ABS Time Series Directory

The ABS provides an API for querying & returning a user defined subset of ABS time series metadata. The API is designed to be used in a machine-to-machine context. The metadata returned from a query can be, and is typically used to facilitate the automated download of the ABS time series spreadsheet/s associated with the parameters defined in that query.

Time series metadata can be accessed using a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) formula to query the ABS Time Series Directory service. 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.

See the List of Topics in the Time Series Directory section for a listing of available statistical topics by title and catalogue number.

1. Start with the base url

https://abs.gov.au/servlet/TSSearchServlet?

2. Append any combination of the available search parameters to the base url

Where:

• ptitle = Topic
• ttitle = Table title
• sid = Series ID
• catno = Catalogue/Product number
• pg = Page number

Search parameters can be combined using '&' to customise your query.

ptitle=<ptitlevalue>&ttitle=<ttitlevalue>&sid=<sidvalue>&catno=<catnovalue>&pg=<pagenumber>

eg.
https://abs.gov.au/servlet/TSSearchServlet?catno=6401.0&ttitle="table 5"
combines the catno= and ttitle= search values to return all time series metadata from table 5 in catalogue number 6401.0.

Search value formats:

3. Time series metadata will be returned in XML format

XML format examples:

(Note that multiple <series> nodes may be returned between the <TimeSeriesIndex> tags.)

For less than 100 series returned:

<TimeSeriesIndex>
     <SeriesCount></SeriesCount>
     <Series>
         <ProductNumber></ProductNumber>
         <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>

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>
     <Series>
         <ProductNumber></ProductNumber>
         <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>