A detailed set of naming standards for data elements in BICC-sponsored reporting projects has been approved by the data stewardship steering committee (SUDS-SC) and the BICC steering committee.
These standards support the use of official names that serve as unambiguous identifiers of specific entities and data elements. Official names are intended for broad audiences who may not be familiar with each element, and for contexts where precise identification and definition of elements is critical. For users who aren’t already familiar with an element, the official name should be informative about its nature.
The naming standards include both structural principles (eg, names should include standard identifiers of the element’s entity, attribute, and data class) and controlled vocabularies (eg, restricted sets of defined class words, approved abbreviations). Approved terms in the SUDS data dictionary should be fully compliant with these standards, and the use of reporting aliases should follow standard principles around usage and documentation.
Related materials:
- Overview: https://stanford.box.com/BICC-standards-pres
- Basic principles; why we need standards: https://stanford.box.com/naming-principles
- Controlled vocabulary (class words, etc): https://stanford.box.com/BICC-naming-stds-cntrl-vocab
- Detailed standards explanation and documentation: https://stanford.box.com/BICC-naming-stds