Open Data Format: A Metadata-Enriched Data Format using DDI Codebook

Abstract: Currently, social scientists use different and sometimes proprietary software to analyse data, which processes metadata in diverse ways. Data formats of statistical software packages are only partially compatible and pose an obstacle to replication studies. Proprietary data formats jeopardise the requirement for interoperability enshrined in the FAIR principles. As part of KonsortSWD, we developed an open data format that can be used in common statistical programs to improve the exchange and reuse of research data and enable access to documentation materials directly via the statistical software. The open data format can be enriched with multilingual metadata and links to data portals, enabling direct access to documentation materials through the statistical software itself. In this paper, we present a practical use case of the Open Data Format based on SOEP panel data. We show how datasets in the ODF look, how the SOEP data was converted into our open data format, and how ODF data files can be imported and exported in R and Stata.