A to Z of data standards terms

A

AI
Artificial Intelligence – the ability of a computer system to learn, reason, recognise patterns, solve problems and make decisions.  

Algorithm
A set of step-by-step instructions that a computer can use to solve a problem or complete a task. 

Anonymisation 
Permanently removing information so that a person can't be identified by that data.

Application Programming Interface (API)
These are a set of rules used by computer systems so that they can communicate with each other. A good example of this is a weather app on your phone using data from the Met Office computer to be able to show you the forecast.

C

Cloud computing
A way of storing data and running software over the internet instead of using physical hardware that lives in the building. 

D

Data
Information that is collected, stored and used for reasoning, discussion or decision making. It could be names, addresses, dates, assessments, plans, case notes and more. 

Data catalogue
A searchable online list of all the data standards developed with their associated metadata.

Data centre
Secure buildings that house hundreds or thousands of computers that make up the cloud. 

Data compatibility
The ability of data from different systems, organisations, or sources to work together correctly without needing significant changes or intervention by people.

Data controller
The person or organisation that decides why and how personal data is used. 

Data culture
The way the people in organisations think about, value, use and share data in their everyday work.

Data element
What an individual data item is called in the FHIR framework. 

Data fidelity
Making sure information remains accurate and unchanged as it's shared, processed or used.

Data governance
The framework of policies and processes used to manage data. 

Data hygiene
The process of ensuring that data is clean, correct and fit for purpose.

Data literacy
The ability of an individual to understand, process and make use of data.

Data maturity
The ability of an organisation to make use of the data it collects. 

Data minimisation
Collecting only the information that's needed to complete a task. 

Data owner
The person or organisation who is responsible for a dataset. 

Data portability
Data that moves with you as you move within a system, or between organisations. For example, a person’s details, medication or allergy information automatically moves from a hospital system into a care home system when they are discharged from hospital.

Data processor
The person or organisation who tasked with processing the data on the instruction of the data owner. For example. A health board (data owner) may keep all of its data on the cloud (data processor).

Data quality
A measure of how accurate, complete and reliable data is.

Data standard
An agreed way of describing a piece of information. Data standards make sure everyone uses the same description and meaning for a piece of information so that it can be safely shared between different systems.

Data type
Data can be recorded as a number, a string of text, a date, a list, or a Boolean item (for example, yes/no). 

Database
An organised collection of information that is stored electronically. 

Dataset
A collection of related data that has been gathered and organised for a specific purpose. A group of data that is stored together.

Digital
Digital refers to information, services, or technologies that use computers, software, and electronic devices to create, store, process, or share information. 

E

Eclipse
An electronic information system developed by Civica OLM that is used by social services in many local authorities. 

Electronic information system (EIS)
Sometimes called an electronic case record. This is the computer system used in social care organisations to record their work. It's the digital case file. 

F

FHIR
Pronounced like the word 'fire', FHIR stands for Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources. It's the technical implementation of a data standard and is what allows computer systems to swap data with each other.

Field
This is a specific piece of information in a computer system. It forms part of a ‘record’ or form such as an ID number, a date or postcode. 

Format
A specific way of recording information. For example, a date can be recorded in many different ways: 

01-SEP-2019 
01/09/19 
1 September 2019 
20190901 

G

GDPR
Sometimes referred to as UK-GDPR, it stands for General Data Protection Regulation. This is the law in the UK that sets out how organisations must collect, store, process and protect people’s personal information.

I

Information governance
A set of rules, laws and processes that ensure people handle data legally, safely, securely and appropriately.

Integrated care record
A system that brings together information about a person from a number of different sources so that authorised professionals can see a more complete view of a person’s care. 

Integration
The process of connecting systems together so they become interoperable. 

Interoperability
The ability of different computer systems to talk to each other and exchange data. 

J

JSON
JavaScript Object Notation - a simple computer language used to record information about data.

L

Large language model (LLM)
A specific AI that's been trained using large amounts of information and can use language that a human would understand. Examples of LLMs include Copilot, Claude and ChatGPT.

M

Mandatory field
A piece of information in a record that must be entered. 

Metadata
This is data about data, such as who created the record, when it was last updated and what it contains. 

Minimum operating data standards (MODS)
A common set of data items, definitions, and terminology that care providers and software suppliers should use when recording care information.

Mosaic
An electronic information system developed by the Access Group that's used by services in many local authorities.

O

Open data standards
Publicly available rules and formats that help organisations collect, store and share data in a consistent way. Anyone can use open data standards without having to pay for them or get special permission.

P

Participatory design
Sometimes called “user-centred” design. This is a process that makes sure the people who use the final product are at the heart of the design process.

Personal data
Information that can be used to identify a person. 

Professional Records Standards Body (PRSB)
An organisation set up by NHS England to develop and manage data standards relating to health and care. 

Pseudonymisation
Replacing identifiable information with codes so that a person remains anonymous, but the process can be reversed if necessary.

R

Reference data
Lists of agreed values that are commonly used across systems. An example of this are ethnicities that have been developed by the Office for National Statistics which are in use in many systems, including the Census.

S

Shared care record
See 'integrated care record'.

SNOMED-CT
A set of health data standards that describe conditions, procedures and observations.

Standardisation
This is the process of agreeing what the standards should be and how they are described. Everyone who uses the standard needs to agree on it for it to work.  

System agnostic
Developing a generic version of a data standard, process or policy that isn't tied to a specific system or technology.

U

Use case
A real-world example of how a person, team or organisation uses a system, service, information or technology to achieve a specific goal. 

User
The person or entity using a tool or receiving a service.

User-centred design
See 'participatory design'.

V

Validation
Checks that a computer system makes to make sure information has been entered accurately or isn't missing.

W

Writing group
A small group of social care practitioners, data and digital professionals tasked with leading the development of social care data standards. The writing group allows us to take a user-centred approach to developing data standards in Wales.

X

XML
Extensible markup language - another computer language used to record and exchange information between systems.