Data Package Version

Authors	Rufus Pollock

Specification

The Data Package version format follows the Semantic Versioning specification format: MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH

The version numbers, and the way they change, convey meaning about how the data package has been modified from one version to the next.

Given a Data Package version number MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH, increment the:

MAJOR version when you make incompatible changes, e.g.

• Change the data package, resource or field name or identifier
• Add, remove or re-order fields
• Change a field type or format
• Change a field constraint to be more restrictive
• Combine, split, delete or change the meaning of data that is referenced by another data resource

MINOR version when you add data or change metadata in a backwards-compatible manner, e.g.

• Add a new data resource to a data package
• Add new data to an existing data resource
• Change a field constraint to be less restrictive
• Update a reference to another data resource
• Change data to reflect changes in referenced data

PATCH version when you make backwards-compatible fixes, e.g.

• Correct errors in existing data
• Change descriptive metadata properties

Scenarios

• You are developing your data though public consultation. Start your initial data release at 0.1.0
• You release your data for the first time. Use version 1.0.0
• You append last months data to an existing release. Increment the MINOR version number
• You append a column to the data. Increment the MAJOR version number
• You relocate the data to a new URL or path. No change in the version number
• You change a title, description, or other descriptive metadata. Increment the PATCH version
• You fix a data entry error by modifying a value. Increment the PATCH version
• You split a row of data in a foreign key reference table. Increment the MAJOR version number
• You update the data and schema to refer to a new version of a foreign key reference table. Increment the MINOR version number