Help

Need help?

This page contains information and guidance to help visitors using the DMO website. For help on extracting data and using the reporting functions please see reporting help.

If you are experiencing difficulty accessing particular pages or downloading files please contact the DMO Web Team for assistance. The web team aims to reply to e-mails within 48 hours though it may take longer at busy times.

Site Audience and purpose

The DMO website contains over a thousand documents and comprehensive data relating to the core functions of debt and cash management and lending to local authorities. A reporting tool has been provided to simplify the extraction of data from this site.

The site is intended to meet the information needs of differing audiences - the general public, financial institutions, public sector bodies, journalists, academics and economists. It has been structured to provide simple information first, with more detail further into the site.

Navigation

This site has three key areas of navigation. Across the top of the page is the utility navigation leading to the Help section, Glossary, Contact, Site Map, Feedback, Links and Terms of Use and Adobe Reader links. Immediately below this is the primary navigation to the main subject areas. The left hand secondary navigation panel contains links to the main topic items within each subject area.

Searching

You can search this site by using the Search button at the top right hand corner. Please enter the word or phrase to search for in the box, then start the search by pressing the > button. Please use double quotes e.g. "index linked gilts" to search for a specific phrase. You can choose whether to match all or any words within the phrase.>

Accessibility

If you do not find the information you are looking for on this page please try our Accessibility page.

Browser versions

The DMO aims to make this site compatible with all browsers and has tested the site using a wide range of platform / browser combinations - a full list of combinations tested can be found on our testing page.

If you are using an older browser, you may see inconsistencies in the presentation of pages. It may help you to download a newer version of a browser to improve your general internet experience.

The following are available to download free of charge:

• Firefox
• Netscape
• Microsoft Internet Explorer

File Formats

HTML - HTML is the basic file format used on the Internet. Some data are available in the following alternative formats.

XML - XML is a W3C standard which provides a flexible format to describe the structure of data which is ideal for information exchange.

DOC - .doc is the file type for documents created using Microsoft WORD. This is a widely used word processing package. Microsoft Word (.doc) documents can be opened by many but not all programs. If you are unable to open a document it could be that you do not have the appropriate software in which case you may download a viewer from Microsoft free of charge if you are a PC user.

XLS -.xls is the file type for documents created using Microsoft EXCEL. This is a widely used spreadsheet package. Microsoft Excel documents can be opened by many but not all programs. If you are unable to open a document it could be that you do not have the appropriate software in which case you may download a viewer from Microsoft free of charge if you are a PC user.

CSV -.CSV stands for Comma Separated Values and is the spreadsheet equivalent of .txt for word processors. You can cut and paste a CSV file into the spreadsheet of your choice, or download it to your PC.

TXT - .txt files are an alternative text file to Word. They can be opened by a much wider number of text editors on PCs and Macs. A disadvantage of these files is that they take longer to download for multi-page documents.

PDF Adobe Acrobat Reader - Documents marked .PDF are saved in Portable Document Format. You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view all PDF files. The Acrobat Reader software is available for downloading free of charge from Adobe. The free Reader allows you to view, navigate, and print PDF files across all major computing platforms. Adobe's accessibility website is full of information on the features and capabilities of Adobe products that enhance electronic document accessibility for people with disabilities such as blindness, low vision, and motor impairments.

Printing Pages

To print out pages from the website click 'File' from your browser menu bar and then 'Print'. If you find that the last words of the text lines on the page are missing on the printout then click 'File' and then 'Page Setup' and change all your print margins to zero.

Saving Pages

Any page can be saved from this site to your local drive. Select File then Save from the menu option.

Saving Documents

Some of our documents are in Portable Document Format (PDF) or MS Word/Excel format. Depending on your browser setup, clicking on the link may open the document in the browser window. With large files, a delay can give the impression that the document is not downloading. If you prefer to save the document directly to your hard drive: PC users - right-click on the link, and then select the save option. Apple Mac users - point to the link and hold down the mouse button, and then select the save option.

Hard copies of DMO publications

Hard copy publications produced by the DMO can, subject to availability, be ordered from the Press Office.

Abbreviations and acronyms

The meanings of abbreviations and acronyms used on this site can be found in the Glossary

Problem Reporting

If you have any problems using this website - broken links or difficulty finding documents etc - please e-mail the DMO Web Team. The web team will try to reply to all such reports within 48 hours though it may take longer at busy times.