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8. SDMX: GovernanceUnderstanding Shared

Responsibilities and Governance Rules

Danny DelcambreEurostatUnit B5: “Central data and metadata services”

SDMX Basics course, 27-29 October 2015

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WHAT IS GOVERNANCE ?

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A common and shared effort by all SDMX stakeholders to define clear organisational and operational rules and arrangements which everyone should abide by with a view to make the best use possible of the SDMX project in the interest of all (data producers and users).

More simply,

•Guidance: recommendations, best practices;

•Organisation: rules, administration, control, law, authority etc.

But one single ultimate objective: SIMPLIFY LIFE

If your experiment needs statistics, you ought to have done a better experiment (E. RUTHERFORD)

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Why is governance important ?

• Establish a quality threshold

• Save time by avoiding uncertainty on what to do

• Have an agreed, central, unambiguous reference on what is allowed and what are the best practices

• Fit the needs of the SDMX community

• Support standardisation

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Definition of statistics : The science of producing unreliable facts from reliable figures (E. ESAR)

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SDMX GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK

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• Governance bodies

• Governance principles

• Governance operational rules

Living object; new needs may arise that will necessitate adaptations of the governance

Statistics are used much like a drunk uses a lamppost: for support, not illumination (V. SCULLY)

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GOVERNANCE BODIES

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SDMX governance bodies

Projectgovernance bodies

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Statistical Working Group (SWG) : D. DELCAMBRE and D. SURANYI Technical Working Group (TWG) : A. DIEZ SOTO and M. PELLEGRINO

They maintain, improve or further develop the SDMX technical and statistical standards. They check the compliance of SDMX artefacts created in SDMX implementation actions.

Overall strategy and ultimate decision-making body (Eurostat representative: E. BALDACCI)

Support to the SDMX Sponsors Committee and decision-making body for the SDMX Working Groups. Responsible for the implementation, monitoring and functioning of the governance framework (A. GÖTZFRIED)

SDMX GOVERNANCE BODIES

Facts are stubborn, but statistics are more pliable (M. TWAIN)

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A Maintenance Agency (MA):- Is responsible for administrating and maintaining SDMX artefacts, such

as in SDMX registries;- abides by the standards and governance principles in the SDMX Content-

oriented Guidelines (COG);- informs and coordinates activities with the SDMX working groups and

other stakeholders as necessary;- does not make decisions on the artefact(s) content.

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SDMX PROJECTSGOVERNANCE BODIES

An Ownership Group (OG):- Is the decision-making body on the artefacts content- May act as a steering group for the technical group- May "own" the SDMX metadata for multiple domains

A Technical Group (TG):- Is mandated by the OG to make proposals on the content of the

SDMX artefacts- Made up of SDMX and statistical domain experts- Has representatives from all OG agencies- Does not make final decisions – proposals passed to the OG

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GOVERNANCE PRINCIPLES

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• Commitment to actively collaborate• Freedom of extension• Planning and coordination• Standardisation: No duplication of concept principle• Stability and pro-activity• Freedom of application and scope• Re-usability: Use of cross-domain concepts and code

lists• Accountability: Versioning and change management• Transparency• Close relationships with users

There are two ways of lying. One, not telling truth and the other, making up statistics (J. VAZQUEZ MOTA)

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GOVERNANCE OPERATIONAL RULES

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• Maintenance of SDMX artefacts• Maintenance schedule• Change management• Versioning

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• Three types of changes are foreseen: structural changes, annual maintenance changes and fast-track maintenance changes:

• Structural changes would be triggered by changes in methodological guidelines or from a comprehensive review of the content of official data flows. This would involve a full review of the entire set of DSDs, including possible restructuring or replacing of concepts and code lists and will only be done through extensive consultations.

• Annual maintenance changes could be proposed by anybody, and would serve the purpose of allowing for new data exchange needs by any party. All such change requests are analysed and assessed with due care. In particular, the ownership group will ensure consultation with the respective domain groups that agencies …

• Fast-track maintenance changes can be proposed by any of the organisations represented in the ownership group. Only changes not breaking backwards compatibility can be issued as fast-track. Fast-track changes follow the same change management process as normal changes but are applied with immediate effect …

General arrangements (Example from National Accounts DSD)

MAINTENANCE AGREEMENTS FOR GLOBAL DSDs

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MAINTENANCE AGREEMENTS FOR GLOBAL DSDs

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CL_ADJUSTMENT Adjustment indicator BOP, NA Eurostat SC-CD

CL_AREA Reference country or area

Counterpart country or area

BOP, FDI, NA IMF SC1

CL_COFOG Expenditure (by Function of Government)

NA Eurostat SC-CD

CL_COICOP Expenditure (Household expenditure by purpose)

NA Eurostat SC-CD

CL_CONF_STATUS Confidentiality Status BOP, FDI, NA SDMX CD

CL_COPNI Expenditure (Purposes of Non-profit institutions)

NA Eurostat SC-CD

CL_COPP Expenditure (Classification of Outlays of Producers)

NA Eurostat SC-CD

CL_CURRENCY Currency of denomination BOP, NA SDMX CD

CL_CUST_BREAKDOWN Coding for custom breakdowns NA Eurostat SC-CD

Description of objects (artefacts)

I can prove anything by statistics except the truth (M. TWAIN)

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MAINTENANCE AGREEMENTS FOR GLOBAL DSDs

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When Who What DeliverableApril Anybody Deadline for change requests Change request with artefact

to be changed and data flows affected

May - June

MA Consolidation of change requests within domain between domains (for shared artefacts)

Issue log with change classification and impact on data flows

June OG OG Video Conference

Evaluation on last year's cycle;discussion on issue logs provided by MAs;approval of joint issue log

OG report on last year's cycleApproved issue log for consultation

June MA Incorporate change proposals into reporting frameworks

Updated draft DSD matrix

June - November

OG Consultation with respective constituencies on changes and implementation planning

Constituency reportImplementation plan

December MA Incorporate constituency comments into reporting frameworks

Updated draft DSD matrix

Change management timeline

There are lies, damned lies and statistics (M. TWAIN)

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MORE INFORMATION

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"Governance of Commonly Used SDMX Metadata Artefacts" http://sdmx.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Governance_of_commonly_used_SDMX_metadata_artefacts_v1.2.doc

Other guidelines (e.g. versioning)https://sdmx.org/?page_id=4345

In ancient times they had no statistics so they had to fall back on lies (S. LEACOCK)

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KEY messages:

- Governance is essential;

- Quality tool, not a constraint nor a burden;

- Worthwile spending the necessary time to define governance;

- Makes processes faster (better cost efficiency)

Statistics are no substitute for judgement" (H. CLAY)

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