The Alberta Diabetes Surveillance System (ADSS) provides an overall picture of the burden of diabetes in the province and a system to monitor trends of diabetes and its complications over time. The system tracks the number of people living with diabetes in Alberta, their related health conditions, and the health services they use. This information helps health care providers and policy makers understand the scope of the disease and how to deal with it. The ADSS is a partnership between the Institute of Health Economics, ACHORD and Alberta Health and Wellness. To support the ADSS, ACHORD also undertakes methodological studies to improve these surveillance systems using administrative data sources.