Developing Best Practices for
the DDI
The Business Best Practices
A. Michelle Edwards, Ph.D.
Suggested Business BPs
Topic Area 1: Domain- and CommunityDependent Usage of DDI
A. Governance
B. Workflows
C. Controlled Vocabulary
Suggested Business BPs
Topic Area 2: Optimization of Metadata
Sets for Reuse
A. DDI 3.0 Schemes (Tech & Bus)
B. Versioning and publication (Tech & Bus)
D. DDI as content for registries (non-DDI
registries) (Tech & Bus)
Suggested Business BPs
Topic Area 4: High Level Architectural
Model of DDI 3.0 Applications
B. Layered Architecture (Tech & Bus)
How did the BPs come about?
• 5-8 people assigned / volunteered for each
topic
• Tackled three topics / day
• No distractions – although beautiful
surroundings – NOTHING around us for
miles!!!
How did the BPs come about?
• Brainstorming took place on a variety of
media:
•
•
•
•
Paper
Laptops
Chalkboards
Whiteboards
How did the BPs come about?
How did the BPs come about?
• Brainstorming needed some fuel
Latte
macchiatos
Topic 1A - Governance
• What is governance? Several ways to look at
this
• Can we impose governance on folks?
• Who was this BP directed to? New, experienced
users?
• What was the goal of this BP?
Topic 1A - Governance
• Jotting everything
• Drew parallels and made connections
• Checklist for anyone looking at implementing
DDI
Implementation and Governance
This best practice covers the process of
developing agreements and guidelines of
implementation and governance of DDI as a
metadata scheme for a community. The best
practice recognizes that different communities
will, by necessity, have different processes for
this, and offers a checklist for communities to
consider before implementing DDI.
Topic 1C – Controlled Vocabulary
• This group had a bit of an advantage 
• Some members were also members of the DDI
Alliance Controlled Vocabularies Working Group
• Great connection and linking between existing
tasks and this task
Topic 1C – Controlled Vocabulary
• This BP does not address creating CVs
themselves
• Technical aspects (for example):
– CV publication format
– Management of the CV’s content
• Business aspects (for example):
– Selection of a platform for publishing CVs
– Documentation of CVs
Controlled Vocabulary
The benefits of using controlled
vocabularies within DDI metadata
creation are the primary underlying
principles behind this Best Practice
document.
Controlled Vocabulary
Use of a CV enhances consistency and
efficiency in the production of DDI
metadata, gives precision in
searching the DDI metadata, and
allows semantic and technical
interoperability between organizations
creating DDI instances
Topic 2B – Versioning and
Publication
 A great example of where the Business and
Technical aspects of the BPs met
 From the business perspective – when do we
version, what do we version, why would we
version
 From the technical perspective – how and where
does DDI deal with versions and publications
Topic 2B – Versioning and
Publication
• Definitions:
• Versioning
• Minor vs. Major revision
• Versioning before publication
• When is a DDI document deemed published ?
Bug submission for a “final” flag
Versioning and Publication
One of the objectives in creating DDI 3.0 was full
machine-actionability. This requires strict
versioning of objects so that users understand
the change history of the resources they are
using. This Best Practice is designed to provide
some guidelines to metadata creators and
publishers about how to version metadata and
publish it for others to use.
Topic 1B - Workflows
• Many were interested in working on this one
• We all have a vested interest in this topic since
many of us are in the middle of a DDI workflow.
• Extremely large topic area
Topic 1B - Workflows
• After our first meeting on this topic it was
decided to break it up into 3 components:
Topic 1B - Workflows
1. Archival Ingest and Metadata Enhancement
2. Metadata Creation Regarding Recoding,
Aggregation and Other Data Processing
Activities
3. Discovery and Dissemination: User
Perspective
Topic 1B - Workflows
Archival Ingest and
Metadata Enhancement
Metadata Creation Regarding
Recoding, Aggregation and
Other Data Processing Activities
Data Discovery and
Dissemination
Workflows
• The three Best Practices provide guidelines for
setting up metadata creation processes within
different environments, identifying organizational
and application features that impact the process
structure, addressing salient questions / issues
in setting up the process, and determining the
implications of various starting points and
process orders.
Archival Ingest and Metadata
Enhancement
 Begins at the point of the handoff between the
data provider and the archive
 The BP highlights three cases where the archive
receives:
◦ Complete DDI 3.x metadata
◦ DDI 1.x or DDI 2.x metadata
◦ Documentation which is not DDI conformant
Metadata Creation Regarding Recoding,
Aggregation and Other Data Processing
Activities
 Discusses the capturing, in DDI metadata, of the
processes of data aggregation, recoding and
data processing.
 Identifies different points in the data life cycle
where activities occur that can trigger metadata
creation.
Data Discovery and Dissemination:
User Perspective
• Describes the best practices for metadata
producers to provide end users with the
resources for data discovery and dissemination.
Data Discovery and Dissemination:
User Perspective
• Provides a list of overarching metadata
principles - example:
• Metadata may be used in ways not anticipated at the
time of generation. Producers need to look beyond
their own goals and uses of their metadata, and be
good citizens to the general user community to
support data discovery and dissemination.
Data Discovery and Dissemination: User
Perspective – The End User Model
Data Discovery and Dissemination:
User Perspective
• BPs need to be developed in each phase of the
Life Cycle to meet the discovery and
dissemination requirements of the end user
• However, the Data Life Cycle phases do not
have a one-to-one correspondence with the
audiences that produce metadata – gaps in
metadata may exist.
Business Best Practices – April 2009
 Implementation and Governance
 Workflows:
◦ Archival Ingest and Metadata Enhancement
◦ Metadata Creation Regarding Recoding,
Aggregation and Other Data Processing
Activities
◦ Data Discovery and Dissemination: User
Perspective
Business Best Practices – April 2009
 Controlled vocabulary
 Versioning and Publication