The RDSC offers Controlled Remote Execution (CRE) for selected microdata, which enables researchers to analyse the data without being physically present on RDSC premises. For this purpose, the RDSC provides researchers with data structure files and prototype codes that structurally resemble the original datasets but contain no real values. You can find the data structure files on the relevant data pages linked below. At no point during CRE does the researcher have access to the original data.

Additional requirements

CRE is only open to those researchers who have demonstrated sufficient experience of the respective microdata in a current or past research project. CRE is currently only possible for users of the software Stata (current version: 16).

Schematic overview

1. Based on the data structure files and prototype codes, researchers can write their own program codes which perform the desired analyses.
2. These codes are then sent by email to the RDSC (fdsz-data@bundesbank.de).
3. RDSC staff on-site run the code on the real data, generating the analysis results. These results are subject to the applicable RDSC guidelines set out in the “Rules for visiting researchers at the RDSC”. Once the results have been checked, they will be sent by email.

Researchers are asked to use the structure of the prototype code as a basis, as it corresponds with the programming standards commonly used in the RDSC. The prototype code is divided into four parts:

1. A master file in which the path and globals are defined (0_master_cre.do). All other program codes are called up using this file.
2. A sample program code for data preparation 1_data_preparation.do).
3. A sample program code for descriptive analyses (2_descriptive_analysis.do).
4. A sample program code for regressions (3_regressions.do).

The use of the master file is obligatory. The sample program codes provided can be modified.