Preface

This document is the result of the 2017 Data Architecture project, the first project to specifically address the data aspects of statistical production. It is to be expected that other, more mature versions of CSDA will be released in future.

This 2017 version includes an explanation of the purpose and use of the Reference Data Architecture, but focusses on the functionality that statistical organisations will need for the design, integration, production and dissemination of official statistics based on both traditional and new types of data sources.

The main content of the CSDA in this 2017 version therefore is the description of the Capabilities and Building Blocks. Capabilities are abilities, typically expressed in general and high-level terms that an organisation needs or possesses. Capabilities typically require a combination of organisation, people, processes, and technology. Building Blocks represent (potentially re-usable) components of business, IT, or architectural capability that can be combined with other Building Blocks to deliver architectures and solutions.

In this 2017 version, a first attempt is made to describe the characteristics and structure of the actual data and metadata. This is an area that is particularly difficult to tackle - as most statistical organisations still struggle to find the right approach. Part of this section is the semantic layer, where ontologies (semantic models) have their place. Future work will be needed to further develop this (important) component of CSDA.

The 2017 project also defined a number of Use Cases for checking and testing the CSDA. These Use Cases (and the outcome of their execution) are described in a separate document.

Future work will also include Guidance on the use and implementation of the CSDA.

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