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Measurement of Databases in National Accounts

This workshop explores the measurement and treatment of databases in national accounts, focusing on the capitalization and estimation of their value. It discusses guidelines and decisions made by the AEG and provides a macro-based model for estimating database output.

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Measurement of Databases in National Accounts

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  1. UNECA/UNSD Regional WorkshopNovember 2005Measurement of Database in National Accounts UN STATISTICS DIVISION Economic Statistics Branch UNSD/NA/MR 1

  2. Measurement of Database in National Accounts 1993 SNA Treatment • 1993 SNA recommends capitalisation of large databases. Problems? • However, no guidelines to operationalise this. • How large? (subjective qualification)

  3. What is database? • Databases consist of two components – software (DBMS) and the electronic data. • Databases are largely ubiquitous: • Including: internal databases, e.g. used for administrative purposes • Databases for market services, e.g. Yellow Pages • Databases for non-market services held by statistical offices • In theory all should be capitalised

  4. What is database? Value of the database reflects the value of DBMS, plus the cost of converting data from one medium/format to the medium/format required for access by DBMS. The value of database does not include the value of information in it.

  5. AEG decisions: database • The reference to “ large” databases should be dropped; • All databases, including those built on own-account, should in principle be treated as fixed capital formation. • Databases holding data with a useful life of more than one year are fixed assets • Value of the software component of databases, the DBMS, would normally be recorded elsewhere as a software asset

  6. AEG decisions: database • Remaining value of the database should only include the costs involved in converting data from one medium/format to that required by the DBMS, including the application costs (adapting the software for a particular application, setting up the structure of the database, loading metadata, etc.), but should exclude the costs of acquiring the data themselves • No maintenance is entailed with databases and all updating costs should be recorded as capital formation • Value of databases should be estimated using a sum-of-costs approach, in the absence of a more satisfactory alternative. • The value of databases for sale includes the value of the information content

  7. Estimation of database output • Similar to estimation of own-account software output • A macro-based model for estimation of own-account databases = Total number of employees working on database construction/updating *Average remuneration * Proportion of time spent on own-account development of databases + Other intermediate costs used in own-account production of databases + Notional operating surplus related to own-account production of databases

  8. Thank You

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