myDATA

Follow the steps to register a new account in myDATA.

After registering with your organisational email address, you will receive two emails:

• Welcome to myDATA, from ABS, and
• Activate your ABS account, from Okta.

Click the 'Activate ABS Account' button from the Okta email to complete the account activation process:

• this email may appear in your spam folder
• the activation email link is valid for 7 days
• for a new activation link contact mydataportal@abs.gov.au.

Create a password and set up the authenticator.

After setting up your password, you will be prompted to complete additional authentication.

Download the Google authenticator App on your mobile device. 

The App Developer is Google LLC. This is a free App that does not have in App purchases. Credit card details are not required.

Set up Google Authenticator (this step must be actioned from your computer).

Follow the prompts using your Google Authenticator App on your mobile device, tap the + icon and then select scan barcode.

After scanning the barcode generated by your computer, enter the code and verify from Google Authenticator App.

Follow the on-screen prompts.

When your account has been verified, you will see 'Your account is almost ready!'

At this stage the system is building your profile and access. This takes a minute or two. Refresh the browser by either selecting the myDATA logo or refresh function button (F5).

Once the page has refreshed you will be prompted to confirm your details. Click the ‘Submit’ button at the bottom of the page, and then you should be able to see the main myDATA dashboard.

1. Shortcut links: located in the top banner, navigate to the ABS and myDATA home pages or the main myDATA dashboard.
2. Clicking on your name in the top right corner will display:
   • My Account: displays your registered information. You can update most fields. If you need to change your email you will need to contact mydataportal@abs.gov.au
   • My organisation: displays your organisation. If you are affiliated with multiple organisations you will need an account for each organisation
   • Log out: It is best practice to log out of your active session. If you are inactive for more than 30 minutes you will be automatically logged out
3. Breadcrumb navigation: displays navigation pathway. You can click on pages in the breadcrumb.
4. Current location: displays the current active page.
5. Banner messages: highlights important information such as scheduled outages.
6. Dashboard tiles: these tiles are shortcuts to various myDATA features.
7. Global links: takes you to important ABS webpages.

The information below outlines the status movements of researchers and projects as they move through their respective workflows.

As a researcher, your training record is reflected by the DataLab Status (onboarding) on a project, these are described below:

• Training required: mandatory training has not been completed
• Enrolled: successfully enrolled into a training session
• Forms pending: attended training and not submitted post training quiz and forms
• Onboarding complete: completed DataLab onboarding.

The project proposal brings together scope, data and people (researchers) into one application. Each of these entities require approval. These approval processes are dependant on their own workflow, and can move through at different rates. 

After the Project is approved, People (researchers) and Data can incrementally become active as approvals and/or DataLab Status (onboarding) processes are completed. 

• Draft: Project editor is drafting the proposal
• Submitted: ABS has been sent your proposal and may supply feedback. Feedback will reset the proposal back to Draft
• Under assessment: ABS are assessing the proposal against the 5 safes framework
• Pending approval: the proposal is with approvers

• Approved: the project has been approved

  Note: for new projects, approval from one Data Custodian is required, and one Project researcher with the status of onboarding complete, before the project will be created. 

• Active: access is now available in DataLab. At minimum this will consist of one data package and one project researcher with the status of Onboarding complete
• Withdrawn: Project submission is not moving forward
• Closed: Project has closed, access is no longer available

Datasets contain multiple data packages. Each data package that the project requires must be approved by the relevant Data Custodian/s before access: 

• Draft: added to a project proposal
• Submitted: ABS has the project proposal and may supply feedback
• Under assessment: ABS are assessing against the 5 safes framework to support the request
• Pending approval: data request is with Data Custodian/s
• Approved: Data Custodian/s have approved access
• Active: data has been loaded and ready for analysis
• Withdrawn: access is not moving forward
• Declined: data requested has not been approved and will not be added to the project.

• Joined: added to a draft project or in an 'Organisation and People' change request
• Submitted: ABS has received the project proposal
• Under assessment: ABS are assessing against the 5 safes framework to support the approval request
• Pending approval: the request to add researcher/s is with the ABS General Manager
• Approved: ABS General Manager has approved access
• Active: access is now available in DataLab (for analysts only)
• Withdrawn: access is not moving forward
• Removed: researcher no longer has access to the project

Changes to an Active project are made by submitting a Change request. There are two types and each follows the workflows described above:

• Project details - Scope, data, outputs: this change request follows the Project data package statuses
• Organisation and People: this change request follows the Project researcher statuses.

