1. Business and IT Architecture for ESS validation
ESTP course
Item 03
Luxembourg,
21-22 Nov 2017
Eurostat, Unit B1

2. Business and IT Architecture
What is Validation and Where is it?
What it does?
What is the situation today?
What are the Validation principles applied?
What will be the situation tomorrow?
What are the severity levels in case of failure ?
What are the IT building blocks?
What are the optional scenarios for implementation?

3. What is validation? ESS handbook – "Methodology for data validation":
"Data Validation is an activity verifying whether or not a combination of values is a member of a set of acceptable combinations."
It is not:
An activity to check or assess process metadata: validation focuses on data
Editing or imputation: these are separate activities which may be performed based on the outcomes of validation
The ESS.VIP Validation took as a starting point for its activities the following definition given by the UNECE: Data validation is "an activity aimed at verifying whether the value of a data item comes from the given (finite or infinite) set of acceptable values."
Data validation is focused on checking the validity/consistency of data. Checking process or structural metadata is not within the scope of validation, though process or structural metadata may serve as input to validation procedures.

4. Focus of ESS.VIP Validation
NSI
ESTAT
Validation can take place in several points of the ESS statistical production process

5. What does the business architecture for validation do?
Sets basic principles for validation in the ESS
Defines the to-be state
Clarifies the roles of Eurostat and Member States in the validation of data sent to Eurostat
Clarifies how common validation services could be used by Member States and Eurostat

6. As-is situation

7. Validation Principles
Validation processes must be designed to be able to correct errors as soon as possible, so that data editing can be performed at the stage where the knowledge is available to do this properly and efficiently.
The sooner, the better
Trust, but verify
Well-documented and appropriately communicated validation rules
Well-documented and appropriately communicated validation errors
Comply of explain
Good enough is the new perfect
When exchanging data between organisations, data producers should be trusted to have checked the data before and data consumers should verify the data on the common rules agreed.
Validation rules must be clearly and unambiguously defined and documented in order to achieve a common understanding and implementation among the different actors involved
The error messages related to the validation rules need to be clearly and unambiguously defined and documented, so that they can be communicated appropriately to ensure a common understanding on the result of the validation process.
Validation rules must be satisfied or reasonably well explained.
Validation rules should be fit-for-purpose: they should balance data consistency and accuracy requirements with timeliness and feasibility constraints.

8. To-be situation and Validation Principles
Where would you put principle ?
The sooner, the better
Well documented validation errors
Well-documented validation rules
Comply or explain
Good enough is the new perfect
Trust, but verify
Well documented validation errors
The sooner, the better
Well-documented validation rules
Comply or explain C A
Good enough is the new perfect D B
Trust, but verify

9. Severity levels and acceptance
Errors: Wrong values. Data containing errors are not considered acceptable.
Warnings: suspicious values. Data with warnings may be accepted after justification.
Information: Potentially suspicious values. Do not usually require further justification for acceptance.
Minimum standard for compliance:
data with no errors must be received before deadline

10. Validation in the ESS – IT building blocks
VRM
STRUVAL
CONVAL

11. Scenario 1
Member States receive the common rules and implement them in their own validation systems

12. Scenario 2
Member States use common ESS services in their process for validation (as shared or replicated services)
Shared service
Replicated services

13. Scenario 3
Member States use common ESS processes for validation

14. Thank you for your attention!
Any questions?