1. Item 9 Validation in UOE data collection
Eurostat F5 Education, health and social protection
Education and Training Statistics Working Group – 17 June 2019

2. Outline ESS validation principles
Validation levels in UOE data collection
Role and purpose of documentation
Implementation

3. Validation in the ESS
Principles for data validation described in the European Statistics Code of Practice.
Purpose of documentation: clearly and unambiguously defined validation rules and errors in order to achieve a common understanding and implementation among the different actors involved.
Validation rules should be fit for purpose: balance data consistency and accuracy requirements with timelines and feasibility constraints.

4. Implementation in UOE data collection

5. Validation levels in UOE data collection
Validation level 0 (consistency with IT requirements) corresponds to the current Pre-check procedure.
Validation levels 1 (consistency within the tables) and 2 (consistency between tables in the questionnaire) reflect part of the existing internal checks in the questionnaires.
Validation level 3 (consistency between questionnaires) has been already carried out and can be further developed; there are practical considerations for implementation.
Validation levels 4 and 5 (consistency with other data sources in the institution and other data providers) can be developed further and is currently carried out on ad hoc basis.

6. Documentation
The validation rules applied on UOE data are listed by questionnaire and by data table. All rules are assigned to validation levels.
Validation checks were tested by Eurostat's external contractor as well as by Eurostat and OECD in the UOE18 data collection. The rules on UOE-FIN were already discussed in the TF on UOE Education expenditure data.
The document will be updated in order to reflect the outcome of the consultation of the ETS WG and other developments (e.g. new SDMX codes on Observation status implemented in UOE19 questionnaires).

7. Implementation
In UOE19 validation – joint validation reports by Eurostat and OECD
Gradual implementation and automatisation in Eurostat
Possible further implementation in EDIT
Objective to improve timeliness of data validation

8. The ETS Working Group is invited:
to take note of the set of validation rules listed in the Annex to the ETS WG document 2019-ETS-06;
to send to Eurostat comments on the validation rules by 15 September 2019.