Time Series metadata can be accessed using a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) formula. This enables access to Time Series Metadata without having to download Time Series Spreadsheets. The metadata returned is in eXtensible Markup Language (XML) format, and provides a single source of Time Series information at the granular level of individual Time Series. The information returned includes metadata already available on Time Series Spreadsheets provided on the ABS web site, as well as Statistical Product relationships and URLs to the actual spreadsheets. URL formula instructions, the XML returned and a sample application which consumes the XML can be found below.
1. Start with root url:
https://abs.gov.au/servlet/TSSearchServlet?
2. Append any combination of parameters:
ptitle=<ptitlevalue>&ttitle=<ttitlevalue>&sid=<sidvalue>&catno=<catnovalue>&pg=<pagenumber>
Where:
ptitle=Topic
ttitle=Table Title
Search value format:
- each word separated by a space will be searched for in the index. So using:
ptitle=Labour Force
in the parameter list will return all series that are related to Products with 'Labour' or 'Force' in the Product Title.
- a phrase enclosed in inverted commas will be searched for as a single value. eg.
ptitle="Labour Force"
will return all series that are related to Products with 'Labour Force' in the Product Title.
- each value will be treated as an distinct word, unless * is used at the end of the value. So:
ttitle=count
will only return results that contain the distinct word 'count' in the Table Title. So the correct way to return all table titles that contain 'country' would be to use:
ttitle=count*
- Only the start of independent words can be searched for. So using:
ttitle=*count*
will fail, it is not possible to prefix the value 'count' with * and receive results where the Table Title contains words like 'Accounting'
- capitalisation is ignored
- The query engine drops commonly occurring words like "the", "an", "a", "of", "in", etc. So:
ttitle=of
will be ignored.
sid= Series ID
catno=Catalogue/Product Number
Search value format:
- use the complete Series ID or Catalogue/Product Number, eg.
sid=A183774X
will return only the series information for Series ID = A183774X
- use the start of the Series ID or Catalogue/Product Number, eg.
sid=A1837*
will return series information for all series that have Series ID beginning with 'A1837'
catno=62*
will return series information for all series that relate to Product Numbers beginning with '62' such as '6202.0' and '6248.0.55.001'.
- capitalisation is ignored
pg=Page Number
Results are returned in pages of 100 series. The number of results are displayed at the top of each xml page, eg.
<Info>Your search returned 6824 series information. If you want access to the rest please add a pg parameter to the url.</Info>
<SeriesCount>100</SeriesCount>
<NumPages>69</NumPages>
<CurPage>1</CurPage>
The default page number is 1. So adding:
pg=4
to your query parameter list will cause the series results numbered 301-400 to be displayed.
<CurPage>4</CurPage> will be displayed at the top of the page 4.
3. Time Series Metadata will be returned in the following XML format. Multiple series nodes may be returned between the TimeSeriesIndex tags.
(For less than 100 series returned)
<TimeSeriesIndex>
<SeriesCount></SeriesCount>
<Series>
<ProductNumber></ProductNumber>
<ProductGroup></ProductGroup>
<ProductTitle></ProductTitle>
<ProductIssue></ProductIssue>
<ProductReleaseDate></ProductReleaseDate>
<ProductURL></ProductURL>
<TableURL></TableURL>
<TableTitle></TableTitle>
<Description></Description>
<Unit></Unit>
<SeriesType></SeriesType>
<DataType</DataType>
<Frequency></Frequency>
<CollectionMonth></CollectionMonth>
<SeriesStart></SeriesStart>
<SeriesEnd></SeriesEnd>
<NoObs></NoObs>
<SeriesID></SeriesID>
</Series>
</TimeSeriesIndex>
(For more than 100 series returned)
<TimeSeriesIndex>
<Info>Your search returned x series information. If you want access to the rest please add a pg parameter to the url.</Info>
<SeriesCount></SeriesCount>
<NumPages></NumPages>
<CurPage></CurPage>
<SeriesCount></SeriesCount>
<Series>
<ProductNumber></ProductNumber>
<ProductGroup></ProductGroup>
<ProductTitle></ProductTitle>
<ProductIssue></ProductIssue>
<ProductReleaseDate></ProductReleaseDate>
<ProductURL></ProductURL>
<TableURL></TableURL>
<TableTitle></TableTitle>
<TableOrder></TableOrder>
<Description></Description>
<Unit></Unit>
<SeriesType></SeriesType>
<DataType</DataType>