Data Linkage Requests (DLR) can be submitted at any stage in the project workflow. They progress independently from the project: 

• Draft: project editor has created and is drafting the DLR
• Submitted: ABS has received the DLR for review
• Stage 1/4: DLR build pipeline stage
• Stage 2/4: DLR build pipeline stage
• Stage 3/4: DLR build pipeline stage
• Stage 4/4: DLR build pipeline stage
• Approved: the DLR is completed and will be added manually to the Active project
• Declined: the DLR is not proceeding.

Input, Output and Transfer requests all share the same status flows:

• Draft: active project researcher has created a clearance request
• Submitted: the request has been sent to ABS for review
• In progress: the ABS clearance team is reviewing your request
• Additional information required: information needs to be supplied for your request to progress
• Released: the request has been cleared and sent back to the project researcher and selected recipients 
• Declined: the request will not proceed.

Enquires are treated as emails and do not follow the workflows described above.

Click on the ‘My onboarding’ tile and select the ‘Enrol in training’ button.  

Select the magnifying glass to bring up the list of available sessions, and choose your preferred session by ticking the box on the left.  

Confirm your action by clicking Select.

Session details are displayed. Click ‘Submit’ and then ‘Ok’ to confirm. 

The ‘Enrolled training’ table will now be updated with your session date and time. 

You will receive an email with the training session details, including a meeting link for a virtual session, and physical training address for face-to-face.

After enrolling in a DataLab Safe Researcher training session, you will automatically have access to the pre-training reading material.  

This is available from the ‘Forms and quiz’ view of the ‘My onboarding’ table.

To download a document in the Forms and quiz section, click the arrow to the right of the row, and select ‘View’.

Select the file and save it to your computer. 

Onboarding forms will be available upon completion of training. 

You will be notified by email when your onboarding forms and quiz are available to download. You will find these in the same place as the pre-training reading material - the 'Forms and quiz' view of the ‘My onboarding’ table. 

Completed forms and quiz are to be returned to mydataportal@abs.gov.au.

You will be notified when your onboarding is complete.

If the training sessions listed are not suitable, you can elect to be placed on a waitlist. Click ‘No session suitable’ button. 

You will see the above message. ABS will contact you within two business days. If no response is received, please email mydataportal@abs.gov.au.

If you need to reschedule your training session, you will need to cancel your current enrolment. Select the drop-down arrow to the right of the table row and click ‘Cancel’ and then ‘Confirm’. 

Once you have cancelled a session, you can then enrol in another session. 

Safe researcher training outlines:

• what is safe researcher training
• refresher training, and
• safe researcher training resources.

The Data Catalogue will help you understand what is available before research starts. 

Filter by Dataset, or Search the Data packages, to help refine your search. 

If further Product information is available (like the data item list) a link will be provided. 

When it is known what data packages will be required, take note of the

• Data asset, and
• Dataset categories

These categories will be needed when adding data to the project proposal.

From the Data tab of the project proposal, select the 'Add' button.

Select the Data asset category, by clicking the magnifying glass. Select one of the data assets, and then repeat for the Dataset category.

Now you have filtered to the Data asset and Dataset, the description shows what Data packages are available within this category. 

If this suits your research select the Next button, from the bottom right location. 

Within the project proposal, when selecting a Data package you may be asked for justification. If required, the justification text displays in bold text below the Dataset description.

You can select one, many or all Data packages by ticking the corresponding box.

When you have finished your data package selection, and provided a response to the justification, select Save.

If you have not selected one to many data packages you will receive an error message.

If you have not entered the mandatory justification you will receive an error message.

When all Save conditions are met you will be returned to the project proposal - where you can continue your proposal. 

If no data packages meet your needs, you can exit the 'Select data package' form by choosing the 'go back to project proposal' breadcrumb link.

Either through a new project or a Change request (Scope, Data and Output) you may want to add or remove more data packages within the dataset. 

Select 'View details' from the action menu shown on the Dataset row. 

Any portal user who meets the following criteria can create a Project proposal:

• has an Active myDATA account, and
• belongs to an organisation with an active Responsible Officer Undertaking.

The researcher creating the project proposal will automatically be set as the Project editor. The Project editor is the only person who can edit the project proposal. All researchers added to the project proposal will be able to read, but not edit. 

The Project editor is usually the Project lead, however the role to draft, edit, submit and maintain the project proposal can be delegated to another researcher.

The role of Project editor can be changed when the project proposal is in Draft status. When the proposal is at Active status, a change request will need to be submitted to change the Project editor.  

