did not return any results, it could be because of the search terms you used. You could, for example, search for “beverage” instead of its synonym “drink” to find other relevant results. Alternatively, you can also make a more general search using an umbrella term, for example “root vegetable” instead of “carrot”.

Plural vs singular

If you have conducted a search with the keywords in the plural form without success, try to search for the same keyword in the singular form. Search engines will generally return search results regardless of whether the plural or singular form of the search term is used, but there are sometimes exceptions to this.

Semantic ambiguity

Some English words have the same spelling but different meanings. The ECB Data Portal’s search engine cannot, for example, differentiate the meaning of the words “general” (broad, commonplace) and “general” (military commander), and will generate both results. You can further specify the semantics for a narrower result.