A) After you log in, the primary way to begin accessing data with the browser is to traverse the directory tree in the far left-hand box on the browser tab, much like one would traverse a file directory to locate a file. When an entry in the directory is preceded by a cylinder icon, this signifies a grouping of time series from which selections can be made: selecting such an item will cause one or more selection boxes to appear on the right.
For the BOP application...
The first three items below the root level of the directory tree are
- BOPS Country Data – Month, Year
- Balance of Payments World and Regional Data
- IIP Country Data – Month, Year
The next level (Country Tables, World Tables) of these three items provide access to the data via presentation tables similar to the country tables and world and regional tables found in the
Balance of Payments Yearbook (BOPSY) print publication. You can retrieve any of these tables in their entirety (using the Retrieve Table button), or you can retrieve selected individual series from any of these tables (by selecting the series and using the Add and Retrieve buttons). For each item in the level below the root of the directory tree, the Economic Concept View provides a means of selecting one or more concepts across one or more selected countries.
For the DOT application...
The first item below the root level of the directory tree is the Economic Concept View. This provides a means
of selecting one or more concepts (Exports; Imports, c.i.f; and Imports, f.o.b.) across one or more selected countries.
The second and third items (the Country Tables and World and Area Tables views) provide access to the data via presentation
tables similar to the country tables and world and area tables found in the Direction of Trade Statistics
Yearbook (DOTSY) and Direction of Trade Quarterly (DOTQ) print publications. You can retrieve any of these
tables in their entirety (using the Retrieve Table Button), or you can retrieve selected individual series from
any table (by selecting the series and using the Add and Retrieve Buttons).
The next item is the Cross-Country Matrix View. You have the capability of building a matrix of reporter and partner countries for a single date and concept.
For the IFS application...
The first three items in the top level of the directory tree (Country Tables, World Tables, and Commodity Prices)
provide access to the data via presentation tables similar to the Country Tables or World and Area Tables found
in the International Financial Statistics (IFS) print publication. You can retrieve any of these tables
in their entirety (using the Retrieve Table Button), or you can retrieve selected individual series from any table
(by selecting the series and using the Add and Retrieve Buttons). The fourth top-level entry in the directory
tree (Economic Concept View) provides a means for you to select one or more concepts across one or more selected countries.
The Search Tab provides an alternate means of accessing the database, using the structure of the time series codes or names.
Support
Q) Whom do I contact for support?
A) For subscription rates and inquiries regarding your subscription,
you may contact:
Publication Services
International Monetary Fund
Washington, D.C. 20431 U.S.A.
Telephone
+1 202
-623-7430
Facsimile +1 202
-623-7201
E-mail
publications@imf.org
For technical clarification and
inquiries relating to the data, you may contact:
Statistics Department
International Monetary Fund
Washington, D.C. 20431 U.S.A.
Facsimile
+1 202
-623-6460
E-mail
statisticsquery@imf.orgHelp
Q) What Browser help files are available?
A) Help files are available for each Browser when you click the Question Mark icon in the
upper, right corner of the Browser. You can also access a help file for each of
IFS,
DOT, and
BOP
by clicking the links on the database names in this sentence.
Tutorials
Q) What do the tutorials cover and how do I use them?
A) To access the tutorials, you can either a) use the second-level menu that will appear under the IMF Statistical Databases menu bar when you hover your mouse cursor over the word Tutorials or b) use the links below. In both cases, the tutorial you choose will open in a separate browser window.
The tutorials are recorded in Shockwave Flash format. If you do not have a Flash player installed, your Web browser should prompt you to install the player. For information, see http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/.
The tutorials cover basic Browser functions:
A Browser Introduction tutorial is available for each of IFS, DOT, and BOP. The rest of the functions are
generic (the same for each database); thus a single tutorial is available for each function that is independent of particular databases.
Statistical Data Browser
Q) What output formats are supported?
A) You can view or download the retrieved time series data in the following formats:
- Comma Separated Value file
- Microsoft Excel file (Excel 2000/XP)
- HTML file
- Tab delimited file
After you select and retrieve series, the interface will ask you to select one or more of these output formats by ticking boxes next to the formats that interest you. You will then be given a page of links to the generated data files. Click on a link to view the file in the Web browser or a desktop application or download it to your computer. The action depends on your Web-browser settings.
Q) Can I export an entire database?
A) No. The online applications do not allow you to export (download) an entire database.
If you wish to work with an entire database, you may wish to acquire an IFS, DOT, or BOP CD-ROM.
Q) What is the limit on the number of time series I can retrieve at a time?
A) In principle, no limit exists on the number of series you can retrieve. In practice, if you wish to retrieve a large number of series, you will find it more convenient to acquire the IFS, DOT, or BOP CD-ROM.
Q) How do I save a series selection for reuse?
A) After you select series for retrieval, you will reach an Output Format selection screen. Use the "Save currently selected series for later file generation" option. You will then be able to select additional series and retrieve newly selected and previously selected series into a new output file.
To see currently selected series, use the magnifying-glass icon in the upper, right corner of the Browser application. Using the window that will open, you can remove one or more series from the selection.
Note that this function will not preserve selections from one Browser session to the next.
Q) Can I search on the time series descriptor text?
A) No. You can search only on the country, subject, and partner code fields within the time
series code.
To search the database using time series codes (time series names),
- click on the Search-function button,
- enter desired strings including wildcards in time series key sub-fields, according to naming conventions
of time series, or select the desired country, subject, and/or partner countries from the drop-down lists,
- click on Search form-submission button beneath the search fields to return a list of time series matching wildcard specification,
- select (tick) the desired series within the list of found series or use the checkmark icon to select all, and
- click the Plus icon to add the series to the current selection.
