Preferred Deposit Formats
While the ADA will accept data and supporting documentation in most formats, there are several preferred formats that the Data Owner should consider when preparing their information for upload and deposit. The tables below highlight the most commonly used formats. These are based typically on the data type in question. Adherence to the ADA preferred format not only makes the data and supporting documentation more accessible to others, by presenting the files in formats that users are familiar with, but increasingly important is the fact that the data files are then available in a format that maximises their potential to be updated and forward migrated in response to changes in technology.
The ADA may be able to offer some data format conversions, but this is purely dependent upon the availability of trained archivist staff, and the appropriate software and hardware being available. It should not be assumed that this service will be provided, and Data Owners should discuss their needs with the ADA prior to depositing. The tables below provide preferred format details for both Quantitative and Qualitative Data types.
Quantitative Data
| Quantitative Data | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statistical Packages | Spreadsheet Data | ASCII Text | Other | |
| Preferred Formats: | SPSS (.sav), Stata (.dta) | Comma-Separated Values (CSV) (.csv) | Comma-Separated Values (CSV) (.csv), Tab-Delimited Text (.txt), Fixed Format Text | For other formats, such as database (e.g. Microsoft Access (.ACCDB), MySQL (.cnf/.sql), PostGres/PostGreSQL), please contact the ADA to discuss prior to depositing. |
| Other Acceptable Formats: | SAS (.sas), R (.r) | Excel (.xls/.xlsx) | Please contact the ADA to discuss prior to depositing. | |
Qualitative Data
| Qualitative Data | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Textual Data | Digital Image Data | Digital Audio Data | Digital Video Data | Documentation | |
| Preferred Formats: |
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