We document our understanding of, and recommendations for, appropriate best practices in documenting the complex sampling design settings for statistical software that enables design-based analyses of survey data. We discuss features of complex sample survey data such as stratification, clustering, unequal probabilities of selection, and calibration, and outline their impact on estimation procedures. We provide assessment guidelines and a checklist that will aid complex sample survey data providers in aligning their level of documentation with best practices andshow how existing surveys and their documentation score based on these guidelines.