How to Create a Register – Matching and Combining Sources
Anders Wallgren, Britt Wallgren · 2014
Many sources are matched when a statistical register is created. This chapter discusses matching the Nordic kind of statistical production system and compares with the situation in other countries. The purpose of matching files or record linkage is to combine records from different sources of microdata. There are many obstacles that can make this record combination difficult or erroneous; these are briefly highlighted in the chapter. There are four kinds of matching errors that can make the new combined records erroneous: (i) matching key has errors; (ii) matching key has changed; (iii) statistical units are wrong; and (iv) statistical units have changed. These four matching errors are discussed in the chapter, and different kinds of errors are illustrated with case studies.