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Reviewing Transfer Requests

This guide is for designated reviewers — typically a project lead or data governance officer — who approve or reject airlock requests. For making requests, see Importing & Exporting Data.

Reviewers sign in to the airlock with their normal eLab account; the review queue appears alongside My requests for anyone holding the reviewer role.

Reviewing an import

Import requests (data coming into the environment) need one reviewer decision. Check that the request's description justifies the data, that the files are what the description says they are, and that the automated check results are clean, then approve or reject with a written comment. Approved files appear read-only inside the requester's desktop; rejected files are quarantined.

Reviewing an export

Export requests (results leaving the environment) carry the disclosure risk, so the process is stricter:

  • Two independent approvals are required. Reviews are blind — you cannot see the other reviewer's decision until both are submitted — and a single rejection from either reviewer rejects the request.
  • Files never leave the environment for review. The review pages show request metadata and automated check results only. To examine the files themselves, open your own eLab desktop: everything under review is mounted read-only at /review-ro/<request-id>/, where you can use the desktop's analysis tools (Python, R) for proper disclosure checking — not just eyeballing.
  • Automated checks are advisory. Statistical disclosure flags (for example numeric cells with values under 5) are raised for your attention but do not block a request — the judgement is yours.
  • Record your decision with a written comment; on rejection it is the requester's only guide to what to fix.

What to look for

  • Aggregate results only — row-level or individual-level data must never be released, regardless of how the request is framed.
  • Small cell counts and other indirect disclosure risks (rare categories, cross-tabulations that isolate individuals, exact minima/maxima).
  • Scope — outputs must fall within the project's Data Sharing Agreement.
  • Consistency — do the files match the stated analysis and purpose?

After a decision

The requester is notified (where email is enabled) and the outcome, along with every review action, is recorded in the audit trail. Approved exports become downloadable by the requester; rejected and blocked files are quarantined and retained for audit, not returned.