Datadock vs. Qualiopi: what's the difference, and why Datadock disappeared

A training-organisation founder digging through old forums or former OPCA contracts will quickly run into the word “Datadock.” The term still shows up regularly in searches, often next to “Qualiopi” — a sign that confusion between the old and the new scheme persists. Here is what Datadock actually was, what sets it apart from Qualiopi, and why it is now entirely out of the picture.

What was Datadock?

Datadock was a shared database created by the joint funding bodies of vocational training — the OPCAs, which became OPCOs in 2019 — to meet an obligation set by the law of 5 March 2014 on vocational training: verifying that funded organisations met minimum quality criteria, defined by quality decree no. 2015-790 of 30 June 2015.

In practice, a training organisation had to file documentary evidence against 21 indicators, drawn from the decree’s 6 broad criteria (precise identification of objectives, adaptation to audiences, adequacy of teaching and technical resources, trainer qualifications, embeddedness in its professional environment, collection of feedback). Once this evidence was filed and validated by a quality reviewer appointed by the funders, the organisation gained “referenceable” status — a precondition for being funded by an OPCA/OPCO between 2017 and 2021.

The key point, often overlooked: Datadock relied on a declarative check. The organisation filed its documents, a reviewer examined them remotely, but no on-site audit and no verification of how practices were actually implemented was ever required. Datadock referencing certified that documents existed, not that they were applied on the ground.

Why Datadock disappeared

The law of 5 September 2018 “for the freedom to choose one’s professional future” reshuffled the deck by creating a single national quality framework, backed by a far stricter requirement: an audit carried out by an independent, Cofrac-accredited certification body. This new scheme, Qualiopi, became the sole route to public and pooled funding as of 1 January 2022 — the date Datadock ceased to have any effect.

Since that date, being “datadocked” is worth nothing to any funder. If your business relies, even partly, on CPF, OPCO, France Travail or regional funds, Qualiopi effectively becomes mandatory — Datadock is no longer an alternative.

Datadock and Qualiopi, side by side

	Datadock (2017-2021)	Qualiopi (since 2022)
Legal basis	Quality decree no. 2015-790 (law of 5 March 2014)	National Quality Framework (law of 5 September 2018)
Scheme owner	Joint funding bodies (OPCA/OPACIF, later OPCO)	The State, via France Compétences and Cofrac-accredited certification bodies
Number of indicators	21, drawn from 6 criteria	32, organised into 7 criteria
Nature of the check	Declarative: document filing, remote review	Audit: documentary and on-site verification of actual practices
Validity	Continuously updated, no fixed deadline	3 years, with a surveillance audit at 18 months (see how long Qualiopi certification is valid)
Cost	Free	Chargeable, borne by the organisation (see the real cost of Qualiopi certification)
Funder scope	OPCA/OPCO only	CPF, OPCOs, France Travail, regional councils, Caisse des Dépôts
Status today	Closed, no effect since 1 January 2022	Mandatory for access to public and pooled funding

The most structural difference is not the number of indicators, but the nature of the verification. Datadock validated files; Qualiopi validates observed practice. That is the whole point of the on-site audit: a Qualiopi auditor questions trainees, checks real attendance sheets, and verifies the traceability of a recent session — a level of evidence Datadock never required.

What certification research confirms

This shift from a declarative check to an audit by an independent third party is not unique to vocational training — it is a phenomenon studied in the economics of quality. A study by Ann Terlaak and Andrew King, published in 2006 in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, shows — based on an eleven-year panel of US manufacturing facilities — that third-party ISO 9000 certification works as a quality signal that is all the more effective when buyers (or, here, funders) find it hard to directly assess a supplier’s quality (see the study). Applied to vocational training: a purely declarative check like Datadock sends a weak signal, since a funder cannot tell a well-filled file apart from genuinely compliant practice. A third-party audit like Qualiopi’s reduces that information asymmetry — which largely explains why lawmakers made that choice in 2018.

What to do if you still have an old Datadock profile

Nothing, on the Datadock side: the database is no longer consulted by anyone and requires no closing steps. However, if you are starting or restarting a training business today, two useful habits:

1. Don’t try to “reactivate” Datadock: no funder accepts that status, however recent it once was.
2. Reuse what still has value: if you had an old Datadock file, your satisfaction surveys, your training design, or your evidence of trainer qualifications can feed into your Qualiopi preparation — but every piece of evidence must be updated and completed to answer the RNQ’s 32 indicators, which are structured differently. Our guide to the 32 indicators details what is expected, indicator by indicator.
3. Check whether Qualiopi is actually necessary for you before starting the process: it all depends on your funding model, see our article Is Qualiopi mandatory or not?

Take action

Whether you’re starting from scratch or turning an old Datadock file into a Qualiopi file, the Complete Kit Certif (€297, 14-day guarantee) provides ready-to-use documentation templates and evidence tables for the current framework’s 32 indicators. Just setting up your training organisation? The ebook “Create your training organisation in 30 days” (€67) lays the administrative groundwork, or choose the full pack (€347) bundling both resources.