Data manual

A guide to working with data in government and the public sector

Data sharing

Frameworks and guides about sharing data between government organisations.

Data sharing governance framework

This framework is for data management specialists, data sharing practitioners and data requesters in central government departments and their agencies. It’s also for senior leaders that set the strategy and direction for their organisation, including those who do not have data- specific job titles. It provides 5 principles to help your organisation make data sharing more efficient, and actions to remove barriers to data sharing.

Record information about data sets you share with others

Metadata is data about data, such as its title, date or author. Using metadata makes it easier to catalogue, validate, reuse and share your data, improving interoperability across government. Follow this guidance if you’re creating any data in tabular form that you intend to share.

Publish reference data for use across government

Reference data categorises other data in your organisation, making it explainable and reliable. Reference data usually consists of codes, descriptions and definitions of data – for example, an internationally recognised set of country codes. Learn how to publish your reference data so others can use it across government.

Using CSV file format

Guidance for anyone who publishes data in a government organisation. The comma-separated values (CSV) file format is widely used in government for sharing and receiving data. Learn how to produce, manage and validate CSV files.

Data sharing: a code of practice (Information Commissioner’s Office)

A practical guide for medium and large organisations about how to share personal data in a way that complies with data protection law. Using this guide will give you confidence to share data fairly and proportionately.

How DfE shares personal data

A good example of how a central government department approaches data sharing. The Department for Education (DfE) sets out why it shares data, with whom and under what conditions.

How to request data from HMRC

A guide for UK government departments, devolved governments, public bodies and local authorities. Learn how to request data from HMRC for policy development, operations or analytical purposes.

Data Marketplace

This service, still in private beta, is for people who work in government organisations to find, request and share data. After creating an account, you can search a data catalogue and request data from other organisations by answering a short set of questions.

Unlocking data sharing across government

This government blog explains the work of the Data Sharing Network of Experts (DSNE). DSNE is a cross-government virtual team that helps solve problems with sharing data between government departments and agencies. You can contact the team with questions or if you need assistance with a data sharing case.

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