1. 3b. SDMX: Governance. Understanding Shared Responsibilities
3b. SDMX: Governance Understanding Shared Responsibilities and Governance Rules
Danny Delcambre
Eurostat
Unit B5: “Data and Metadata Services and Standards”
SDMX Basics course, March 2016

2. But one single ultimate objective: SIMPLIFY LIFE
WHAT IS GOVERNANCE ?
A common and shared effort by all SDMX stakeholders to define clear organisational and operational rules and arrangements which everyone should abide by with a view to make the best use possible of the SDMX project in the interest of all (data producers and users).
More simply,
Guidance: recommendations, best practices;
Organisation: rules, administration, control, law, authority etc.
But one single ultimate objective: SIMPLIFY LIFE
If your experiment needs statistics, you ought to have done a better experiment (E. RUTHERFORD)

3. Why is governance important ?
Establish a quality threshold
Save time by avoiding uncertainty on what to do
Have an agreed, central, unambiguous reference on what is allowed and what are the best practices
Fit the needs of the SDMX community
Support standardisation
Definition of statistics : The science of producing unreliable facts from reliable figures (E. ESAR)

4. SDMX GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK
Governance bodies
Governance principles
Governance operational rules
Living object; new needs may arise that will necessitate adaptations of the governance
Statistics are used much like a drunk uses a lamppost: for support, not illumination (V. SCULLY)

5. GOVERNANCE BODIES
SDMX governance bodies
Project
governance bodies

6. Facts are stubborn, but statistics are more pliable (M. TWAIN)
SDMX GOVERNANCE BODIES
Overall strategy and ultimate decision-making body (Eurostat representative: E. BALDACCI)
Support to the SDMX Sponsors Committee and decision-making body for the SDMX Working Groups. Responsible for the implementation, monitoring and functioning of the governance framework (A. GÖTZFRIED)
Statistical Working Group (SWG) : D. DELCAMBRE and D. SURANYI
Technical Working Group (TWG) : A. DIEZ SOTO and M. PELLEGRINO
They maintain, improve or further develop the SDMX technical and statistical standards. They check the compliance of SDMX artefacts created in SDMX implementation actions.
Facts are stubborn, but statistics are more pliable (M. TWAIN)

7. SDMX PROJECTS GOVERNANCE BODIES
A Maintenance Agency (MA):
Is responsible for administrating and maintaining SDMX artefacts, such as in SDMX registries;
abides by the standards and governance principles in the SDMX Content-oriented Guidelines (COG);
informs and coordinates activities with the SDMX working groups and other stakeholders as necessary;
does not make decisions on the artefact(s) content.
An Ownership Group (OG):
Is the decision-making body on the artefacts content
May act as a steering group for the technical group
May "own" the SDMX metadata for multiple domains
A Technical Group (TG):
Is mandated by the OG to make proposals on the content of the SDMX artefacts
Made up of SDMX and statistical domain experts
Has representatives from all OG agencies
Does not make final decisions – proposals passed to the OG

8. GOVERNANCE PRINCIPLES
Commitment to actively collaborate
Freedom of extension
Planning and coordination
Standardisation: No duplication of concept principle
Stability and pro-activity
Freedom of application and scope
Re-usability: Use of cross-domain concepts and code lists
Accountability: Versioning and change management
Transparency
Close relationships with users
There are two ways of lying. One, not telling truth and the other, making up statistics (J. VAZQUEZ MOTA)

9. GOVERNANCE OPERATIONAL RULES
Maintenance of SDMX artefacts
Maintenance schedule
Change management
Versioning

10. MAINTENANCE AGREEMENTS FOR GLOBAL DSDs
General arrangements (Example from National Accounts DSD)
Three types of changes are foreseen: structural changes, annual maintenance changes and fast-track maintenance changes:
Structural changes would be triggered by changes in methodological guidelines or from a comprehensive review of the content of official data flows. This would involve a full review of the entire set of DSDs, including possible restructuring or replacing of concepts and code lists and will only be done through extensive consultations.
Annual maintenance changes could be proposed by anybody, and would serve the purpose of allowing for new data exchange needs by any party. All such change requests are analysed and assessed with due care. In particular, the ownership group will ensure consultation with the respective domain groups that agencies …
Fast-track maintenance changes can be proposed by any of the organisations represented in the ownership group. Only changes not breaking backwards compatibility can be issued as fast-track. Fast-track changes follow the same change management process as normal changes but are applied with immediate effect …

11. I can prove anything by statistics except the truth (M. TWAIN)
MAINTENANCE AGREEMENTS FOR GLOBAL DSDs
Description of objects (artefacts)
CL_ADJUSTMENT
Adjustment indicator
BOP, NA
Eurostat
SC-CD
CL_AREA
Reference country or area
Counterpart country or area
BOP, FDI, NA
IMF
SC1
CL_COFOG
Expenditure (by Function of Government) NA
CL_COICOP
Expenditure (Household expenditure by purpose)
CL_CONF_STATUS
Confidentiality Status
SDMX CD
CL_COPNI
Expenditure (Purposes of Non- profit institutions)
CL_COPP
Expenditure (Classification of Outlays of Producers)
CL_CURRENCY
Currency of denomination
CL_CUST_BREAKDOWN
Coding for custom breakdowns
I can prove anything by statistics except the truth (M. TWAIN)

12. There are lies, damned lies and statistics (M. TWAIN)
MAINTENANCE AGREEMENTS FOR GLOBAL DSDs
Change management timeline
When
Who
What
Deliverable
April
Anybody
Deadline for change requests
Change request with artefact to be changed and data flows affected
May - June MA
Consolidation of change requests within domain between domains (for shared artefacts)
Issue log with change classification and impact on data flows
June OG
OG Video Conference
Evaluation on last year's cycle; discussion on issue logs provided by MAs; approval of joint issue log
OG report on last year's cycle Approved issue log for consultation
Incorporate change proposals into reporting frameworks
Updated draft DSD matrix
June - November
Consultation with respective constituencies on changes and implementation planning
Constituency report Implementation plan
December
Incorporate constituency comments into reporting frameworks
There are lies, damned lies and statistics (M. TWAIN)

13. MORE INFORMATION "Governance of Commonly Used SDMX Metadata Artefacts"
Other guidelines (e.g. versioning)
In ancient times they had no statistics so they had to fall back on lies (S. LEACOCK)

14. Statistics are no substitute for judgement" (H. CLAY)
KEY messages:
Governance is essential;
Quality tool, not a constraint nor a burden;
Worthwile spending the necessary time to define governance;
Makes processes faster (better cost efficiency)
Statistics are no substitute for judgement" (H. CLAY)