Column Headers and Order

Column Headers

• Only use alphanumeric or these 3 special characters: period (.), dash (-), and underscore (_)

  • Ampersand (&) should be replaced by “and” if needed

• Each header must be unique

  • e.g. can’t have two headers called "duration"

• Units of measure should be omitted

  • Units can and must be provided with the data dictionary

• Keep short (less than 30 characters)

  • A full description can and must be provided with the data dictionary

Column Order

• Unique identifiers should be in the left-most column if applicable

• Date and time variables should be in the first column for time series data

• Fixed or classified variables should be ordered with the highest-level variable on the left and most granular variable on the right, for example

• Observed variables should always be on the rightmost columns, these are measured variables often numeric, the following are some example field names that could be observed variables:

  • Duration

  • Number of Units

  • Number of Stories

  • Year Built

  • People Served