The CEDS tool, Align, allows you to build or upload a data dictionary (see the Mapping
Toolkit) and supports data management efforts, such as identifying data sources
and data elements. Align stores information about the elements including:
- Location in the Data Source (System, Database, Table, etc.)
- Element Name and Identifier
- Definition
- Option Set and Option Set Definitions
- Element Length
- Element Data Type
Versioning of the data elements is also supported by copying an
Align map, including the alignment to CEDS, and updating or adding elements
for the new version. The versions can then be compared using
map-based reports.
Establishing standards for naming and defining data makes it easier to locate data,
and increases the quality of the data by facilitating a clearer understanding of
what a particular data element represents. CEDS has a vast
education vocabulary containing elements and option sets from Early Childhood,
K12, Postsecondary, Adult Education, and Workforce that can help you move towards
standardization. The elements, option sets and definitions are derived from widely
recognized standards that have been in place for many years and are made available
for you to adopt.
You can also view the definitions and option sets used by your peers by viewing
their maps. You can select the elements that interest you to find others who also
collect that data by running an element-based report,
and/or you can find the Align maps you are interested in by running a
map-based report.
CEDS Connect can help create transparency in how the
data being collected are used by cataloging them within a Connection. For example,
creating a Connection around a required Federal report lets you specify what data
elements are needed for the report, and provides a detailed explanation of how those
elements are used (aggregated/analyzed) to produce the results.
Below are additional CEDS resources that may help you.
- The Mapping Toolkit provides resources to help
with mapping your data source to CEDS.
- The SLDS
Data Governance Community of Practice website provides additional resources
for establishing Data Governance.
- Using CEDS: Data Governance provides steps for how CEDS can be used to help with data governance.