There are a few things you should know about the application before proceeding.
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Designed for customized data downloads
The application was not designed for large data transfers. Downloading a large number of series may affect performance.
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One frequency per download
To ensure quick downloads and usable output formats, the application will only allow users to download data of a single frequency (daily, monthly, quarterly, etc.) in a single output file.
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Data are only available as currently published
There are no reporting, graphing, or analytical tools available in the application. All data are reported as currently defined. Pre-revision or real time data are not available.
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Large files may cause problems for Excel
Excel has a limit of 256 columns. If a file downloaded in either the Excel 2003 or CSV (comma-serparated values) file type exceeds 256 columns, it may not open correctly in Excel..
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Package creation may take time
The application may require several minutes to create custom data packages. In general, the more data you request, the longer it will take the application to create your package.
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Accessibility
The application is designed to be compatible with screen readers and includes navigation that does not require the use of a mouse or monitor.
Information about specific steps of the download process is available throughout the application in the "Learn More" sections.
Build your data package by selecting your data, choosing its format and date range, and downloading the file. To begin this process press the "Go to select" button.
OR
Select a preformatted data package by selecting a package from the list provided and then pressing the "Go to download" button.
To see a list of the data series in the package, press the "Review package" button from the Download screen.
Note: You cannot edit the contents of a preformatted data package.
Press the "Download file" button to retrieve your data file.
OR
Download all the data associated with a particular statistical release in a single XML file that has been formatted according to the SDMX data standard. Click on the "Download all ..." link to access a "zipped" or compressed file that contains the data in XML format and supporting files for processing the data. If you do not have a utility to open a "zipped" file, a link to the free PKWare software is provided.
- Select an option in each of the numbered boxes.
- Press the control key on your keyboard to select more than one entry in the box.
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Press the "Continue" button to move to the next box.
Note: You will not be able to move to the next box without pressing the "Continue" button.
- The number of boxes will change based on your selections.
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The green arrow on the left side of your screen shows you the current box to
review.
Once you have made all of your selections, press the "Add to package" button.
A box will now appear on the right side of the screen. This box displays the
number of data series currently in your package and the frequency of those
data series. You can remove and review the contents of your data
package.
Note: When selecting additional data series, you are limited to selecting
series that have the same frequency as the data that are already in your
package.
OR
press the "Review Package" button from the Format or Download screens.
A small window will open with a table of the last 20 observations of the data series you have selected.
To remove a data series from your package from the Review screen, uncheck the box in the include column and press the "Refresh package" button.
Once you have completed editing your package, the message above the review table will tell you how many series you have in your package and you will be able to continue to the Format screen.
Press the "Go to format" button to continue to download.
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CSV (comma-separated values)
Files of this type contain tabular data separated by commas with strings enclosed in double quotes (").
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Excel (Excel 2003)
Excel requires that you have Excel 2003 or newer. Older versions of Excel will be compatible with CSV.
Note: For more information and potential limitations of Excel format please select working with Excel
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XML (SDMX)
Files of this type contain data conforming to the Statistical Data and Metadata eXchange (SDMX ) data standard and use the compact schema representation. Supporting schema and structure files are available on the Download screen when this file type is selected.
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Series in Columns
The name of the data series is across the top of the file and the dates are shown down the first column.
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Series in Rows
The dates are across the top and the names of the data series are shown down the first column.
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Series as Lists
Each data series is given as date/observation pairs laid out one after another.
When formatting is complete press the "Go to download" button
To preview the final data package click the "preview sample" link. A small
window will open with a preview of your package.
Note: The preview will only show up to the first 13 observations. The
data series will appear in rows regardless of the layout you have
chosen.
To reformat the data package, press the "Change format" button.
The links to files listed in this section provide the data structure definitions and other structural information needed for validating the XML files according to the SDMX data standard.
The files provided include:
- A single FRB common schema file which outlines data information common to all Federal Reserve Board data available through the Data Download Program.
- A structure file associated with a particular release which describes the organization of the data for that release.
- One or more schema files describing the organization for each data set from which you have chosen data.
The remaining links take you to SDMX related information on the SDMX website. More information on SDMX specifications and how to use the schema and structure files is available from the SDMX website.
If you have formatted your package by number of observations or if you are downloading a preformatted package, you can return to this page to retrieve the most recent data as it becomes available. Use the menu options in your browser to bookmark the page. Packages formatted by dates will only show data for those dates.
