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What are the Datasets?

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The National Digital Archive of Datasets (NDAD) preserves and provides online access to archived digital datasets and documents from UK central government departments.

Database management systems are used to gather, store and analyse large amounts of statistical information. This information influences and affects policy and legislation at the highest level, so the databases stored and preserved by NDAD are important evidence of the decision-making processes of UK government.

These documents are free of charge to download.

Searching the Datasets

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You can search the Datasets by entering a keyword into the search box. You can also narrow your search by entering a date range.

Alternatively, you may wish to browse through details of the whole collection.

You can search for the full catalogue reference, for example AT 68, using our Quick and Advanced search forms. The Quick Search box is near the top left of the page.

What could these records help me to discover?

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By interrogating the NDAD datasets for yourself, you can analyse information and statistics gathered from a wide variety of departments and subjects (health, education, housing, crime, nature).

How do I download the records

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To download a dataset please follow the instructions below:

  • From the download screen select download.
  • In the box that appears, select save and choose what you want to call, and where you wish to save the file.
  • When the file is saved on your computer, locate and open the folder.

You will find that there are 3 different files types for you to access. You should find a .pdf file, multiple .csv files and multiple .html files. We advise opening the .pdf file first.

Technical requirements

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As the datasets are delivered as zip files you will need a program capable of unzipping these files. Most modern Microsoft Windows operating systems will automatically unzip files when you download them. However, Windows 95/98/2000 does not have built in zip file support. It is therefore necessary to use third party software. If you are unable to unzip the files there are numerous programs available which can do so, such as: PentaZip , PicoZip , PKZip , PowerArchiver , StuffIt and WinZip . Most programs offer a 30-day limited trial period where you can download and try the utility for free.

In order to download the .csv files within a dataset you will need to have Microsoft Excel or a spreadsheet viewer installed on your computer- you can download a spreadsheet viewer (Excel viewer), free of charge, from the Microsoft website.

What’s available

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You can download the Datasets listed below.

Catalogue ref. Data Set Title
AT 68 Housing Data: Renovation Grants and Group Repair Schemes Activity.
AT 73 Countryside Information System.
AT 76 English House Condition Survey.
AT 86 House building Inquiry.
AT 104 State of Cities Database.
AX 14 Humberside: study of attitudes and preferences 1989-1990.
BD 80 Coastal Survey - Wales.
BD 83 Survey of Contaminated Land in Wales.
BN 93 Reasons for Retirement.
BN 94 Children's Difficulties on Starting Infant School.
BN 95 Survey of Abortion Patients for the Committee on the Working of the Abortion Act.
BN 96 Elderly and their Medicines.
BN 97 AIDS Advertising Evaluation..
BN 98 Children in care.
CA 1 Local Heritage Initiative Project Directory.
CA 2 Vital Villages (and Rural Communities Best Practice) Database.
CUST 134 Beer Duty System. Documentation only.
D 16 Survey of Rural Services.
EB 6 Digest of Museum Statistics (DOMUS).
ED 267 Schools' Census (Form 7).
ED 278 Grant Maintained Schools Database.
EG 17 Oil and Gas Directorate, North Sea Geographical Information System.
F 45 National Inventory of Woodland and Trees.
FJ 7 English Sites Database.
FT 40 British Bats.
FT 43 Ancient Woodland Inventory.
HO 400 British Crime Survey.
JA 3 Anatomy Inspectorate: Registers.
JA 5 Public Health Common Dataset.
JA 6 1994 General Household Survey: Follow-up Survey of the Health of People aged 65 and over.
JA 9 General Medical Practitioners Workload Survey.
KD 2 Mining Reports System. Documentation only.
KN 2 Single Professional Register and Index of Training (SPRINT–UK).
KR 8 International Designations – European Database (Natura 2000).
KR 9 RAMSAR Wetlands Site Data.
LCO 60 Jugde Advocate Gerneral’s Office Case Index System.
LE 1 Judicial Statistics.
LM 1 Survey of Heavy Goods Vehicles.
MAF 406 Coast Protection Survey of England.
MAF 407 Internal Drainage Board Database.
MAF 430 Bovine TB.
MEPO 36 Crime Statistics System (ME).
MM 3 Millennium Commission: Awards Scheme Database (AMIS).
MM 4 Millennium Commission: Grants Database (PROFESA).
NB 5 Earnings Top–up Scheme.
NK 1 Enemy Property Claims Assessment Panel (EPCAP).
NK 3 Home Accident Surveillance System.
NV 2 Register of Educational Establishments.
NV 3 Learning and Training at Work.
NV 4 Learning Partnerships.
PF 1 National Lottery Awards Database.
PRO 71 Archive Inspection Services Unit: Archival Mapping of Places of Deposit in England and Wales: Projects.
PRO 72 Presentations to Places of Deposit under the Public Records Act 1958, Section 3(6).
PRO 79 Records Accessions Registers.
PRO 80 Conservation Database.
RD 1 Bathing Water Directive Database.
RG 69 Historic Mortality Data Files.
RG 71 Primary Births.
RG 77 Consumer and Retail Price Index.
RG 79 Scientific Research and Development Survey.
RG 81 Company Accounts Analysis.
WORK 88 Deeds Registry Application.
WORK 93 Heritage Protection Datasets.

Further research

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You may wish to find out more about what’s available from DocumentsOnline