How to use DataCite's Metadata Store (MDS) via UI or API. With lots of screenshots for easy understanding.

1. How to use the DataCite Metadata
Store (MDS)
TIB, Hannover
Frauke Ziedorn

2. Use of MDS
 Register a dataset
 Update a dataset
 Upload metadata file
 Find my dataset
 Register many datasets
 Update many datasets
 Upload many metadata files
 Retrieve a metadata file
„Single”
operations –
use UI
Bulk
operations –
use API

3. Single operations
UI
(User Interface)

4. Story: Register a dataset
As a datacentre, I would like to register one of my
datasets.
I know the URL of the landing page and DOI name I want
to assign to the datasets.
I also have a valid XML file with the metadata to my
dataset according to DataCite's standards.

5. Implementation: Register a dataset
Use web interface:
Result: A DOI will be minted and a record in Metadata Store created.

6. Story: Find my dataset
As a datacentre, I registered a dataset and I now want to
find it in the Metadata Store.

7. Implementation: Find my dataset
or

8. Story: Update a dataset
As a datacentre, I registered my dataset but I now want to
change the URL of its landing page.

9. Implementation: Update a dataset
Find dataset and edit it:

10. Story: Update metadata file
As a datacentre, I had already registered my dataset and
now I want to update the metadata file.

11. Implementation: Update metadata file

12. Bulk operations
API
(Application Programming
Interface)

13. API
• RestFul API
• HTTPS with Basic Authentication
• Full documentation:
https://mds.datacite.org/static/apidoc

14. Example API Calls
Upload Metadata:
curl -u USER.NAME
-H "Content-Type: application/xml"
--data-binary @metadata.xml
https://mds.datacite.org/metadata
Mint or Update a DOI:
curl -u USER.NAME
-d "url=http://example.com"
-d "doi=10.01234/foobar"
https://mds.datacite.org/doi

15. Little things matter
 remember setting appropriate headers:
 Accept=application/xml
 Content-Type=application/xml
 Pay attention to the response codes – they
mean what they say!
 Additional message can be included in the
response body e.g.
 Response code: 403 Forbidden
 response body: user quota exceeded

16. DOI names
• Prefix is defined by DataCite
• Suffix is defined by data center
• Opaque string
• Characters for a DOI name:
A – Z
a – z
0 – 9
: (colon)
. (full-stop)
- (hyphen)
_ (underscore)
/ (slash)
No umlauts or special characters!
http://www.tib-hannover.de/fileadmin/informationsmaterial/flyer/TIB_DOI_Service_DOKU_ENG.pdf

17. Restrictions
• You may only use prefixes and domains assigned to
your account.
• It may be that you have a DOI quota. Once this is
fulfilled you cannot register any more DOIs.

18. It’s distributed – be aware of latency!
• The Handle System – the technical infrastructure for
DOIs – is a distributed network system.
• Newly minted DOIs should be resolvable after about 5
minutes.
• Updates to DOIs can take up to 24 hours before being
distributed through the whole Handle system.

19. Persistency:
You cannot delete DOIs!
• A DOI is a persistent identifier so removing it
would go against the idea.
•It’s still possible to deaccesses a dataset, but this
should be noted on the DOI‘s landing page.
• A DOI should always resolve to a landing page
where metadata and information on how to access
the dataset are given.

20. Test Environment
DataCite has a whole test environment where all
services can be tested:
http://test.datacite.org
Resolver for test DOIs: http://dx.test.datacite.org

21. The DataCite Members