Version

During the lifetime of data in the workflow from raw data to a published scientific result, different versions of a data set may be generated. It is in the decision of the data provider which versions should be archived. In principle, the final, quality controled primary data have to be archived. In some cases it might be usefull to store also the raw data or even versions inbetween, e.g. if the processing was complicated, (processor) time consuming or expensive. Different parameters/units may differentiate between e.g. raw data in [counts] and final data in [%].

If a data set is finaly proof-read and published, it should not be changed anymore. Its integrity can be controlled by using a version identifier which is unique to the content of the data set and which changes when ever the content is modified.

In case of new or follow-up versions the DOI system allows to refer from a newer version to its predecessor and vice versa. This interlinking provides the user with an overview of the processing history of a data set (comparable to the revision history of articles in Wikipedia). if a dataset has to be deleted for a certain reason, its DOI will be redirected to its substitute.

In some cases, a data set might also exist in an other format version, which is linked in the Other version: field
 * Example