The IDES Intra-Community Trade Data Capture Software was developed by the Federal Statistical Office for collecting intra-Community trade data. It is independent software facilitating the offline compilation of declarations for intra-Community trade statistics. The data to be reported within the intrastat data collection system can be entered and processed through a dialog procedure.

Many help functions, such as access to coding lists or standard box presets, are offered to assist in completing the data boxes. The data entered are subjected to a completeness and validity check, and the declaration files can then be transmitted to the Federal Statistical Office online via the internet. The program can import data from other files, for instance from book-keeping records, via an ASCII, CSV or INSTAT/XML interface and save them as input records. Furthermore, the program can cope with clients, that is, it can also be used by declaring third parties to create the declarations for several parties obliged to provide information.