Combining of data with other data

Statistics Finland's research data can also be combined with other data. Statistics Finland carries out the combination of the data. Statistics Finland’s research data can be combined into interview surveys or inquiries if the research participants have been informed of the combining of other data. Combining with unit-level data of other authorities requires that a user licence is received from the organisation concerned and the licence is delivered to Statistics Finland.

Combining with interview or inquiry data

Persons participating in interview surveys or inquiries must be informed if other data are to be combined with the collected data. Respondents must be informed about such matters as the controller and the purpose of processing personal data. Respondents must also be informed about the data groups collected from different registers and the release targets of data. Information is given about the combination of interview surveys and inquiries and register data at the stage when research participants are contacted for the first time for implementing personal data collection.

If Statistics Finland's individual-level data are to be combined with the data collected from research participants, they must be informed that data are also searched from Statistics Finland and specify the personal data groups that are meant to be combined. Personal data groups can be such as income, education, labour force status.

The processing of personal data must be transparent from the viewpoint of data subjects. Therefore, it is good to describe as closely as possible the data that are meant to be combined from Statistics Finland's data with the inquiry and interview data. When informing, it should also be specified from which period data are being combined (that is, whether the interest lies  only on data at the time of the inquiry or about work and education history, for example).

The ground for processing selected in the survey influences the processing and combining of data.

Read more about informing research participants about the processing of personal data:
Finnish Social Science Data Archive: Data Management Guidelines
Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman: Informing data subjects
Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman: Scientific research and data protection

Combining with unit-level data of other authorities

Data of other authorities can be combined with Statistics Finland's data. The researcher has to apply for a user licence direct from these authorities. The data are combined by means of the personal identity code, Business ID, coordinates and so on. Statistics Finland carries out the combination of the data. Before the combination, a copy of other authorities' licences must be supplied to Statistics Finland. The researcher is responsible for ensuring the validity of the licences of other authorities throughout the duration of the research. Extension of Statistics Finland’s user licence does not change the validity of the licence of another authority, but the researcher has to apply for the extension separately from the authority in question.

The data released by Statistics Finland can be entered into Findata’s remote access system: cause of death data, age, sex, education, occupation and socio-economic group. If other data are searched from Statistics Finland, the data must be entered into Statistics Finland's remote access system.

Combining with public datasets

Public data produced by Statistical authorities can also be exported to a Statistics Finland's remote access system Fiona for a research project without updating the usage license. Statistical authorities are defined in Section 2 of the Statistics Act (280/2004) and include, in addition to Statistics Finland, the Finnish Customs, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), and the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke). The export of other external datasets to Fiona requires the updating of the usage license.

Licence pages of other register authorities