Metadata handling

i. Statistical Business Process Model: Manage metadata with a focus on the overall statistical business process model.
ii. Active not passive: Make metadata active to the greatest extent possible. Active metadata are metadata that drive other processes and actions. Treating metadata this way will ensure they are accurate and up-to-date.
iii. Reuse: Reuse metadata where possible for statistical integration as well as efficiency reasons
iv. Versions: Preserve history (old versions) of metadata.

Metadata Authority

i. Registration: Ensure the registration process (workflow) associated with each metadata element is well documented so there is clear identification of ownership, approval status, date of operation, etc.
ii. Single source: Ensure that a single, authoritative source ('registration authority') for each metadata element exists.
iii. One entry/update: Minimize errors by entering once and updating in one place.
iv. Standards variations: Ensure that variations from standards are tightly managed/approved, documented and visible.

Relationship to Statistical Cycle / Processes

i. Integrity: Make metadata-related work an integral part of business processes across the organization.
ii. Matching metadata: Ensure that metadata presented to the end-users match the metadata that drove the business process or were created during the process.
iii. Describe flow: Describe metadata flow with the statistical and business processes (alongside the data flow and business logic).
iv. Capture at source: Capture metadata at their source, preferably automatically as a bi-product of other processes.
v. Exchange and use: Exchange metadata and use them for informing both computer based processes and human interpretation. The infrastructure for exchange of data and associated metadata should be based on loosely coupled components, with a choice of standard exchange languages, such as XML.

Users

i. Identify users: Ensure that users are clearly identified for all metadata processes, and that all metadata capturing will create value for them.
ii. Different formats: The diversity of metadata is recognized and there are different views corresponding to the different uses of the data. Different users require different levels of detail. Metadata appear in different formats depending on the processes and goals for which they are produced and used.
iii. Availability: Ensure that metadata are readily available and useable in the context of the users' information needs (whether an internal or external user).