Project proposals start in a Draft status, and when all fields have been filled the project proposal can then be submitted to the ABS for review. At this point the project proposal shifts to a Submitted status and cannot be edited by the Project editor. 

The ABS will review your content to ensure the project meets requirements. If more details or changes are necessary, feedback will be added to the Project proposal and an information box as per below will display at the top of each project proposal page. 

All feedback needs to be reviewed and acknowledged, you can reply if necessary. Once reviewed, the information box will no longer appear at the top of the page. 

The project proposal goes through several cycles of review (draft, submission, and feedback) until it meets ABS requirements and is ready for the approval stage.

The proposal will auto save when the Project editor moves to the next page (Save & Next button) or after 5 minutes of inactivity.

If changes are made and the Previous button is selected - changes will not be saved!

When the autosave has run after inactivity an information box will display.

If myDATA is inactive for 30 minutes or more, your session will time out and you will need to log in again.

The project proposal has several sections which all need to be completed in order:

• Access conditions: outlines important points to remember when preparing your proposal.
• Project details: sets the title, editor and start/end dates.
• Project objectives: sets the project aims, outcomes and research objectives, information, purpose of access, ethics, consultation, grants and system options.
• People: links to Organisations with active Responsible Officer Undertakings, and allows you to select the active portal users registered within myDATA. 
• Data: links the available data packages to the project.
• Output: seeks your expected outputs and dissemination methods. 
• Attachments: can only be added by ABS administration, and will reflect supporting documents supplied for this project application.
• Submit: runs checks across the project to ensure you have completed all fields.

People can only be added from organisations with an active Responsible Officer Undertaking and after the person has successfully activated their myDATA profile. 

From the People page of the project proposal add the organisation/s to the Stakeholders section. The organisation can be:

• Lead organisation: the organisation that is responsible for the project
• Member organisations: partnering on the project and may require access to data for analysis and discussion
• Government organisation sponsor: lists out the Government organisations, if the project is being sponsored, these organisations cannot discuss data until data has been cleared through an Output vetting request.

When the organisation/s have been added, you will be able to add Project researchers from the lead or member organisations.

After adding people to the Project researchers table, you can Edit or Remove Project researchers from each row action menu.

From the Data Catalogue card on the Dashboard, you can gain an understanding of what data is available before starting a project proposal. 

To add data to the project proposal you must navigate through the categories to show available data packages. The catalogue structure is

1. Data asset: BLADE, PLIDA or ABS detailed
2. Dataset: Owning organisation or ABS topic
3. Data package: available groupings of data which the project will be granted access to when all approvals are provided. 

When selecting a Data package you may be asked for justification. This is mandatory for access considerations. 

When you save your selection, you can go back and add more data packages, or remove any which are no longer needed from each row action menu.

Detailed steps are outlined in the Data catalogue section of this user guide.

To apply for a new Data Linkage, select the Add button from the Data Linkage Request (DLR) table on the project overview page. 

Complete all the relevant details and submit. 

When the project proposal is submitted, the ABS will review your data linkage request and follow up to seek additional information. 

A DLR can be added to the project that is at any status. Progress can be monitored from the Project proposal overview, Data Linkage Requests table. 

If changes are required for a Data Linkage Request linkage, please contact mydataportal@abs.gov.au.

If you require data not included in the data catalogue, including subsets of existing data and requests to load other unlinked data (including aggregate data), complete the section ‘Other data requirements’ with as much detail as possible. 

Customised subsets of a PLIDA dataset should only be requested when there are extenuating circumstances preventing the provision of the corresponding modules in the PLIDA Modular Product.

Any supporting documentation in the form of an attachment (for example, ethics approval, more detailed scope descriptions) must be sent to mydataportal@abs.gov.au. The ABS admins will attach the file to your project proposal and you will see the file from the Attachments tab within the proposal. 

Navigate through the project proposal using the Previous or Save & Next buttons. These are located at the top and bottom of each page. 

You must complete all mandatory fields. The number of mandatory fields may change depending on responses to questions.  

A warning box will appear highlighting any field missing mandatory information. You can use the link in the warning box to jump to the field that requires a response. 

When the project proposal has been submitted the proposal will be locked from editing and can be found on the ‘My projects – Pending’ view.

If you need to set the project back to draft, please email mydataportal@abs.gov.au.

A project overview is available after a project proposal has been submitted. 

