Guidelines for use of the templates
***********************************

Philipp vom Berge - 26 Oct 2022

1)
Please refer to the general guidelines for data access for a starter on how to work within
our data access infrastructure:
https://doku.iab.de/fdz/access/Vorgaben_DAFE_EN.PDF

2)
Use the template code fragments provided in 'templates_aggregation_internal_no_export.do'
only if you do not plan to export the resulting aggregated data or move it to another 
project folder at the IAB-FDZ. You might also want to use them if your aggregated dataset 
has no censoring issues (only large cells). To check this, you will have to look at the raw,
unweighted cell counts for workers or establishments ... not the weighted ones!
 
3)
For exports and data transfers when small cells are present, please use the templates provided
in 'templates_aggregation_export.do'.

4)
Use the templates as a starting point and adjust according to the needs of your project.
Make sure that you have a very clear documentation of your aggregation excercise before you
ask FDZ staff for release of the created data. This includes:
- at which levels cells are created
- what outcomes you want to export and how they were created
- how you tested/ensured that there are no (remaining) data privacy concerns

5)
Random weighting or smoothing not only applies to cell counts, but also has to be done for any
other outcome variable. It is not sufficient to disguise the true cell size but then keep 
everything else unchanged.

6) 
These templates are a suggestion to get you started, but using them is no guarantee that your
aggregated dataset can be released by FDZ staff. Every project is different and your project
might include additional complications that necessitate further anonymization.

7)
Please get in touch with FDZ staff early when you plan to export detailed aggregated data
that might require further disclosure control/censoring. This way you can reduce the risk of 
the export simply being rejected outright after you spend a lot of time building the dataset.
