Register Specification
Every register must have a specification documenting its scope, governance, and commitments. Here's a complete template.
Specification Template
Use this template as a starting point. Adapt sections to your register's needs.
1. General Information
2. Scope and Purpose
3. Identifier Scheme
4. Content Requirements
5. Versioning
6. Governance Model
7. Commitments
| Commitment | Level | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Access - Metadata | ||
| Access - Content | ||
| Access - Historic | ||
| Persistence - Identifier | ||
| Persistence - Content | ||
| Transparency |
8. Conformance Claims
How Detailed Should It Be?
| Register Type | Recommended Depth | Focus Areas |
|---|---|---|
| Content Register | Basic | Scope, identifiers, minimal content requirements |
| Concept Register | Moderate | + Concept model, relations |
| Governed registers | Comprehensive | + Full governance, proposal process |
| CCR | Complete | + All commitments detailed |
Common Specification Mistakes
Vague Scope
Problem: "Contains useful information about things"
Better: "Contains ISO 3166-1 country codes with English names"
Missing Governance Details
Problem: "Approved by committee"
Better: "Approved by Data Governance Committee, majority vote, meeting every Tuesday"
Uncritical Commitment Claims
Problem: "High persistence" without defining what that means
Better: "Identifiers guaranteed for minimum 25 years, with succession plan documented"
No Change Criteria
Problem: What justifies a new version is undefined
Better: Clear list of substantive vs non-substantive change criteria