Developer/availability

IMF Statistics Department

Functions

An add-in function in Excel for the final balancing of a SUT, using a RAS-type (restricted GLS) method. The purpose is to achieve consistency for: a) the supply and use of products; and b) any additional row and column constraint. A GLS method is used automatically to finalize the balancing exercise of an unbalanced SUT. The method minimizes the proportional distribution of the discrepancies across two dimensions through a weighted least squares procedure.

Documentation

An Algorithm to Balance Supply and Use Tables The SUTB function (in English) La fonction SUTB (in French)

Data requirements

An unbalanced SUT at current or constant prices. Ideally, the SUT should be nearly finalized.

Other requirements

1) Sufficient ability to and experience in assessing data to determine whether SUT is ready for final, automatic balancing; 2) 64-bit Excel version 3) Intermediate knowledge of Excel; 4) Availability of Matlab Runtime (included with the files), which can be downloaded for free, following instructions on p. 22 of the documentation

Flexibility

1) User determines at which stage of balancing process the SUTB tool is applied to their SUT; 2) User determines the reliability constraints; i.e., on a scale from 0 to 100, which transactions are reliable and therefore will not be altered in the course of the balancing exercise (fully reliable = 100); 3) User determines sets of accounting constraints, e.g., in the form of supply = use; 4) User determines size and shape of SUT; the tool can be applied to any SUT.

Automaticity of calculations

Fully automatic once reliability constraints have been determined.

Countries using the toolkit

Many countries, for example Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda