2. Prepare data for publication

Once you have identified a dataset and evaluated it to be appropriate for publication as open data, the next step is to prepare the data for publication.

The steps listed below cover some of the main steps for preparing data for publication as open data. You will need to do additional quality checks that are specific to your data before you begin the steps listed below.

• If your dataset contains Personally Identifiable Information (PII) or Personal Health Information (PHI), follow your agency’s de-identification guidance when preparing your data for publication. For additional guidance, refer to the Data Aggregation section of this handbook.
• Check the formatting of your data to ensure that:
  • The data types are consistent within the fields of your dataset. For example, if a field is supposed to contain a date, check that it only contains dates.
  • The data does not include special formatting such as merged cells, footnotes, etc.
• If appropriate, add a column indicating the date the dataset was last updated. It is often helpful to include a column for the date that the data was last updated, especially if new data will be appended to the dataset in the future.
• Document your process for preparing the data for publication, including information about the data source and repeatable steps for preparing the dataset.

💡 More guidance

Review the Data Preparation and Formatting section for detailed instructions on formatting data for publication.