Certification of users

All users working with data in one of Statistics Denmark’s microdata schemes must achieve certification. The certification ensures that everybody knows the data security rules under Statistics Denmark’s microdata schemes and feels safe using and transferring data. To ensure continued high focus on the data security rules, all users must subsequently achieve re-certification once a year. 

Certification in practice

In practice, the certification takes place via Denmark’s Data Portal, where you must pass a test with questions on the data security rules described in Research Services data security rules under the microdata schemes (pdf). It is a good idea to read the rules before you start. You have three attempts per day to pass.

If relevant, see the video guide for user certification (in Danish)

This is how you do it:

1. Log into Denmark’s Data Portal with your three/four-character ident and password.
2. On your landing page, select the window ‘Learning and certification’.
3. Then select the tab ‘Certifications’. If it does not drop down automatically, click the small blue arrow.
4. Answer the certification questions by clicking ‘Start certification’ and ‘OK’ in the info box that pops up.
5. Answer the questions by clicking the option you believe to be correct.
6. When you have answered all the questions, you click the button ‘Submit answer’, which has turned blue meanwhile.
7. If you answer all ten questions correctly, you have passed the certification and you are considered able to handle data in accordance with our data security rules.
8. Under ’Result’, your status will be indicated as ’Passed’, and a green info box appears with the text ’Congratulations, you have passed’.
9. Under ’Resultat’ vil din status figurere som ’Bestået’, og der vises en grøn infoboks med teksten ’Tillykke, du har bestået’. 
10. If you do not answer all ten questions correctly, you can see under ’Result’ how many questions you answered incorrectly in your attempt and how many remaining attempts you have. Furthermore, a red info box appears with the text ‘Sorry, you have not passed’.
    
    a) If you have more attempts left and want to re-take the test, press ’Certification front page’ and start over. Note that you have three attempts per day and that the questions change from time to time. Consider re-visiting the data security rules, before you try again.
    
    b) If you do not have any attempts left, your access to your projects will be locked for 24 hours. The small watch icon indicates when the 24 hours are up. After that, you can take the test again.

The certification questions

The test contains questions about the data security rules (data security rules under the microdata schemes (pdf)). Since Statistics Denmark’s data security rules may differ from the practice in other institutions, it is important to read and know the rules under the microdata schemes. Knowing the rules is also the basis for answering the ten certification questions correctly. 

Read more about the data security rules under Rules on transfer and sanctioning 

The questions are about access to researcher machines, pseudonymisation, transfer rules and working in general with data. Below you will find an example of a question that you can encounter in the certification test:

Question 1:
You have collected a survey that you are working on locally. You have registered the survey with the Danish Data Protection Agency, so the permits are in place. You have also sent the survey to Statistics Denmark to have the option of linking the survey with register data on the researcher server. Which is the correct statement?