Minerva user guide
How to use the HESA Minerva data quality database
What is Minerva?
Accessing Minerva
What is Minerva?
Minerva is an online database containing information and queries relating to institutions' data submissions to HESA. Institutions need to interact with Minerva, to add information and to respond to data quality queries raised by HESA. Record contacts will be notified by email when queries have been logged on the online Minerva database. It is then necessary to log into Minerva to view and respond to these data quality queries raised by HESA.
Before a data return can be set to credible by HESA it is required that institutions respond to any outstanding data quality queries raised concerning the data submitted.
Accessing Minerva
To access the Minerva DQ database please follow the link from the submit web page or visit http://minerva.hesa.ac.uk.
A password is distributed by email to each HESA record contact to be used to enter the Minerva database. Note that Minerva user accounts are separate from HESA Data Collection System accounts and have different passwords.
Adding additional user accounts
To create additional user accounts to a data stream please email a request to Institutional Liaison. Clicking on the 'Users' tab will bring up a pop-up screen where a list of all current user accounts for an institution can be viewed in the 'Users' tab. Note that this tab lists institutional users for all HESA datastreams.
Resetting your password
If you forget your password it can be reset using the 'Reset Password' button on the Minerva login screen.
Changing your password
Once logged into the system, users can change their password by selecting the 'My account' link along the red bar at the top of the screen.
Viewing and responding to data quality queries
Select the relevant collection year to see all outstanding queries for that collection.
Those users who are HESA record contacts for multiple data streams are able to select the different streams using the drop down menu. The record ID tab can be used to select and view data queries from different years.
Click on each query to expand the screen in order to view the full information related to this query. To assist in reviewing the queries/issues any associated notes are listed in order with the most recent note at the top.
Understanding the Minerva icons
The issues are displayed in order of priority with critical items listed first. The severity of an issue is denoted by the icon attributed to it: see the table below.
| Priority | Minerva icon |
| Critical |
|
| Major - high priority |
|
| Major - low priority |
 |
| Minor
|
n/a |
Issues can also be ordered by either the date on which they were raised by HESA or the date on which the issue was last updated by selecting the appropriate 'sort by' option in the drop down menu.
To respond to each query text must be provided in the ‘Add note' box, in conjunction with selecting one radio button indicating whether the query will be fixed, is genuine or is unable to be fixed. The response should then be submitted to HESA by clicking the 'Submit response' box. See Submitting responses to HESA.
Invite a colleague to answer an issue
Some data quality queries may need referring to a specific colleague/department within your institution. To pass a query to a colleague click on the 'Invite colleague to answer issue' box and enter their email address. The query will then be emailed to this colleague.
If you have been invited by a colleague to respond to a query on Minerva you should login using the details contained within the email. See Accessing Minerva above.
Note that this facility will only grant a colleague access to view a particular query. To provide a colleague with complete access to Minerva please follow the guidance under Adding additional user accounts above.
Share list
This feature allows a user to compile a list of issues that can then be sent on to a colleague for investigation and response. Once an issue has been added to the share list it will be logged in the 'Issues to share' screen. Once a list of issues has been compiled the list can be shared with either an existing Minerva user or another colleague by selecting to invite them to view and respond to these issues. Details of all issues that have been shared, with whom and when, can be viewed within the 'Shared issues log' screen accessible from the top navigational bar. (See diagram below ).
Formatting responses
Within the 'Add note' box is a text formatting tool bar. This enables the user to carry out basic text formatting and to insert tables.
Trouble when pasting from Word?
Where
you have prepared a response in Word, particularly where you have
inserted a table, you should ensure that you transfer this information
over to Minerva using the 'Paste from Word' icon. This practice will
ensure the formatting of the response is retained.
Increasing size of 'Add notes' box
The
toggle full screen mode button within the format bar enables
institutions to view a full window sized response box. This mode is
particularly useful when lengthy responses have been prepared for
submission
Submitting responses to HESA
Selecting an appropriate radio button
When the response provided is complete select the appropriate radio button and then click ‘Submit response'. (See Add note diagram above). This action will send the institution's response to HESA for review.
| Radio button | Meaning |
| Unable to fix this year |
Unable to amend/do not have the resources to fix for this year's data submission |
| Need to decommit |
Planning to resubmit to amend this issue |
| Genuine data |
The submitted data is a true representation of the institution |
Selecting a radio button and submitting a response removes the query from the list of outstanding issues. The 'Need to decommit' option will notify HESA that you wish your data to be decommitted. Note that choosing this radio button will not automatically decommit your file; decommit is an 'on-request' transaction carried out by the Institutional Liaison team.
HESA will review responses to each query and determine whether or not the issue can be closed, or if further information is required. Where a query is closed by HESA it will no longer appear on the ‘Outstanding issues' page. To view legacy issues that have been satisfactorily responded to click on the ‘Issue report' link. (See Add note diagram above).
Note that the Minerva DQ database content is shared by HESA with other users of the data to assist in their analysis and interpretation. Please be aware of this wider audience when responding to issues.
Mark as draft
The ‘Mark as draft' box can be ticked if the response is not yet ready to be submitted to HESA. (See Add note diagram above). This facility can be used to allow internal review of responses before they are submitted to HESA.
Note that in order to save a draft response the 'Submit response' box must be clicked. (See Add note diagram above).
Once saved drafts can be amended and deleted by choosing the appropriate link within the draft note. Once content with a draft it can then be submitted to HESA by selecting the 'Respond' link within the draft note.
System features
Issue report
When an issue has been responded to it will be removed from the 'Outstanding issues' page. Full details of all queries raised during the collection and their associated statuses can be viewed on the 'Issue report' page. This page acts as an archive of all data quality queries raised in relation to a specific data stream and allows users to view all attached notes for each query.
Exporting data quality queries
Institutions can export a list of all data quality issues raised as a Word document to assist in local data verification and amendment. Data can be extracted using the ‘Export' function. The 'Export' function can be used on both the 'Outstanding issues' and the 'Issues report' screen to download a version of the report as viewed.
Users
This page provides a list of all user accounts and related data stream access for an institution.
Viewing previous years
The collection reference tabs will be displayed where there are outstanding queries for two or more data collection years. Any unanswered queries will be left open in Minerva beyond the closure of the relevant data collection to serve as a reminder to institutions that a response is still required. Where the information to reply to an earlier query is obtained later by the institution the query can be accessed again via the collection reference tab, the response added to the query and submitted in the usual way.
Targets
Where a query cannot be fixed in the year in which it is raised but instead requires a longer term change of procedures, it will be set as a target for a future year. Target issues will be displayed within the collection year for which it is anticipated that an improvement will be made. For example, the sample issue shown below would be listed against the C10051 Student record data collection.
Targets are intended to act as reminder to HEIs of those areas that require attention in order to improve data quality. Targets will be reviewed by HESA as part of the active data quality assurance procedure.
