Many organizations are trying to provide focused access to data without extensive technical support. This generally means leveraging the free tools available and exploring the features of DDI that can be used to support the descriptive and discovery needs of the organization. During the past year I have been working with a group in Tulsa Oklahoma to provide focused access to federal statistical tables that meets the needs of the Tulsa Oklahoma area. This involves simplifying the selection of geographic areas, easily identifying tables using common topic areas in their cross-tabulations (such as age, race, poverty, etc.), and layering on conceptual groups that can be used to identifying data that may be useful in addressing specific issues or understanding programs. The group wanted to use well-known metadata standards which would support their current and future content needs that had free tools for the creation and modification of metadata records. They were also limited to using free metadata catalog software that could leverage the description of tabular data to identify tables through concepts, titles, and dimensions, and then link to the selected tables for a limited set of geographic areas.

This presentation looks at the approach of matching the content and capabilities of DDI Codebook to describe tabular data to the discovery and access features of NADA, the catalog software for microdata from the World Bank, to meet the short- and long-terms goals of the project. My role was to determine how to fit a square peg in a round hole by leveraging the designer feature of each of these systems without taking a wrench to the either system and avoiding "tag abuse" while meeting the goals of the project.