When to apply for microdata
If you require access to microdata for use in statistical results and analyses you need to submit an application with the relevant attachments to Statistics Norway.
The use of microdata for administrative, legal, and fiscal purposes or for the control of statistical units is not permitted.
New application
To obtain data from Statistics Norway, an application form must be completed and submitted along with documentation to mikrodata@ssb.no.
All approvals must cover the entire scope of the data requested from Statistics Norway.
The following attachments must be included with the application:
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For research projects, a research protocol or project description must be included.
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For public administration, a description of needs and purpose must be included.
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Attach Statistics Norway’s variable lists where these exist.
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You could also define the population and variables in microdata.no and attach the script. Further reading.
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If there are no variable lists, or the project includes data that are not held by Statistics Norway, this must be detailed in the application.
In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), all projects that intend to process personal data must have a basis for processing. The data protection officer at your institution will be able to help you with this.
The following documentation must be attached to applications for projects with a valid and comprehensive basis for processing dating back to before 20 July 2018:
- Recommendation from the data protection officer, licence from the Norwegian Data Protection Authority or prior approval from the Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics (REC)
- Specification of the legal basis in accordance with the GDPR
- Statement confirming that the project protects the privacy of data subjects in accordance with the GDPR
Projects that have a valid and comprehensive basis for processing after 20 July 2018 require either a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) or an assessment of why the DPIA is not necessary (negative DPIA).
- Reasons for using basic statistical unit, post code, date of birth and date of death.
Application for change
An application for change must be submitted to Statistics Norway for all changes that are beyond the scope of previous decisions on access.
Updated documentation must be attached.
Important information before applying
According to Section 14 of the Statistics Act access to microdata may be granted to research institutions that are recognised by the Research Council of Norway (NFR) or Eurostat.
Please note that data will be provided for research purposes only.
Processing of personal data requires a legal basis according to Articles 6 and 9 of the GDPR. If the legal basis is not based on consent, a supplementary national legal basis is required. For access to data from Statistics Norway for institutions based in Norway this is typically §§ 8 and 9 of the Personal Data Act.
The data protection officer at your institution will be able to assist you in this regard.
Distributed linking is generally used when indirectly identifiable data from Statistics Norway is linked to data from sources outside of Statistics Norway.
This means that those responsible for the various data sources exchange a data file containing a personal identification number or another unique identifier and a randomly generated serial number (scrambling key). The individual authorities then add serial numbers to their own data and send the data with the serial numbers to the project.
Distributed linking is permitted in the case that the recipients are public authorities, national health registries or patient-reported outcomes registries. If the project wishes to link data from other sources, data must be collated by Statistics Norway.
Statistics Norway does not charge for the data itself but does charge for the time taken to process the application and prepare the data. Assignments are invoiced with 25 percent value added tax (VAT).
The following components are included in the cost:
- Coordinating, clarifying, and preparing the offer
- Create population and prepare data files
- Sending data and archiving documents
The price and estimated delivery time will appear in the offer from Statistics Norway.
Coordination, clarification, preparation of quote and agreement
This item includes the preparatory work involved in producing quotes and agreements. The preparatory work will depend on the complexity and scope of the individual project. There are often challenges involved in establishing exactly what data can and will be included in the project, what data Statistics Norway can provide, and whether the requested data falls within the scope of the project’s basis for processing.
This item usually constitutes the largest cost variable in a project. Researchers can streamline the process by familiarising themselves with existing documentation on ssb.no.
Creating a population, processing third-party data and customising data files
The time spent creating a population depends on the number of populations included in the project and the complexity of the populations. Before the data extraction work begins, the executive officer must also prepare the files for extraction. The work can be particularly time-consuming when third-party data is included in the project. Lack of documentation, difficult file formats, and work involved in exchanging data are some of the factors that can prolong the executive work and push up the price.
Third-party data
Many projects involve the exchange of data between Statistics Norway, researchers and other registers. Receiving and adapting data and population files is sometimes a time-consuming process depending on the volume of the files and the number of registers that Statistics Norway needs to deal with. It can therefore save time if the contact persons that Statistics Norway needs to interact with when exchanging data are clarified well in advance.
Data extraction and de-identification
After an agreement is entered into and data files have been adapted, most of the remaining work concerns extracting and de-identifying data for the research project. Statistics Norway is constantly working to improve the work processes associated with this, and most of the variable lists are priced proportionally to the number ordered.
- Extractions from FD-Trygd
The event history database is an important data source in many research projects. The database is specially adapted for use by researchers and a fixed price is charged for extractions from individual tables. - Other extractions from variable lists
Extractions of variables from the variable lists are charged according to a fixed price for each statistical area. The extractions are generated from adapted statistics files and the work is charged according to the number of statistical areas from which variables are required. - Extractions outside variable lists
Clarifications, extracting data and documenting content that is not covered by variable lists can be demanding and costly.
Archiving, documentation and delivery
During the process, and when delivering the finished product, the executive officer archives the correspondence and data included in the delivery, and documents the data material included in the delivery.
All files must be encrypted and sent via SSB's secure file transfer area. A link will be sent once an area where the files are to be placed and sent is created.
If you are using your own or third-party data in your project, it must be in a format that Statistics Norway can read. The instructions are given here:
How to send files to the microdata service in Statistics Norway
The files must be encrypted and sent via Statistics Norway’s secure file transfer area. Learn how to do this here:
Secure electronic exchange of data with Statistics Norway
In cases where third-party data is to be supplied via Statistics Norway, we must have receipt of this before we can start processing the data and before you can access the data.
Your executive officer will notify you when the data from Statistics Norway is available for download. Please note that data will be automatically deleted from the server after 6 months. Make sure you download the data during this period.
The data from Statistics Norway must be deleted when the project has ended and at the latest by the deadline stipulated in the access decision
Institutions outside of Norway are, as a general rule, only permitted access to anonymous data. Statistics Norway may allow access to anonymous data for research purposes, when the institution responsible for the project is a research institution recognized by Eurostat.
To prepare anonymous data is usually costly, and Statistics Norway cannot make any guarantees for the research value of the anonymous data you receive. Anonymous datasets are thoroughly anonymized in such a way that even indirectly identifying anyone is impossible. These types of datasets lose a lot of information because of the measures of anonymizing. Furthermore, it is impossible to predict whether or not it will be feasible. The research project will be charged for the time we spend to process the application and prepare the data, regardless of the research value.
However researchers from institutions outside of Norway may get access to indirectly identifiable data through projects conducted by Norwegian institutions.
Contact
Microdata