5 Why use the AP and exceptions

5.1 Why use the AP tools?

Reasons for prioritising use of the AP tools include:

  • Aiding reproducibility through versioned data and code. Reproducibility is an enabler of quality and good and efficient AQA.
  • Being able to handle considerably more data than legacy analytical applications and enabling analytical processes to be run more quickly.
  • Enabling multiple analysts to collaborate on the same bit of code simultaneously using GitHub, while also separating code in development from code that has been reviewed/QAd.

5.2 Exceptions to using the AP tools

Exceptions where non-AP tools may be preferred for the storage and processing stages (see the section on Recommended Analytical IT tools) include where:

  • Actions are straightforward or unlikely to be repeated (including for QA purposes).
  • Data cannot currently be stored on the AP e.g. Police National Computer extracts.
  • Creating online surveys, for which MS Forms, GOV.UK Forms or Smart Survey 10 (which has much more advanced functionality) are appropriate.
  • For a specific task the benefits of using a non-AP tool are substantially greater than the costs.

Even where there is a valid exception, the approach taken should be as similar as possible (also considering proportionality) to that using the AP tools and the recommended ways of working (see section on Recommended ways of working.

  1. Contact the Data & Analysis Survey Group (in particular Giles Stephenson) to use this.↩︎