<Frequency></Frequency>
<CollectionMonth></CollectionMonth>
<SeriesStart></SeriesStart>
<SeriesEnd></SeriesEnd>
<NoObs></NoObs>
<SeriesID></SeriesID>
</Series>
</TimeSeriesIndex>
Appendix - Catalogue/Topic Concordance
| Catalogue Number | Topic |
| 1364.0.15.003 | Modellers' Database |
| 3101.0 | Australian Demographic Statistics |
| 3201.0 | Population by Age and Sex, Australian States and Territories |
| 3222.0 | Population Projections, Australia |
| 3401.0 | Overseas Arrivals and Departures, Australia |
| 5204.0 | Australian System of National Accounts |
| 5206.0 | Australian National Accounts: National Income, Expenditure and Product |
| 5220.0 | Australian National Accounts: State Accounts |
| 5232.0 | Australian National Accounts: Financial Accounts |
| 5232.0.55.001 | Assets and Liabilities of Australian Securitisers |
| 5302.0 | Balance of Payments and International Investment Position, Australia |
| 5368.0 | International Trade in Goods and Services, Australia |
| 5368.0.55.024 | International Merchandise Trade, Preliminary, Australia |
| 5601.0 | Lending Indicators |
| 5625.0 | Private New Capital Expenditure and Expected Expenditure, Australia |
| 5655.0 | Managed Funds, Australia |
| 5676.0 | Business Indicators, Australia |
| 6202.0 | Labour Force, Australia |
| 6202.0.55.003 | Labour Force, Australia - Rebenchmarked Estimates |
| 6291.0.55.001 | Labour Force, Australia, Detailed - Electronic Delivery |
| 6302.0 | Average Weekly Earnings, Australia |
| 6321.0.55.001 | Industrial Disputes, Australia |
| 6345.0 | Wage Price Index, Australia |
| 6354.0 | Job Vacancies, Australia |
| 6401.0 | Consumer Price Index, Australia |
| 6416.0 | House Price Indexes: Eight Capital Cities |
| 6427.0 | Producer Price Indexes, Australia |
| 6457.0 | International Trade Price Indexes, Australia |
| 6467.0 | Selected Living Cost Indexes, Australia |
| 7215.0 | Livestock Products, Australia |
| 7218.0.55.001 | Livestock and Meat, Australia - Electronic Publication |
| 8412.0 | Mineral and Petroleum Exploration, Australia |
| 8501.0 | Retail Trade, Australia |
| 8731.0 | Building Approvals, Australia |
| 8752.0 | Building Activity, Australia |
| 8755.0 | Construction Work Done, Australia, Preliminary |
| 8762.0 | Engineering Construction Activity, Australia |
| 8782.0.65.001 | Construction Activity: Chain Volume Measures, Australia |
| Topic | Catalogue Number |
| Assets and Liabilities of Australian Securitisers | 5232.0.55.001 |
| Australian Demographic Statistics | 3101.0 |
| Australian National Accounts: Financial Accounts | 5232.0 |
| Australian National Accounts: National Income, Expenditure and Product | 5206.0 |
| Australian National Accounts: State Accounts | 5220.0 |
| Australian System of National Accounts | 5204.0 |
| Average Weekly Earnings, Australia | 6302.0 |
| Balance of Payments and International Investment Position, Australia | 5302.0 |
| Building Activity, Australia | 8752.0 |
| Building Approvals, Australia | 8731.0 |
| Business Indicators, Australia | 5676.0 |
| Construction Activity: Chain Volume Measures, Australia | 8782.0.65.001 |
| Construction Work Done, Australia, Preliminary | 8755.0 |
| Consumer Price Index, Australia | 6401.0 |
| Engineering Construction Activity, Australia | 8762.0 |
| House Price Indexes: Eight Capital Cities | 6416.0 |
| Industrial Disputes, Australia | 6321.0.55.001 |
| International Merchandise Trade, Preliminary, Australia | 5368.0.55.024 |
| International Trade in Goods and Services, Australia | 5368.0 |
| International Trade Price Indexes, Australia | 6457.0 |
| Job Vacancies, Australia | 6354.0 |
| Labour Force, Australia | 6202.0 |
| Labour Force, Australia - Rebenchmarked Estimates | 6202.0.55.003 |
| Labour Force, Australia, Detailed - Electronic Delivery | 6291.0.55.001 |
| Lending Indicators | 5601.0 |
| Livestock and Meat, Australia - Electronic Publication | 7218.0.55.001 |
| Livestock Products, Australia | 7215.0 |
| Managed Funds, Australia | 5655.0 |
| Mineral and Petroleum Exploration, Australia | 8412.0 |
| Modellers' Database | 1364.0.15.003 |
| Overseas Arrivals and Departures, Australia | 3401.0 |
| Population by Age and Sex, Australian States and Territories | 3201.0 |
| Population Projections, Australia | 3222.0 |
| Private New Capital Expenditure and Expected Expenditure, Australia | 5625.0 |
| Producer Price Indexes, Australia | 6427.0 |
| Retail Trade, Australia | 8501.0 |
| Selected Living Cost Indexes, Australia | 6467.0 |
| Wage Price Index, Australia | 6345.0 |
