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Technical Guidelines for Unduplicating and De-identifying HMIS Client Records

	Technical Guidelines for Unduplicating and De-identifying HMIS Client Records - 07/01/2005

	Author(s):	Brian Sokol, Center for Social Policy, UMass Boston; Oscar Gutierrez, College of Management, UMass Boston
	Static URL:	http://www.hmis.info/Resources/305/Technical-Guidelines-for-Unduplicating-and-De-identifying-HMIS-Client-Records.aspx
	Description:	Translating HMIS data into an unduplicated count is not simple. Obtaining an unduplicated count while allowing specialized providers to submit de-identified data is especially challenging. This paper specifies a multi-field approach to unduplication that flexibly and accurately accounts for the possibility of missing or inaccurate information. The paper also proposes a method of de-identification based on hashing, which strongly conceals client personal information. The unduplication method can be applied to de-identified data as well as identifiable data. The guidelines contain both explanatory information of interest to a non-technical audience as well as technical specifications for software developers and database administrators.
	Keywords:	hashing, client code, de-duplication, sha-1, deidentification, unduplicated count

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	HUD-Sponsored These resources have been written or reviewed by HUD or by HUD's HMIS Technical Assistance Team. Information found in HUD-Sponsored documents may be considered reliable and accurate as of the document date.
	Peer-to-Peer These are sample documents that have been provided by local CoC staff persons and other HMIS solution providers. Topics range from client consent forms to governance structures to meeting logs. Many of these documents have not been approved by HUD and we cannot certify that all of the community samples are in compliance with HUD regulations.
	External Links These resources are links to external websites that contain information related to HMIS, homelessness or information systems.