UKDA's objective is to preserve electronic data so that they continue to be available for use and to promote the wider and more informed use of those data in research and teaching. Central overnment is a major and regular supplier of data.
Academic research is another important source of data.
The main end users are academic researchers however the customer base is becoming more heterogeneous. NSD's main objectives are to facilitate wider and more knowledge-based use of data, promote the preservation and sharing of data, and ensure free and open access to information. NSD maintains close contact with a wide range of users both within the research community and administrative bodies often serving as a link between the two sectors. NSD has built up a wide variety of data resources across all fields of the social sciences, such as survey data, micro data on benefits from the National Insurance System, regional data, political data and historical data. It is a national data bank, documentation and technical service for researchers and students in Denmark.