Four questions to guide decision-making for data sharing and integration.

Introduction: This paper presents a Four Question Framework to guide data integration partners in building a strong governance and legal foundation to support ethical data use. Objectives: While this framework was developed based on work in the United States that routinely integrates public data, it is meant to be a simple, digestible tool that can be adapted to any context. Methods: The framework was developed through a series of public deliberation workgroups and 15 years of field experience working with a diversity of data integration efforts across the United States. Results: The Four Questions- Conclusions: A robust governance process is essential for determining whether data sharing and integration is legal, ethical, and a good idea within the local context. This process is iterative and as relational as it is technical, which means authentic collaboration across partners should be prioritized at each stage of a data use project. The Four Questions serve as a guide for determining whether to undertake data sharing and integration and should be regularly revisited throughout the life of a project. Highlights: Strong data governance has five qualities: it is purpose-, value-, and principle-driven; strategically located; collaborative; iterative; and transparent.Through a series of public deliberation workgroups and 15 years of field experience, we developed a Four Question Framework to determine whether and how to move forward with building an IDS and at each stage of a data sharing and integration project.The Four Questions-