Including middle initials in CommonPerson middleNames array

Question

In the CDS CommonPerson schema, is it appropriate to use a middle initial in the middleNames array, or should a middle name be included only if it is longer than one character?

Answer

The contents of the middleNames array is at the discretion of the data holder (DH).

The DSB offers the following general guidance.

If you know the middle name is only an initial then it may be omitted. For example, the source of the data may be a "MiddleInitial" field in another database.

If you already have CommonPerson data with middle initials stored in the middleNames field, this does not affect compliance, and there is no requirement to correct the data. However in general the DSB recommends data clean up as good practice. 

See:

• CDS CommonPerson schema