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    About microdata schemes

    Statistics Denmark’s Research Services makes data available to authorised institutions for specific research, fact-finding and analytical tasks. Access to data can be granted under various data schemes depending on the institution or the project to which you seek access.

    The researcher scheme

    Researchers and other analysts from authorised institutions can create a project with access to Statistics Denmark’s register data. 
    Read more about authorisation of institutions

    The project database scheme 

    The project database scheme is intended for institutions that are continuously creating projects with significant overlap in data content. Under this scheme, it is not allowed to carry out research directly on the project database, and the scheme must not be used for projects or tasks that are not directly related to the purpose of the project database. Furthermore, the institution must have one or more employees at who can serve as project database managers, of whom at least one can functions as an administrator. The duties of the project database manager include population generation, data extraction etc. as well as ongoing communication with Statistics Denmark.

    If you want to apply for a project database to be set up, you must contact the Project database group at FSEProjektdatabase@dst.dk.

    More on the project database scheme

    An authorised institution can have a maximum of one project database. The project database is a collection of pseudonymised microdata. It is used over time for multiple projects (called subprojects) under the relevant project database scheme.

    For the project database, data is selected from Statistics Denmark’s databank of basic data and, if relevant, data from other sources (such as the institution’s own data). The data content in project databases is subject to the data minimisation principle, and for that reason, data in a project database must be applied in several subprojects.

    In the project database scheme, the project database is called the main project. Other projects in the project database scheme are subprojects of the project database. The authorised institution that owns the project database therefore owns both the main project and the subprojects in the scheme.

    The target group of the project database scheme is institutions that:

    1. are authorised for microdata schemes at Statistics Denmark.
    2. have at least five active projects with significantly overlapping data.
    3. continuously extend their project portfolio with new subprojects with significant overlap in the underlying data.
    Terms of a project database scheme

    Project databases are subject to the following terms:

    1. The institution is required to appoint one to three experienced project database managers who will be the assigned liaison officers with Statistics Denmark. Only project database managers get access to the actual project database.
    2. The project database and subprojects are subject to the data minimisation principle.
    3. The user must pay for all costs associated with the creation, operation and maintenance of the relevant project database. Subprojects are considered regular projects and are handled and invoiced separately.
    4. You can keep a project database going for as long as it is used for active subprojects. The project database can only be preserved as long as it is used for subprojects to an extend that is consistent with the data made available in the project database. The project database can thus be limited or discontinued if Statistics Denmark estimates that this is no longer the case.

    The authority scheme

    The authority scheme makes microdata available to Danish institutions that carry out tasks for the authorities, i.e. departments, agencies and directorates, regions and municipalities. The scheme meets the demand for ad hoc analyses with tight deadlines. 

    Read more about the Authority scheme (in Danish)

    Data confidentiality and access rules

    Access to data is given in agreement with the principles of the General Data Protection Regulation, especially article 5(1)(c): 

    “Personal data shall be adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purposes for which they are processed (‘data minimisation’).” 

    This also applies to section 10 of the Danish Data Protection Act: 

    “Data as mentioned in Article 9(1) and Article 10 of the General Data Protection Regulation may be processed where the processing takes place for the sole purpose of carrying out statistical or scientific studies of significant importance to society and where such processing is necessary in order to carry out these studies.” 

    Read more on Statistics Denmark’s Data confidentiality policy and Information security policy