Access to Microdata
Felix Ritchie
Business Data Linking
ONS’ approach to microdata
More confidential, more secure
Norelease
Virtualmicrodatalaboratory
Speciallicence WebUKDA
Less confidential, easier access
Business data,Census data
Notanonymised
Census,health data
GHSAggregate
data
E-procurement in Manufacturing Businesses
Source, ONS 2000 ABIVA/ employee (£)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
40000
45000
No e-Commerce e-Sellers e-Buyers
Company minimum wage
Figure 7: Company minimum wage for all companies
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3.0
to 3
.1
3.5
to 3
.6
4.0
to 4
.1
4.5
to 4
.6
5.0
to 5
.1
5.5
to 5
.6
6.0
to 6
.1
6.5
to 6
.6
Company minimum wage (10p bands)
Num
ber o
f com
pani
es
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2004
2003
2002
2001
1999
/200
0
£5.00
£6.00£6.50
£5.50
Multinational Effect in Manufacturing
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
40000
45000
All UK All Foreign UK Non-Multinationals
UK Multinationals
VA/Employee (£)
Lots of data to share...
• Annual Respondents Database 73-04– production 73-04 construction 93-04 services 97-04
• NES 86-03 & NESPD 75-03, ASHE 1997-2005• Annual Inquiry into FDI 96-02• eCommerce Survey 2000-4• Annual and Quarterly Investment surveys 98-02• Business Expenditure on R&D
et cetera...
• plus OGD surveys– ESS, LTW, CIS. WERS financial and WERS/ARD
…but the downside:
• access limited to ONS sites• datasets large, unwieldy, complex, inconsistent• delays in developing documentation
Research Use of Disclosive Data
• Purpose of the research– Statistical and not administrative– For “ONS benefit”
• Limits on data use– Restricted access outside ONS– Disclosure control of all results before release off-site
• Benefits of use– Gets more out of existing data sources for
• ONS - research and quality improvement• Government – increasing importance for evidence-based
policy making• Academia/NGOs – fulfilling ONS’ public service remit
• safe projects• safe people• (safe data)• safe settings
• safe kit• safe places
• safe outputs
Four (plus one) safety levels
protection against deliberate disclosureprotection
against accidental disclosure
safe projects
• statistical not administrative use
• for “ONS Benefit”
• no private benefit
• no conflict of interest
safe people
• Civil servants covered by a Ministerial Direction• Academics employed by an approved institution
– universities– research institutes
• In principle: PhD students• Under trial:
– private profit-making companies– Foreign researchers
• Not at all: private individuals
building precedents
safe settings - the BDL virtual data lab
Dataread only
work arearead-write
Secure lab
Logs in to server
only screen shots,no data
Researcher
automatic transfer
Input Output
Input Output
archiving of all transfers
BDL staff
Direct access
to server
Safe outputs – disclosure control
• All on-site researchers required to undergo training programme
– 30 minutes legal background– 10 minutes lab use– 80 minutes SDC
• 12-page SDC- Rules Explained• All under continuous development
– Internal sources – improving our responsiveness– External sources – new issues arising
Part II
ONS datasets
Data structure
enterprise
local unit
local unit
local unit
local unit
reporting unitEnterprise group
Sampling structure
Firm structure
Sampling
structure
Datasets
Annual Respondents Database
1973-2003, annual
Structural business survey
Quarterly Capital Expenditure Survey
2000-2004, quarterly
Small regular data on investment
E-commerce survey 2000-2002, quarterly
Ecommerce qualitative data
Business Expenditure on R&D
1994-2002, annual
R&D for large spenders
survey-specific reporting unit
Business Spending on Capital Items
2000-2002, annual
Larger survey of very detailed capex data
Community Innovation Survey waves 2&3
1994, 1998 Qualitative data on product and process innovation and funding
Employer Skills Survey/Learning and Training at Work
ESS 1999/2001
LTW 2000/1
Qualitative skills surveys, voluntary
local unit
Annual Inquiry into FDI 1996-2002, annual
Census of all FDI activity
enterprise group
contact details
The BDL team:
Address:
Business Data Linking
Office for National Statistics
1 Drummond Gate
London SW1V 1QQ
0207 533 5975/5286
Newport: Felix Ritchie London: Gian Fazio Emma Edworthy Katherine Lam
Joseph Robjohns
Recommended
