Introduction

Building a P20W+ longitudinal data system requires solving problems and navigating data engineering, privacy, governance, and multi-agency relationships simultaneously. This paper documents how the District of Columbia’s Office of Education Through Employment Pathways (ETEP), in partnership with Resultant, designed and implemented one of the first P20W+ systems built on Azure Databricks, and what that process revealed about doing this kind of work well. The effort was supported by a strong governance framework that included ETEP’s data governance and research committees, which help guide data-sharing decisions, research priorities, and responsible use of integrated data. The project also benefited from close collaboration with the District’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO), which serves as a key infrastructure partner supporting the District’s enterprise data environment.