Manuals for Remote Data Access and On-Site Use at the FDZ of the BA at the IAB

1 Introduction

This document (from here on: manuals) is a collection of various FDZ manuals that must be adhered to when using our data access channels, as well as several instructions to assist you in doing so. Here you will find the following information:

  • What does the project directory look like in the FDZ IT infrastructure? (see Section 2.1)

  • How can I use programme packages and external aggregated data sets? (see Section 2.2)

  • How can I test my scripts outside the FDZ? (see section Section 2.3)

  • How should the scripts be designed? (see Chapter 3)

  • How does remote execution work with JoSuA? (see Chapter 4)

  • How does on-site use at one of the FDZ locations work? What do I have to consider in advance of an on-site visit? (see Chapter 5)

  • How does remote data processing via remote desktop work? (see Chapter 6)

  • How do I receive my results? (see Chapter 7)

  • What do I have to consider when publishing results? (see Chapter 8)

  • What should I bear in mind if I want to use software other than Stata? (see Chapter 9)

  • How do I operate JoSuA? (see Chapter 10)

  • What can I do to fix problems in JoSuA myself? (see Section 10.10)

  • How do I access the remote desktop environment and how do I use it? (see Chapter 11)

In addition to this document, it is mandatory to adhere to the "Guidelines for the Design of Evaluation Programmes and Analysis Results" (from here on: ‘guidelines’). This is the key document that shows you the guidelines we set for the development of evaluation programmes/scripts and how to generate results that comply with data protection regulations. Please also always use the Stata-templates for evaluation programmes (from here on: ‘FDZ templates’) provided by us for the steps of data preparation, description, analysis and results output, in which the guidelines are implemented as examples.

Furthermore, “FDZ Datenreporte”, frequencies and test data are available on the FDZ website for all data products. Further working tools and publications on how to work with FDZ data can be found at ‘Key working Tools of the FDZ’.

Please use these documents and working tools not only before you start analysing the data, but also as a reference when problems arise. Please always keep in mind that the FDZ serves well over 1,000 users and relies on your cooperation to maintain its service in a reasonable amount of time. Please contact us (iab.fdz@iab.de) in case of problems only if you cannot find help in our documents. In case of problems with JoSuA, please always check our website first to see if there are general problems with the service or if you can find help in the JoSuA FAQs.