How is data described in ARAD?

The indicator is the basic element of the ARAD database. Indicators are organised in a hierarchical navigation tree that groups them logically and lets you browse individual data domains.

Indicator details

The indicator details provide a description of an individual indicator. They include its full description, dimensions, methodological information, unit, frequency and location in the tree.

How an indicator is described

An indicator is described by an economic object, called its base, combined with one or more attributes, called dimensions, which further specify the indicator. Each base uses a consistent set of dimensions. In other words, indicators defined by the same base are described using the same parameters.

Examples of bases include a loan, a price index or GDP. These are further described by dimension values such as the sector, loan maturity, index type or whether the data is seasonally adjusted.

What are data descriptions used for?

Data descriptions primarily explain an indicator’s content clearly and precisely. The dimensional description also underpins browsing in the ARAD database.

The hierarchical tree provides basic navigation to a data domain. From a certain level, the system offers filters by dimension, distinguishing between dimensions shared by all indicators and those specific to only some indicators.

The numbers in brackets next to dimension values and indicator bases are useful when browsing. They show how many indicators are available for the selected combination.

Dimensional description

The dimensional description combines the base and individual dimensions into the full indicator name. This makes it easier to filter indicators and work with variants within sets.

Dimensions can describe, for example, the item type, sector, currency, counterparty, frequency, nature of the indicator or other economically meaningful breakdowns.