Tooling in the Integrated Data Service

The Integrated Data Service (IDS) is still under development, and we are currently in a technology and user-discovery phase.

Through our ongoing tooling discovery work and your feedback, we have heard a clear need for additional tools to meet analytical needs. We are implementing plans to expand the tools within the IDS over and above the existing packages, such as R and Python, prior to Secure Research Service (SRS) users transitioning.

Stata and SPSS do not currently have cloud-native functionality, which allows for implementation within the technical architecture of the IDS, therefore further discussion is required, and we will update users as soon as a decision has been reached on these tools.

The existing tooling roadmap for the IDS includes plans for the implementation of tools such as Spark frameworks, Geospatial tools within Google Cloud/BigQuery, VSCode, RStudio, Looker Studio, Google Sheets, and Quarto. The introduction of these tools will afford more in-depth analysis alongside the broader range of data available within the IDS.

Users of the Integrated Data Service (IDS) will be able to produce code outside of the platform and use it within the service. An enterprise version of GitHub has been built inside the IDS' protected boundaries.

Users will need to complete a request to bring in repositories and export them afterwards. Once in, they can be shared across the platform. The IDS will adhere to the safe principles of using a code repository for code (and not data) and will have tools to monitor the platform.

There will be no access to Microsoft SQL Server in the IDS but there will be access to Big Query, which is very similar and very powerful.

The IDS will have a dissemination arm where users will be able to produce publications based on analysis that has been carried out within the analytical platform.

Currently, outputs will be taken from the IDS, either into the dissemination arm, or outside (once they are cleared), where users can use their own tools, while preventing ingress and egress of data, to support the writing up of publications they are producing.

If the information you are looking for does not already exist on these pages, you can contact the SRS Customer Support team for more information by email at srs.customer.support@ons.gov.uk.