Introduction

Last updated on 2024-07-11 | Edit this page

Estimated time: 10 minutes

Overview

Questions

  • Why use version control in official statistics?

Objectives

  • Identify uses and purposes for using Git in official statistics

Version Control in General

Version control is important whether you are working alone or collaboratively, even if you are not working in statistics!

Here’s the basics of how a version control system works:

  • start with a base version of a document
  • record changes made each step of the way
  • collaborators can add changes in independently without conflict
Web comic about sending a file back and forth using the file name as version control

You’ve probably already seen a version control system.

Good version control systems will allow you to see the history of a project and will sync across different computers, facilitating collaboration.

Version Control Systems

What version control systems have you likely already come across? List 1-2

You’ve probably seen Microsoft’s Track Changes and Google Doc’s version history

Why Version Controlling Matters in Official Statistics

There are a number of reasons why version control matters matters in official statistics:

  1. Reproducibility: Within and across organizations, we need to be able to reproduce statistics. This could be to ensure consistency in methodology across reference periods, or check to see if statistics are comparable in their methodologies.

  2. Standardization: We can use version control systems as a single source of truth to create standardization of statistics between and within organizations.

  3. Disseminate changes and updated versions: Following our single source of truth, we can easily update and share changes to calculations of official statistics as well as any new documentation or methodologies. This means we are updating in one place rather than many.

  4. Collaboration: Version control systems allow us to collaborate and connect on the creation of official statistics internally and externally with stakeholders. We can use these systems to share proposed changes, share work, and test code.

  5. Efficient and Effective Development of Code: With a single source of truth, we know exactly where to propose and find changes code that makes our statistics. In addition, many version control systems have project management or feedback tools that we can leverage to bundle communication and discussion with the code itself rather than working in multiple systems. This can allow for faster feedback and proposed updates.