Managing Metadata Over Time

Organizing metadata for the purposes of long-term management may be different than how it is organized for document presentation. DDI 3.2 has provided additional features, such as the ability to include Maintainable objects and most Versionable objects either in-line or by reference, that facilitate the management of metadata outside of specific publication packages. Consider how metadata may be used in the future to facilitate the following activities:

• Reuse of metadata such as questions or variables within a series
• Common metadata that can support comparison between studies within a larger collection

(Geographic Structures, Geographic Locations, Concepts, Universe hierarchies, Organizations and Individuals, etc.) - Metadata that will be maintained and versioned over time (Categories, Concepts, Geographic Locations, etc.)

Separating these schemes of metadata from their applied use within as specific study facilitates reuse and comparison. For example, a study that uses a subset of concepts by reference retains information regarding the relationship of those concepts to a broader conceptual model. In organizing metadata for long-term management and broad reuse, consider how the metadata will be reused, in particular making use of nested schemes to facilitate the reuse of common subsets.