Hello all,
We have some exciting news! The 360Giving Standard is finally in version 1.0!
Up until June 2018, the Standard was in “beta version”, meaning that we held it in a state of evaluation so that we could check it met the core needs of those publishing and using 360Giving data. In November 2017, the Standard Stewardship Committee decided that after two years we are now confident with the structure and we can now launch version 1.0.
But wait, why versions?
Versions are very useful for a variety of reasons:
- Versions helps us to track changes in the Standard schema.
- Versions help us see what features are present.
- Versions give those using the Standard a point of reliance and assurance.
- Versions help us evaluate new features, without having to change “live” features.
Moving to version 1.0 means that we have an agreed set of features in the Standard and that we will consider adding features according to the agreed governance process. Having an agreed version also makes it easier for others to adopt the Standard now that the set of features is known.
So what did we do to make this version 1.0?
We made sure all the known bugs were fixed
We tested all of the changes to make sure existing publishers’ data was still valid with the updated schema.
We updated the documentation so it is in line with version 1.0.
What does this mean if you are already publishing 360Giving data?
You do not need to do anything differently at this stage. We have checked that all current data published in the 360Giving Standard is valid with version 1.0. Any organisations that had issues with their data have already been contacted directly and implemented any changes that were needed. You do not need to change anything in terms of your approach to publishing data; although we always encourage organisations to think about what other data they can share. If you would like support with this or have any questions then please email support@threesixtygiving.org
What does this mean if you are already using 360Giving data?
You will not need to change your approach to using 360Giving data. It can still be accessed and downloaded in the same way (via the Registry for each individual dataset, or via GrantNav for a collated dataset). All the data currently being shared is valid with version 1.0. If changes are made to the Standard in the future and this affects how people can use the data then we will provide guidance on what has changed and what you need to consider when accessing different versions of the data
What’s next?
The fact that we now have version 1.0 does not mean the Standard cannot change; it’s quite the opposite!
You can always suggest changes to the Standard via this forum. You can start a new discussion outlining your suggestion and why you think it’s useful - it might be a request to update a field definition or codelist entries, or a completely new feature to the Standard. All proposals will be considered by the Stewardship Committee and following the agreed governance process.