Question
Advance release calendars for each Data Buffet time series may be read through Mnemonic 411.
Answer
Every time series in Data Buffet contains data (values over time), but also metadata. Parts of the metadata are displayed in each module (View, Basket, Chart, etc.) but all of it is collected through Mnemonic 411. Among these metadata are the "last updated" date and the advance release calendar for the series.
A. If you have a mnemonic:
- Go to DataBuffet.com.
- There is a search tool in the upper-right corner of the window (not the upper-left), consisting of a text field, drop-down box, and button.
- Enter the mnemonic in the text field.
- Pick "Mnemonic 411" from the drop-down box.
- Press "Go."
- The Mnemonic 411 window will open. It is separate from the DataBuffet.com window; you can leave it open for reference purposes. It shows multiple tabs.
- On the Overview tab, look at the Updated and Next Update fields.
- For additional future release dates, switch to the Calendar tab.
B. If you have a concept code:
Dates apply to individual series, identified by specific mnemonics. A concept code alone can apply to multiple countries or subnational areas within a single country.
- Use the search tool as described above.
- The Mnemonic 411 window will open. The grey Search panel at the top of the window will be expanded.
- Choose a geography by using the "Available Geographies" chooser, or by typing a geo code into the "Geography" text field. (A single series is named by a mnemonic, which consists of a concept code plus geo code.)
- Press the "Search" button.
- Consult the Overview and Calendar tabs as described in (A) above.
C. If you are browsing the catalog:
- Expand the catalog tree until you reach a concept. (Concepts are the terminal or "leaf nodes" in the tree, recognizable by the black text and icon of a red jagged line-chart.)
- Right-click the concept-node to open the context menu. (If you have reversed your mouse buttons, left-click.)
- Pick "more info."
- The Mnemonic 411 window will open.
- Pick a geography as described in (B) above.
- Consult the Overview and Calendar tabs as described in (A) above.
What do the dates mean?
- Last Updated reflects any change made to the series data or metadata, not just publication by its third-party source. For instance, if we amend the textual description, the date will change.
- If the Release Date is "(Approx)," we are unsure of the date, and made a conservative guess.
- If the release time is "12:00 AM," we are unsure of the time.
- The Reference Date is at the native frequency of the series, expressed as a day, month, quarter or year.
- For a historical series, it is the newly published period.
- For a forecast series, it is the first forecast period (after the last historical period).
- All forecast series dates are approximate, because our forecast model production schedule is a target and not guaranteed.
- There may optionally be a notation hyperlinked from the Note column.