Building the DDI

This paper is part of an IASSIST Quarterly volume honoring Sue A. Dodd. The paper describes the context, motivation, and requirements behind the design and development of the first version of the Data Documentation Initiative (DDI) metadata community specification, with an emphasis upon the process of creating the initial element set for the “study level” of DDI version 1. We also offer a framework for understanding the infrastructural changes that contributed to the establishment of the DDI. By taking a close look at the confluence of influences on the earliest efforts to design and build the DDI, we can better understand what essential elements of metadata are necessary to support independent use of social science data over time.