Reverse Engineer DSD from CSV Dataset

Overview

The Registry is able to create a Data Structure Definition from a CSV file which only needs the headings to be used in the DSD. Having created the Reverse Engineered Data Structure you can validate and transform data.

Preparation

Source data

For this process to work, the first step is to obtain the dataset that you wish to use.

Next, ensure that all unnecessary data is removed and that the individual concepts all appear in the top row with each concept in its own cell.

When done the file should be saved as an Excel CSV file ready to be used in the Reverse Engineer (RE) process.

Do the Concepts already exits?

The RE process includes a step where you can link the concepts to an existing Concept Scheme owned by the same Agency as being used in the RE process. Alternatively, you can ignore this feature in which case the Concept scheme will be created for you.

Do the Codelists already exist?

If you decide to use the RE process to create a new concept scheme note that all the concepts will be created in the DSD of type 'Free Text (String)" so if you r intention is to create an enumerated DSD you need to be aware of this.

Using an existing Concept Scheme

If you are planning to use an existing concept scheme you will need to be aware of how the concept scheme itself has been created.