Physical Linkage vs. Linkage-Ready Data Sources

This talk will discuss approaches for linking different data sets with the goal of offering richer data sources for research. Approach one will make research easier by hosting all datasets in one place and creating one big data source. While this approach benefits from easy handling of data in one place, it also comes with issues like data ownership, data protection, and data documentation/services. Approach two is not demanding one single storage location. Data sets may be stored in different places, but they need to be structured to be “Linkage-Ready”. Being linkage-ready, or interoperable, demands, beside a useful identifier to link cases, a coordination of research domains, instruments, and universes. The talk will discuss the pros and cons of both approaches based on the current situation regarding the availability of data for research on education and learning in Switzerland.