Using partially synthetic microdata to protect sensitive cells in business statistics

Miranda, Javier, and Lars Vilhuber. "Using partially synthetic microdata to protect sensitive cells in business statistics." Statistical Journal of the International Association for Official Statistics 32, no. 1 (2016): 69-80. DOI: 10.3233/SJI-160963, available at http://content.iospress.com/download/statistical-journal-of-the-iaos/sji963.
We describe and analyze a method that blends records from both observed and synthetic microdata into public-use tabulations on establishment statistics. The resulting tables use synthetic data only in potentially sensitive cells. We describe different algorithms, and present preliminary results when applied to the Census Bureau's Business Dynamics Statistics and Synthetic Longitudinal Business Database, highlighting accuracy and protection afforded by the method when compared to existing public-use tabulations (with suppressions).