Reporting institutions are called upon by the Swiss National Bank in writing to take part in surveys and are required to provide information using one of the methods prescribed by the SNB.

Data are to be transmitted to the SNB in the format prescribed for the survey in question.

As an alternative to the Excel survey documents provided, reports can also be submitted in XML format as specified by the SNB. For web tables, both XML and CSV formats are also options.

Data are submitted via the channels provided by the SNB, either via the online reporting system eSurvey or via encrypted email.

Reporting institutions have the possibility of submitting their data to the SNB via eSurvey, the SNB's online reporting system.

Testing reports

If there is an announcement about a new or revised survey, information on this survey will be available in a test area, together with specifications of the different reporting formats. All formats can be tested here with checks of compliance with the format specifications and the consistency of the data reported.

Testing is currently only available for surveys based on web tables. It is to be extended to the other surveys at a later stage.

Software companies which support reporting institutions in their reporting can also use this testing function.

Data security

The transmission of data takes place via a secure channel (HTTPS). SSL encryption ensures that the recipient is the SNB and that submissions cannot be intercepted by third parties. In addition, institutions are no longer responsible for the installation and periodic updating of security certificates necessary for email encryption.

If delivery via eSurvey is not possible, the only address that may be used when transmitting data is dataexchange@snb.ch. Excel files or XML files should be delivered as an attachment to an encrypted email. To ensure that the email can be processed automatically, the structure of the email must be maintained.