10/01 - October

Dear Colleagues

2009/10 HESA Estates Management Statistics Return (Ref.: C09042)

This Circular contains links to documents and further guidance that are required for the C09042 Estates Management Statistics Return (EMS) data collection. Institutions are therefore requested to review the information contained in the C09042 EMS coding manual.

Key deadlines

Institutions are required to send what constitutes their complete dataset, that has passed validation to HESA by 11 February 2011. For institutions in England, Wales and Northern Ireland this must include all mandatory data items.

The last submission of files must be made by 4 March 2011, meaning data quality assurance must also be completed by this date. The sign-off form is also required to be completed and returned to HESA by 4 March 2011. The full schedule of the C09042 EMS data collection can be viewed at Timescales for data collection.  

Published documentation

HESA has published the 2009/10 EMS data collection coding manual on the HESA website at C09042 EMS coding manual. This includes the data definitions for 2009/10 along with a non-functional template, and the schedule for data submission.

Nil return form

The completion of the EMS return is not compulsory for institutions in Scotland. All institutions in Scotland that choose to opt out are required to complete a Nil Return form to indicate they will not be submitting the EMS return. This form will be made available to download from the C09042 EMS coding manual. Institutions are required to complete and return this form to Institutional Liaison by 11 February 2011.

TEST_COMMIT facility

The TEST_COMMIT facility, which is available for the majority of the data collection period, allows institutions to process a transaction which, if successful, will generate the commit stage reports for local scrutiny. These reports are for institutions' purposes only and will not be checked within HESA.

Institutions are strongly encouraged to make use of the TEST_COMMIT facility as part of their data preparations. TEST_COMMIT serves as a useful interim facility in the data collection process. The facility enables institutions to view the commit reports and assess submitted data for anomalies before processing a full COMMIT to be scrutinised by HESA.

Following a successful TEST_COMMIT, institutions do not have to contact HESA to ‘decommit' data; changes can be made to the submission by inserting and/or deleting files. If no changes are required, institutions can process a COMMIT transaction, which will then generate the same commit reports as are produced following the TEST_COMMIT. However, these reports will be checked by HESA, and any data quality issues fed back to institutions.

Note that:
· Institutions do not have to process a TEST_COMMIT; use of the facility is optional, although strongly encouraged.
· Institutions must however process a COMMIT transaction by 11 February 2011 to meet the requirements of the return deadline.

Additional Guidance

Data quality

Institutions are asked to pay particular attention to the data quality reports produced and to the queries raised during data collection. Institutions are requested to endeavour to resubmit data promptly in order to resolve quality issues where they arise. Further to the above institutions are advised to ensure that sufficient time is spent examining the reports produced through a successful commit to ensure that new errors have not been introduced which would cause degradation to data quality.

Minerva data quality database

Institutions will be notified through the Minerva DQ database of any data quality queries raised by HESA as part of the data quality checking process.

Institutions will then need to log into Minerva to view and respond to these data quality queries. Institutional record contacts have already been issued with a password to be used to enter Minerva. Assistance on using Minerva can be found at: Minerva user guide.

Training 

HESA will be running training sessions for staff on several topics associated with the EMS return. These include data submission events in November 2010, post collection review seminars in May 2011 and heidi EMS user sessions in April 2011. Full details of the HESA training seminar programme for 2010/11 can be found at Training seminars.

Access and PIN codes

To access the data collection system you will need to register for the EMS collection (C09042) on the HESA data collection website (https://submit.hesa.ac.uk).

HESA places a great deal of importance on the security of the systems that process HESA data. To enter the data sumission page users are required to set up a user account using an access and PIN code. The access code will be distributed to the record contact by email when the EMS data collection system opens in November. The PIN code will be distributed, to the contact by letter, a few days in advance of the access codes to allow for postal delays. Both the Access Code emails and the PIN letters are sent to the nominated EMS record contact at institutions. It is therefore imperative that any changes to contact details are notified to HESA immediately by contacting Institutional Liaison.

For further assistance with registration please view the Registering for the system help page. 

Sign-off procedure

This procedure is designed to increase awareness of the importance of the verification stage as an integral part of making the return.

It is required that the sign-off slip for this return is completed by the Head or Acting Head of the reporting institution. Once HESA has analysed submitted data, and this data has been deemed credible, an automated email will be sent to the Head of the institution. The sign-off slip will be attached to this email.

The deadline for completion and return of the EMS Record sign-off slip is 4 March 2011.

Post-collection amendments to HESA return (Fixed database)

This Fixed database process is separate from the main data collection and will only be available to an institution on the explicit instruction of the appropriate statutory customer e.g. Funding Council. Furthermore, statutory customers will only approve specific changes to the collection and so institutions will need to obtain approval for every field they wish to change. Institutions should also be aware that onward use of information will be based on the original data collected and not on any amended data.

The formal agreements with statutory customers provide for HESA making a charge to institutions for use of the Fixed database. It has been agreed that for the Estates Management Statistics return this charge is set at 10% of the institution's annual subscription, subject to a cap of £3,500. This charge does not attract VAT.

If you have any queries on the issues raised in this Circular, please contact the Institutional Liaison team at HESA, or email us at liaison@hesa.ac.uk.

Yours sincerely

C. Jane Wild

Director of Operations