# The RFC Process and Data Model Changes

# RFC Overview

The HTAN Data Model is expected to evolve with advances in science. This evolution is a community-driven, peer-reviewed process, where members of a working group will first assess established community data standards and create a request for comment (RFC) document soliciting community feedback.

The status of current RFCs is provided in the RFC Overview document. The RFC Overview can be used to:

Get a sense of what is available in DCA.
Get a sense of new assays being considered.
Look at old RFCs & get a sense of past discussions/considerations.

Note:

The links to specific RFC documents within the RFC Overview do not represent the final data model. Once an RFC is closed and an assay is available on the Data Curator App (DCA), the metadata template on the DCA represents the final data model. Details regarding the data model are also available on HTAN's Data Standards page and HTAN's data-models repository on github.

# Data Model Changes

The following are requests which require changes to the Data Model and may result in the initiation of a RFC:

New assay types which are expected to be used frequently by multiple centers.
New metadata templates or additional required metadata fields which should be validated.

HTAN members should contact their data liaison for help determining whether a Data Model change is needed and how to make a Data Model change request.

# RFC Process

Once a new assay type or a set of needed Data Model changes are identified, the following steps are taken:

A working group is organized by the Data Coordinating Center (DCC). As a part of this process, the following people are also designated:
- A DCC Owner, who is responsible for finalizing the RFC and overall accepting/rejecting/integrating community feedback. The DCC Owner is also the primary point of contact for the specified RFC.
- A single DCC PI, to monitor progress towards completion.
- One or more Co-Authors from one or more HTAN centers, to help draft the RFC. Representatives from each HTAN center help identify individuals at their center who can contribute to a particular RFC.
A first draft of an RFC Google Document is created based upon feedback from the working group.
The RFC is open for public comment. All HTAN members can provide suggestions by adding comments directly to the document.
After a designated period of time, the RFC is closed. Feedback from HTAN community is no longer accepted. The content of the RFC will be reflected in the respective version of the HTAN Data Model used for validating metadata files uploaded to the DCC.
The metadata template is available on the Data Curator App (DCA).