We are launching our new Data Exchange Service
Guidance,
Correspondence and other
- Publication date
- Industry sector
- Supply and Retail Market
- Distribution Network
- Offshore Transmission Network
- Transmission Network
- Generation and Wholesale Market
- Scheme name
- CCL
- Domestic RHI
- ECO
- FIT
- GER
- Non-Domestic RHI
- REGO
- RO
- WHD
What is our Data Exchange Service?
This service improves our collection of data from the energy industry, providing a cost effective, secure, resilient and user-focused service.
We are rationalising our range of existing data collection services and will either replace them or integrate them with this, our new modern digital service – the Data Exchange.
The Data Exchange is part of our wider plan to help modernise energy data as well as our own data services to our direct stakeholders. It is currently in the "Beta" stage of its delivery.
What is a "Beta"?
A Beta service is the first version released for people to try using for real. Our beta service doesn't yet do everything our users need it to do, we already have ideas for how it can be improved.
It’s important now that we get our data providers to use it, so we get real data coming through, and get their feedback on the service. This will help us as we make continuous improvements to the service over time.
What this, our first release of the service, does
For launch we have provided these services:
- Secure upload of data files in CSV format using a web browser interface
- The option to automate the uploading of these files for regular submissions, including via API
- Instant notification that the files have been received by Ofgem in the Data Exchange
- An audit trail of the submissions data providers have made, when and by whom
- Ability to easily resubmit resubmission of data files, to correct errors or omissions
Preparing files for submission
At the moment the data Exchange only handles files that are in "CSV" format, so we’re focussing on data submissions that can already be sent in this format. We’re transitioning more complex data submissions, such as multi-sheet Excel workbooks, into CSV. This will take time.
To make it easier for our data providers to produce valid CSV files we’re also going to release a local validation tool as an open source product. Data providers will be able use in an automated way to self-service their testing for and fixing errors in their data files before sending them to us.
Service improvements you can expect in future
As well as collect data, we plan to also use our Data Exchange service to make our data open to others. In the nearer term, we plan for to offer these services that our users have told us they need:
- The ability to make multi-file submissions
- Improvements to the audit trail about data sent to Ofgem
- Improved validation and error reporting about submissions
- Notification messages relating to submissions
- The ability to submit additional file types
- User account administration
I provide data to Ofgem. Do I need to do anything?
No - you don’t have to do anything differently until you hear from us.
While our service is in its Beta stage, we are individually contacting data providers asking them to start using the Data Exchange, we’ll give those data providers full instructions at that time.
Take part in our data provider survey
We’d like to hear from everyone who send us data. To share your views with us, complete our online survey to help us to improve the Data Exchange service - the survey is open until 8th October 2019.