Exchanging DDI-L between information systems: using a FragmentInstance combined with controlled vocabularies

[DUBOIS Thomas]

Hello DDI community,

 

I’m working on exchanging DDI-L between two information systems.

I find it very practical to use the FragmentInstance (or ItemContainer in DDI4) to transmit metadata as a complete unit within a single physical DDI/XML file, containing only the metadata that is relevant to the client system.

 

Some of this metadata is described using a controlled vocabulary (defined internally), for example:

<r:Subject controlledVocabularyID="50cbc115-f2a1-49ba-bbcf-605c2219ff8e" controlledVocabularyAgencyName="eu.casd" controlledVocabularyVersionID="1">8</r:Subject>

 

I’m wondering what the best practice is for transmitting or exposing all this metadata in DDI-L.

 

Should the list of codes defining the vocabulary be included in the same physical file as a Fragment?

Or should it be provided as an external resource that is transmitted or made available independently—leaving it to the client to dereference the list of codes?

Or is there another recommended approach?

 

If you have any experience or suggestions on this topic, I’d greatly appreciate your input.

 

Thank you,
Kind regards,

	Thomas DUBOIS Metadata expert thomas...@casd.eu   |   www.casd.eu

 

 

[Wendy Thomas]

Thomas,

We looked at this issue in updating codebook, and ended up shifting the content of the element from containing the code value (term) to containing the label. We then added an 2 attributes, one to contain the instance URL and the other to contain the code value. We did this in order to provide an in-line value for systems that did not want to resolve each controlled vocabulary instance. 

We talked about aligning the CodeValueType in DDI-L with this approach. There was an issue filed but I'm not sure if addressed just the instance URL or both changes.

This content approach would resolve your issue going forward. However in the 3.3 version I think the receiver would need to resolve the value in the same way the provider has to.

Wendy

Wendy L. Thomas                            

ISRDI [retired]

email: w...@umn.edu

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[DUBOIS Thomas]

Good morning Wendy,

Thank you for your prompt, early morning reply.

It's very clear à We will resolve the value.

 

 

Kind regards,

Thomas

 

De : Wendy Thomas <w...@umn.edu>
Envoyé : vendredi 16 mai 2025 15:45
À : DUBOIS Thomas <thomas...@casd.eu>
Cc : Data Documentation Initiative Users Group <ddi-...@icpsr.umich.edu>
Objet : Re: [DDI-users] Exchanging DDI-L between information systems: using a FragmentInstance combined with controlled vocabularies

[Dan Smith]

Hi Thomas,

We usually include the CV as a DDI CodeList with the Categories in the
Fragment file, so other systems are ensured they have access to the CV
for displaying proper multilingual labels for the code values.

In DDI-L version 4, the CodeValue is also updated to include a new
direct reference to a CV CodeList, making this CodeList connection more
formal, as shown in:
https://github.com/ddialliance/ddimodel/blob/master/CompositeTypes/CodeValueType/CodeValueType.csv

Cheers!
Dan

On 5/16/2025 5:17 AM, DUBOIS Thomas wrote:
> Hello DDI community,
>
> I’m working on exchanging DDI-L between two information systems.
>

> I find it very practical to use the /FragmentInstance/ (or /
> ItemContainer/ in DDI4) to transmit metadata as a complete unit within a

> single physical DDI/XML file, containing only the metadata that is
> relevant to the client system.
>
> Some of this metadata is described using a controlled vocabulary
> (defined internally), for example:
>
> <r:SubjectcontrolledVocabularyID="50cbc115-f2a1-49ba-
> bbcf-605c2219ff8e"controlledVocabularyAgencyName="eu.casd"controlledVocabularyVersionID="1">8</r:Subject>
>
> I’m wondering what the best practice is for transmitting or exposing all
> this metadata in DDI-L.
>
> Should the list of codes defining the vocabulary be included in the same
> physical file as a Fragment?
>
> Or should it be provided as an external resource that is transmitted or
> made available independently—leaving it to the client to dereference the
> list of codes?
>
> Or is there another recommended approach?
>
> If you have any experience or suggestions on this topic, I’d greatly
> appreciate your input.
>
> Thank you,
> Kind regards,
>

> casd
>
>
>
> *Thomas DUBOIS*
> Metadata expert
> thomas...@casd.eu <mailto:thomas...@casd.eu>   | *www.casd.eu
> <https://www.casd.eu/>*

>
> idan
>
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
> Groups "DDI Users" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send

> an email to icpsr-ddi-use...@googlegroups.com <mailto:icpsr-
> ddi-users+...@googlegroups.com>.

> To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/icpsr-

> ddi-users/b86f51cdd02b41baab71eb217bc52148%40casd.eu <https://
> groups.google.com/d/msgid/icpsr-ddi-users/
> b86f51cdd02b41baab71eb217bc52148%40casd.eu?
> utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>.

--
Dan Smith
+1 608-213-2867
Colectica - Statistical Data Management
http://www.colectica.com