Beneficial Ownership Data Standard data review tool

User guidance

The BODS data review tool helps to assess whether a dataset complies with BODS and highlights any errors that need to be fixed. It works with different formats (.json, .csv, .xlsx, .ods), and allows you to:

• download data in alternative formats;
• identify a list of standard JSON validation errors;
• see unrecognised fields (if any);
• conduct additional checks by listing BODS-specific problems in the data;
• analyse the data through a breakdown of the make-up of your data and indicators of its quality.

Step 1: Upload a file

Choose the file you want to work with, and upload it to the data review tool.

Step 2: Check for validation errors

If your dataset contains validation errors, the tool will list them at the bottom. This will help you to improve your BODS data and make sure all statements and obligatory fields are complete. The tool provides a description of the error(s) and shows how many of them have been identified.

Step 3: Confirm there are no unrecognised fields in your data

If you have created your BODS data using the BODS data generator, then there will probably not be any unrecognised fields. However, if you have created your BODS dataset individually, you must confirm that all of the fields match with BODS.

For consulting on BODS fields and guidance, consult the BODS data schema.

Step 4: Conduct additional checks

Conducting additional checks will help you improve the quality of your BODS data. You do not necessarily need to correct these, as the data will be in BODS format anyway, but if you want to improve your dataset, you can follow the recommendations provided in the tool.

In the example from the table below, the addresses are not recognised. This might imply that a jurisdiction or postal code is not correct, so you may need to double check whether the declaration has been submitted correctly. The tool also lists the “Statement ID” where the problem occurs, so it is easy to find.

Step 5: Overview of your data

At the bottom of the page, you will see some rough statistics of your data: the total numbers of person, entity, and ownership-or-control statements created. This quick overview will help you to assess whether your data contains all the statements and fields you wanted to represent, or if something is missing.

Step 6: Download and use your data

Once you have confirmed your data looks good and is ready to use, you can either download it in JSON format to use in other platforms or in a simple Excel spreadsheet.

Note: If you have created your BODS data using the BODS data spreadsheet generator, using the review tool can help you convert your data to JSON format as an intermediary step before visualising it.