The overview is a summary of the project for all researchers joined to the project and is broken down into:

• Project details, including project status of Draft, Submitted, Under assessment, Ready for approval, Pending approval, Approved and Active.
• Project Lead researchers, this can be one or more key researchers who can be the point/s of contact for the project and administration. 
• Project Editor details, is one person from the project who can draft and submit the information held in the project proposal, including editing and submitting Change Requests. 
• Researchers table shows Active researchers. Use the active menu to change status type to view Removed, or Pending. This table includes the researcher role on the project. 
• Data packages shows Active Data packages. Use the active menu to change status type to view Removed, or Pending.
• Project Data Linkage Requests table shows all requests at their various status. When active the data package is listed in the Data packages table. 
• Change Requests will reflect any submitted changes until the change is Active. Then the Project tables will update to the new active information. 
• Clearance Requests table shows Pending clearance requests. Use the active menu to change status type to view, Closed requests, Draft requests or In progress requests.

To open:

• select the Project ID link from the My projects table, or
• from the ‘Project overview' link (top right) within the project proposal.

An active status means access is available for this project. 

Data Linkage Requests move independently from the project proposal and can also be created and tracked from the Overview page. When a new data linkage is approved the data package will be added to your project proposal and become Active. 

If you are the Project editor of a project, the Overview will also display a 'Close myDATA Project' button at the top of the page. 

Email reminders are sent to all active project researchers at:

• 2 months from expected end date
• 1 month from expected end date.

At this point the Project editor can choose to:

• extend the expected end date by submitting a change request form
• confirm the project is closing by confirming in the project overview.

The 'Close myDATA Project' button is located in the Overview at the top of the page under the title. 

When selecting to close the project you must confirm that the project should be closed. 

After confirming, there is a short survey to gather your experience, selecting Yes will take you to the survey.

Project closure survey is seeking input on:

Outputs

• What were the intended outputs of the project and if they were delivered
• and if relevant, why the outputs were not delivered. 

Insights

• any key insights you have learned from this project that can be shared with the ABS

Publication

• Publication of outputs from the project have been sent to the ABS.

Outcomes

• intended outcomes and if they were delivered
• and if relevant, why the outcomes were not delivered.

Feedback on the DataLab access process, system or data accessed. 

The Change request tile will allow you to draft, edit and submit changes for your project. 

Their are two types of changes that can be requested:

• Organisations and People: add or remove partner organisations and researchers
• Project Details: change project details including project title, scope, data, objectives and outcomes, ethics and sensitive data sections and the project end date.

Only one Change request per type can be submitted at any one time. 

Any active researcher on the project can generate the Change request, and after the form is generated, only the Project Editor can edit the details. 

To generate a Change request, select the 'Create Change Request' button. This button is available from all status menu tables (Draft, Pending, Approved and Closed).

There are 3 steps to generated the draft 

1. select your project 
2. select the type of change
3. submit the form.

When the Change request has been generated it will be available for the Project Editor to make changes. The draft is shown in the My Change Requests - Draft table. 

To edit, select the 'Edit Change Request' option from the action menu.

If you no longer require a change, select 'Withdraw Change Request'.

The type of change generated will set what kind of changes can be made in that request. 

To make changes to selected data packages, you will need to click the action menu (arrow) on the dataset row, then select 'View details'.

From the next screen you can add or remove the data packages that have been selected. 

When you have finished all the necessary changes, move through to the Submit tab and complete by selecting the 'Submit' button. 

Change requests go through the same workflow statuses cycle as the project proposal. 

You can monitor the progression from the Pending Change Requests table, CR Status column. 

A email notification will be sent when changes have been implemented, and the changes will now be reflected on the Project and Project Overview page.

 If you need to make additional changes after the request has been submitted, email mydataportal@abs.gov.au (citing project number and title). 

To submit a clearance request, Login to myDATA and select the Clearance request tile from the dashboard. 

You can monitor your request using the progress status (Draft, Pending, In progress and Closed).

More information on clearance rules and requirements can be found in DataLab clearance instructions.

You can submit requests for the following:

• Input
• Output
• Transfer requests
• Clearance enquiry.

To submit a request, first select the project. Do this by:

1. using the magnifying glass
2. tick one project
3. press Select button. 

This will link your request to the project (Input, Output or Transfer). 

Select Next to complete the request form. Your request will be visible by all active researchers on the project.

Requests can be withdrawn by any project researcher from a status of Draft or Pending. 

The withdraw option is available from the action menu on the table row.

You will need the VM name to submit your clearance request.

Your VM name can be found in DataLab in the 'My Projects' option in the left sidebar. The VM name is listed under machine details. 

