1. Data Administration and the Role of the Data Administrator
Tariqul I. Khan and Ronnie Hammad
The World Bank
Data Administration
Data Administration

2. Key Roles Understanding the overall data flow
Identifying key players and partners
Defining Roles and Responsibilities
Ensuring Quality control: validation & consistency
Identifying dissemination & reporting needs
Managing the CETS code
Ensuring proper derivation & aggregation methods
Data Administration

3. Key Roles (continued) Uploading data
Addressing data providers’ needs to ensure regular flow & quality
Complying with Int’l reporting initiatives
Reporting key indicators to SADC & other organizations
Synchronizing & replicating databases
Documenting policies & procedures
Data Administration

4. 1. Understanding the overall data flow
Diagram data flow
Helps identify key players & partners
Defines roles and responsibilities
A reiterative process
Data Administration

5. 2. Identifying key players and partners
Internal
Functional depts. (NA, CPI, Trade, Population..
Database Administrator (DBA)
IT, network administrator
Senior Management
External
Various ministries
NGO
International organizations
Data Administration

6. 3. Defining Roles and Responsibilities
Sign off procedures for data submission
How updated
By when
By whom
How often
Reporting to SADC & others
Official and unofficial data
Data Administration

7. 4. Ensuring Quality control: validation & consistency
Methods and tools
Ensure total equals sum of components
Review of changes in growth rates and ratios
Plausibility of data (more analytical)
Break in series
Re-basing constant price series for new base year
Change in currency
Dialogue with data providers over inconsistencies
Data Administration

8. 4. Ensuring Quality control (cont): Who is responsible?
Data Administrator, Economists and other staff working in countries/institutions who are responsible for, or oversee the collection, compilation, dissemination, and presentation of economic data for use in their country and region, briefings, and statistical reports/tables to support information need, decision/policy making, and other development related cause.
Data Administration

9. 4. Ensuring Quality control (cont): Some of the important criteria?
· Knowledge of the basic principles underlying the economic statistics accounting systems
· Knowledge of the main macro-economic statistics used to measure the development of an economy
· Understanding of the accounting relationships between the macroeconomic statistics
· Knowledge of the definitions for the main economic statistics as stored in the database (e.g. Indicators in the Live database)
· Knowledge of the national accounts, GDP and its components
· Knowledge of the new System of National Accounts (SNA93)
· Knowledge of the new Balance of Payments Manual (Rev 5)
· Knowledge of Government Finance Statistics
· Knowledge of Trade & Debt Statistics
Data Administration

10. 5. Identifying dissemination & reporting needs
All indicators needed for all possible reports
Type and format based on user needs
Timeliness and periodicity
How to handle public vs. confidential data
Data Administration

11. 6. Managing CETS codes Catalog of Economic Time Series (CETS)
“The Holy Grail of the LDB system”
Define Indicator
Determine methodology to come up with CETS Code
Group Exercise
Use tool to define new code in Database
Develop CETS code library
Establish regional Master list (E&Y)
Identify regional organization to eventual manage regional master list
Data Administration

12. 7. Ensuring proper derivation & aggregation methods
Derivations
Identify components
Identify formula
Consult relevant specialists
Aggregations
Sub-national to national
National to regional
Compute relevant weights
Gap filling methodologies
Data Administration

13. 8. Uploading data Upload data using uploading tool
Run aggregation and derivation program
Conduct consistency check
Validation tool (Excel based)
Comparison tool (Excel based)
Data Administration

14. 9. Addressing data providers’ needs to ensure regular flow & quality
Incentives for sharing
Within CSO
With external suppliers
Provide Help Desk support
Conduct Training
Adopt new tools
Develop custom reports
Play liaison role
Data Administration

15. 10. Complying with Int’l reporting initiatives
Adopt international standards by default
Except for compelling national need
General Data Dissemination System (GDDS)
Document source
Definition
Methodology
Periodicity
Link with other initiatives (DECAF…
Data Administration

16. 11. Reporting key indicators to SADC & other organizations
Identify key indicators
Format or report
Method of transfer
Periodicity of transfer
Sign off procedures
Data Administration

17. 12. Synchronizing & replicating databases
Possible methodologies for replication
Web (FTP)
CD ROM
Frequency of synchronization?
Data Administration

18. 13. Policies & procedures manuals
Documentation for knowledge transfer and preservation
Data flow mechanism
Roles and responsibilities
Quality control
CETS code management
Aggregation and derivation methodologies
Uploading procedures
Training manuals
GDDS work plan
Database synchronization
Data Administration