How can SDMX adoption be accelerated without heavy upfront investment in infrastructure? SDMX lab offers an answer. At the 2025 SDMX Global Conference in Rome, SDMX lab was introduced as a cloud-based sandbox that brings together open-source SDMX tools in a single, easy-to-use preconfigured environment. By offering browser-based access to essential tools, the platform eliminates the need for upfront IT infrastructure investment, configurations and local installations, and thus makes instant SDMX access possible.
To use SDMX lab, users can log in via a browser with a username and password provided upon request (free of charge). Each user is provided with a personal, isolated environment that allows them to experiment, learn, and test SDMX applications without risk. This makes SDMX lab a great fit for hands-on SDMX training, self-guided learning or proof-of-concept projects.
Currently, the SDMX Lab offers access to a variety of tools, including the BIS Fusion Metadata Registry for structures, the OECD/SIS-CC .Stat Suite for data dissemination, Eurostat RI for data reporting, as well as Excel and Python (pysdmx) integrations for analysis and automation. An integrated reset functionality allows users to restore all tools within the SDMX Lab environment to their original state, enabling quick experiments and learning activities without requiring users to delete data from individual tools.
The SDMX lab is not only valuable for those exploring SDMX tools for the first time; it also supports experienced users who want to test SDMX 3.0, benefit from pipeline testing support, or experiment with different SDMX versions without affecting their production environment.
At the 2025 SDMX Global Conference, SDMX lab was demonstrated by Jonas Rieger (HMS Analytical Software), Brian Buffett (BIS), and Benjamin Keller (HMS Analytical Software) to an audience of more than 250 people. In addition, attendees got the chance to use SDMX lab in different training sessions, where each of the participants received access to their personal SDMX lab environment. This allowed participants to immediately practice what they learned in practical sessions during the training. This highlighted the potential of SDMX lab for training and workshops: practical SDMX access, instantly.
Overall, SDMX lab was very well received by attendees of the 2025 SDMX Global Conference in Rome. Several participants described the SDMX lab as a game changer and a brilliant example of lowering the entry barrier to SDMX, calling it one of the most exciting developments showcased at the conference.
Rafael Schmidt (BIS, member of the 2025 SDMX Global Conference organizing committee) portrays the event as a success:
“We achieved our goal of making SDMX more accessible and are very happy about the excitement of the community that we witnessed at the Global Conference.”
What will the future bring for SDMX lab? It is already planned for wider use in workshops and capacity-building activities. SDMX lab will also support proof-of-concept initiatives and the exploration of SDMX tools across organizations. Ongoing enhancements and new features will be coordinated and developed by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).
If you or someone from your organization is interested in using SDMX lab, feel free to contact Benjamin Keller . You can also reach out if you would like to contribute ideas for SDMX lab in the six-weekly FMR, pysdmx & SDMX lab prioritization meeting, organized by the BIS.
The SDMX lab not only lowers today’s entry barriers but puts training at the heart of SDMX adoption—complementing SDMX development and capacity-building efforts across our global community, so data users worldwide can master, implement, and innovate with the standard more quickly.