Input requests can be used to import the following into your project:

• aggregate data
• concordances
• supporting material, and/or 
• statistical code.

Select the Create Input Request button to complete the form.

DataLab outputs must be approved and cleared by the ABS before being shared. Output requests can take up to 2 weeks to complete.

Clearance Request best practice:

• apply all necessary output rules to your analysis and provide evidence of this
• reviewing well-organised and clearly described files is quicker and more efficient
• requesting only what you need ensures a more efficient and streamlined process.

To request output clearance:

1. format the data (within your VM) with clear headings and labels (ODS or ODT format is preferred)
2. apply the appropriate output rules and prepare evidence in a separate file
3. move the relevant files, including supporting evidence, to a new sub-folder in the output (O:) drive
4. select the Create Output Request button and complete the form.

This request is to move code and other files that do not contain data between active DataLab projects. 

Ensure there are no counts or IDs anywhere, including in logs or comments. 

To request transfer clearance:

1. check files do not contain any data
2. move the relevant files to a new sub-folder in the output (O:) drive
3. select the Create Transfer Request button and complete the form.

The Enquiry button will create an email message to the Clearance team. 

Do not send any uncleared data in your enquiry. 

When you log in to myDATA for the first time, you are prompted to confirm your details. You need to click the ‘Submit’ button at the bottom of the page to confirm, and then you should be able to see the main myDATA dashboard.

If you are still seeing the 'Account almost ready' page and not the myDATA dashboard, try (one or many of) the following: 

• Press Ctrl F5
• Clear your browser cache and delete cookies, close the browser, then open it and trying to log in again
• Try a new browser session in private mode (Edge Settings 'New InPrivate window')
• Try a different browser, recommended browsers are: 
  • Google Chrome, latest three major releases
  • Microsoft Edge, latest three major releases
  • Mozilla Firefox, latest three major releases
  • Apple Safari, 13 or later 

Still not working? Please contact mydataportal@abs.gov.au to discuss next steps.  

When logging in and receiving the following error 'Unable to sign in', it is because the step to activate your account has not been completed. 

Locate the email from @okta.com domain (it could be in your spam/junk folder), or contact your IT department as your organisation's firewall may be blocking this domain.

If you are still having issues, contact mydataportal@abs.gov.au to discuss next steps.  

If your password is not working, click on the 'Forgot password link' below the password box. This will send you an email.  

Select the link 'Enter a verification code instead', and from the email 'Account password reset', locate the code and enter it to your browser session.  

You can now create a new password.  

If you have entered your password incorrectly too many times, then your account will be locked. The error looks like this "Unable to sign in". 

Please contact mydataportal@abs.gov.au to discuss next steps.  

Check you are using the correct Google multi-factor authentication (MFA) App. If unsure contact mydataportal@abs.gov.au.

Organisations may use Okta to access other systems, and as such, the option to select SSO may be presented to you. 

When using myDATA it is recommended that a separate private browser window be used, as sometimes errors occur if you use Okta for other systems and are signed into them with the same username (your email address) that myDATA is using.

If you see SSO, do not use this function.

Firstly, check there is no planned outage banner displaying. Scheduled maintenance happens on a regular basis, and banners are shown on the myDATA landing page to advise when this is occurring. 

See Portal features, point 5 Banner messages, to see where we post communications.  

Also, check you are entering the authentication code from the app on your phone, and not your password where the code should be entered. You will see the below error if this is the case.

All fields which have formatting tools (rich text) will allow 32,000 characters, however using the formatting tools will introduce hidden HTML tags within the field and will count towards the overall character limit.  

The title field has a limit of 100 characters. 

Each project proposal goes through various stages throughout the application and approval process. Status can be monitored from the Overview page. 

Project proposals can only be edited while in Draft status, and only by the Project Editor. More details are described in Workflow status. 

If the Project Editor is unavailable or the project is locked due to other workflows, please contact mydataportal@abs.gov.au to discuss next steps.  

If you are leaving a DataLab project, advise the project editor to submit a Change Request as soon as possible.

In accordance with the Declaration of Compliance form that is completed before joining a project, it is mandatory that you inform the ABS of a change to your project. Subsequently, a change request must be submitted to ensure compliance, maintain accuracy and to avoid incurring further project fees. For more information, please see Using DataLab responsibly

Sessions that are inactive for 30 minutes or more will be timed out of their active session. If you have a project proposal underway the autosave function will save your last input.  

Even systems have bad days, before emailing for assistance try again.

If the error remains then email us at mydataportal@abs.gov.au and we will assist.