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Introduction to Data Linkage

10 May 2018 12:00 am
Training
Data skills
Other

We are pleased to offer you this short course jointly organised by the Administrative Data Research Centre for England      (ADRC-E) and the Consumer Data Research Centre (CDRC).

We recommend this course is booked in conjunction with ADRC-E Short Course T056 Evaluating Linkage Quality for the Analysis of Linked Data on the 11th May 2018, but it can also be booked as a separate one day course.

This short course is designed to give participants a practical introduction to data linkage and is aimed at researchers either intending to use data linkage themselves or those who want to understand more about the process so that they can analyse linked data. Introduction to Data Linkage will cover examples of the uses of data linkage, data preparation, and methods for linkage (including deterministic and probabilistic approaches and privacy-preserving linkage).

The main focus of this course will be health data, although the concepts will apply to many other areas. This course includes a mixture of lectures and practical sessions that will enable participants to put theory into practice.

Evaluating Linkage Quality for the Analysis of Linked Data is a separate course on the 11th May, which will cover processing of linked data, concepts of linkage error and bias, and handling linkage error in analysis.

Further course details can be found here.

 

More information regarding our courses can be found here.


Podcast for some of our previous courses can be found here.

Course Tutors: Dr Katie Harron, Dr James Doidge

Course Contents:

The course covers

  • Overview of data linkage (data linkage systems, benefits of data linkage, types of projects)
  • Linkage methods (deterministic and probabilistic, privacy-preserving)
  • The linkage process (data preparation, blocking, classification)
  • Overview of linkage error
  • Practical sessions

 

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the course participants will:

  • Understand the background and theory of data linkage methods
  • Prepare data for linkage
  • Perform deterministic and probabilistic linkage

 

Computer Software and Computer workshops

This event includes computer workshops.

Participants will need to bring their own laptops  with Excel (or other data management software) and Link Plus software. Link Plus is freely available from http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/npcr/tools/registryplus/lp_tech_info.htm. Please note that this software requires a Windows operating system (Macs will not work).

Event resources

Book your place here