Central office for primary documentation

The Central Office for Primary Documentation (ZPD) was a structural unit of the State Central Administration for Statistics (SZS) in the GDR .

She led and coordinated the development of uniform primary documents suitable for data processing , directed development work in the national economy to priorities and coordinated the independent activities of the state and economic management bodies for the rational standardization of the primary documents in their areas.

The central office worked out principles for the standardization of the primary documents, issued framework guidelines and itself mainly developed primary documents for accounting and statistics , which circulated between the branches and areas (as external primary documents) as well as basic versions and samples of internal primary documents. In doing so, it took into account the requirements of electronic data processing (EDP).

The introduction of uniform primary documents on EDP basis in the branches and areas of the economy took place at the suggestion of the central office by order (AO) of the head of the SZS or by GDR standards. With the AO of October 8, 1968 (GBl. II, p. 931) the uniform EDP primary documents became

- combined billing rate

- Economic contract (delivery contract)

- Receipts and evidence of the basic budget

mandatory for all companies in the national economy. With the AO of April 9, 1970 (Journal of Laws II, p. 259) the uniform EDP-compatible goods labeling and labeling took place . With the AO dated January 22, 1974 (Journal of Laws of I, p. 63), IT-compliant, standardized primary documents were made binding for all subject areas of accounting and statistics and the production organization, and these had to be introduced gradually by the companies in the years up to 1975 .

Only those that were confirmed by the SZS were considered uniform primary documents. The uniform primary documents had to be applied in accordance with the implementing regulations issued by the SZS. These primary documents were part of the subject-oriented programming systems ( SOPS ) of electronic computing. But they could also be used for mechanical and manual processing. In exceptional cases, changes to the branches or areas were only permitted on the basis of the uniform primary documents.

Changes and the further use of non-uniform primary documents after January 1, 1976 required the approval of the responsible ministries and other central state bodies or councils of the districts as well as confirmation by the SZS. The ministries and other central state organs based their decision on the project coordination for IT and the central accounting and statistics working groups.

An advisory board, an expert commission and other working groups were active at the central office to advise on fundamental questions and to prepare informed decisions for the standardization and implementation of primary documents. The central office published development results in the relevant specialist journals.