Q) Is there a way to select or create my own country groups for selection?
A) No. However, this function is possible with the CD-ROM applications.
Q) Can I view tables in the same format as the printed IFS, DOT, and BOP yearbook pages?
A) Yes. The Country Tables and World and Area Tables provide standard presentation tables
in a format similar to that presented in the yearbooks. For IFS, you can navigate to the print-formatted versions in the PDFs and Documents section of the Browse screen.
Data Topics
Data Sets
Q) What is the difference between IFS and WEO data?
A) The data published in IFS by the IMF Statistics Department come from member country
statistical authorities (e.g., central bank, finance ministry, etc.). The data published in the WEO
publication by the IMF Research Department come from information gathered by the IMF country desk officers at
the time of the WEO exercise. Because of differences in data collection techniques, methodological issues,
focus, and timing, the data in IFS and WEO may differ.
Q) Are all the time series available through the Economic Concept View?
A) Yes. This view allows the retrieval of similar concepts across a number of countries for a given concept, to the extent they exist.
The Economic Concept View typically lists different codes at the individual series level that fall within
a particular concept grouping. For each code, a count of the number of countries for which the series exists
is displayed to the right of the partner country in the concept selection box. You may select multiple concept
groupings within the Countries and Concepts list boxes by using Ctrl-Click, Shift-Click, and holding the mouse
button while dragging the mouse cursor. You may then view the union of series for each of the chosen concept
groupings and countries for selection.
Note that data for a limited number of countries are available for a given concept.
Q) Does the coverage of data match the coverage of the printed IFS, DOT, and BOP publications and yearbooks?
A) Yes. IFS Online coverage matches the printed monthly IFS publication. IFS
Online includes all series appearing on the monthly IFS publication
country pages as well as series from the World Tables. (The printed
IFSY has a few more world tables that are not in IFS Online.)
BOP Online coverage matches the printed BOP Yearbook (BOPSY). They have the same country pages and world
tables.
DOT Online coverage matches the printed DOT yearbook (DOTSY). They have the same country pages and world
tables.
The online databases host the same series content as the CD-ROM products as well.
Timing of Data Updates
Q) How often are the online IFS, BOP, and DOT updated?
A) Online IFS, BOP, and DOT are updated once a month; the updated online databases are posted on the Web on the first of each month.
Q) It looks like data in IFS lag compared to data that are reported by other data providers. Why are data in the IFS not timely?
A) Please keep in mind that unlike commercial data providers who update their databases
right after the government's data are released, the IMF relies on countries to report data on a monthly schedule. Once the data are reviewed and validated, they will appear in IFS. This inevitably causes a lag in data compared to the actual data point available.
Exchange Rates
Q) Do you have daily exchange rate data?
Q) Why don't you have nominal and real effective exchange rates for all the countries?
A) Country coverage varies; some country authorities have requested that the IMF not publish their data and make it available to the public.
Country Coverage
Q) Which countries are included in the IFS and DOT group of oil exporting countries?
A) The countries are: Algeria, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela.
Q) Are Taiwan data included in China data?
A) No, Taiwan data are not included in China Mainland data.
Q) Why don't you have Taiwan in IFS, BOP, and DOT?
A) Per Chinese authorities' request, data for Taiwan, Province of China are not published on country pages in the print edition, CD-ROM, or online versions for IFS, BOP, and DOT. The data are made available only as an individual line item in (1) the yearbooks' world table section for the databases mentioned above and (2) the reserves and exports/imports tables in the monthly IFS world table section.
GDP
Q) I am trying to compare GDP across all countries. Do you have GDP in U.S. dollars for all countries?
A) GDP data in IFS are in national currencies. You can convert GDP data from a national
currency to U.S. dollars by taking the GDP and exchange rate data from IFS. You may also find GDP in U.S.
dollars in the Research Department's World Economic Outlook (WEO) database at
http://www.imf.org/external/ns/cs.aspx?id=28Q) Do you have world GDP?
Q) Do you have GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)?
Q) Can I find GDP at constant prices in IFS?
A) Yes. We publish real GDP in index form, called GDP volume, in IFS.
Q) I'm looking for forecast data for GDP. Do you have it?
Balance of Payments and Remittances
Q) I'm looking for remittance data. Where can I find it?
A) Data on workers' remittances at the country level are available in BOP.
Q) Do you have bilateral balance of payments data?
A) We carry balance of payments data for each country and for world/regions only. We do not carry bilateral balance of payments data.
Imports and Exports
Q) Do you have exports/imports by commodity?
A) We neither collect nor publish trade by commodity. However, the United Nations maintains a Commodity Trade Statistics database at
http://comtrade.un.org/Q) Do you have exports and imports of a country by trading partner?
A) Yes, DOT has merchandise exports and imports between each country and all its trading partners.
Q) Why don't exports of country A match the imports of country B in DOT?
A) Several complications can cause inconsistency between exports to a partner and the partner's recorded imports f.o.b., or between imports f.o.b. from a partner and the partner's recorded exports. The principal reasons for inconsistent statistics on destination and origin for a given shipment are differences in 1) classification concepts and detail, 2) time of recording, 3) valuation, and 4) coverage, as well as 5) processing errors.
Q) Are the exports/imports data in DOT reported in US dollars in nominal or real terms?
A) All data are expressed in US dollars in nominal terms.
Q) Which countries are included in the IFS and DOT group of oil exporting countries?
A) The countries in this group are Algeria, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela.
Q) Are the merchandise exports/imports data for goods only or for goods and services?
A) Exports and imports data are for goods only.
