LIMITE APPENDIX 4
TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTING MEASURES FOR DATA PROCESSING
1. Types of searches
CS-SIS searches are based on textual data, while binary data –such as fingerprints, photographs or scanned documents - are not used as a search parameter.
The CS-SIS defines four types of searches (retrievals):
a)Standard query - This is a query with a predefined set of search criteria, to be most frequently used, which allows users to obtain a list of potential matching hit candidates. The results are sorted in the order of best match. This query only returns a subset of the textual data about the alert, and alert and binary references. The number of results in the hit list is limited by a parameter set at CS-SIS level;
b)Complement query - This query allows the retrievalof the full set of textual data and references to binary data of the given alert reference. Since not all textual data are included in a result set of a Standard Query or an Extended Query, this allows the defining of the subset criteria of the data to be retrieved;
c)Load binary data request - This feature retrieves binary data attached to an alert for a given reference. This is used to retrieve all types of binary data stored in the CS-SIS such as fingerprints, photographs or scanned documents, and it allows retrieval of only one piece of binary data per request;
d)Extended query - This feature is designed to perform complex queries that are not covered by other types of query. Queries can be defined by users using a special query language.
2. Equivalence of results
The SIS II legal instruments specify that searches carried out in national copies must return results equivalent to those carried out in CS-SIS.
This equivalence of results is understood to mean that when identical search parameters are used, a search in the national copy or technical copy of a user must return at least the same correct hit as a search run in the CS-SIS, even if the complete candidate lists are different.
3. Data Dictionary
The purpose of the SIS II Data Dictionary is to describe in detail the data that will beused by SIS II. It defines detailed specifications of the data used by Member States: the data scope, mandatory fields, optional fields, data types, dependencies between fields, permitted field combinations, the attributes of each type of entity and specificinformation for each attribute. The Data Dictionary finally lays down the rules against which the data has to be validated for acceptance in SIS II. The design of the CS-SIS, national and technical copies is based on the Data Dictionary.
Articles 20 (2), 22, 23 and 36 of the SIS ΠRegulation and Articles 20 (3), 22, 23, 38 (2) and 51 of the SIS II Decision address the contents of the SIS IIdatabase, and any change to the Data Dictionary affecting those contents needs to be validated against these legal instruments.
4. Vehicle identification numbers (VIN)
SIS II allows entry of two types of Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN): standard and non-standard.
VIN entered as 'standard' must be compliant with the ISO norm 3779:1983.
Users are allowed to enter non-standard VIN according to national regulations whose format will not be checked by the central system.
CS-SIS performs a format check on all standardVINentered, and issues a warning message whenever a submitted VIN appears not to be compliant. Any VIN entered as 'standard' that generates such a message from the system should be re-checked at national level and possibly entered as 'non-standard'.
Non-standard VIN shall be entered together with completion of the 'VINConfirmationStatus' field, which identifies the number as either 'checked' or 'unchecked' depending on whether the number has been checked against national databases of existing VIN. Marking a non-standard VIN number as 'checked' is the responsibility of the Member State entering an alert.
5. retention period of central logs (records) and records which include the history of alerts
The retention periods of the different types of alerts and logs (records) are governed by the SIS II legal instruments.
Logs (records) and records which include the history of alerts (Article 18 of the SIS ΠRegulation and Decision), created at central level, shall be kept in the CS-SIS for a period of three years.
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