Back to C14032

Version 1.0 Produced 2015-11-09

• Introduction
• Item priorities
• What to do if you find issues within your check documentation
• Front_Sheet
• HE-BCI Part B check documentation
• HEBCI_B_T1_to_T4 and HEBCI_B_T4cont_T5
• Checking HE-BCI Part A
• Exception report

Introduction to check documentationBack to top

A successful COMMIT transaction will generate two reports containing management information that higher education providers (HEPs) will need to review to assess data quality. The check documentation is the most substantial of these reports.

Check documentation takes the form of an Excel workbook containing a series of tables which present much of the returned data to enable HEPs to ensure that their submission represents their HEP as expected. In part, check documentation provides a preview of some of the onward uses of the data. Therefore review of the check documentation should be undertaken by HEPs to verify their submitted data.

It is intended that all the sheets within the check documentation will be checked by both HEPs and HESA. Colleagues within HEPs are in an excellent position to recognise more detailed anomalies within their data, using local knowledge of the intricacies of their own HEPs, and are strongly encouraged to closely scrutinise the check documentation reports. The check documentation is also used by HESA to conduct data analysis and quality assurance of a data submission. Queries raised on these check documentation items form the basis of any data quality queries fed back to HEPs through the Minerva data quality database.

This guide deals each of the sheets in turn, providing details of the populations and fields used in their creation, along with guidance on interpreting the items and tips relating to common issues. Note that this guide is not exhaustive and HEPs are advised to review the check documentation extensively for their own purposes.

Item priorities:Back to top

Each check documentation item covered in this guide has been allocated a priority based on the data concerned (including the minimum data quality standards acceptable to HESA's Statutory Customers), the onwards use of the data and commonly found issues. However, the assigned priorities should be treated with caution as these are general estimates. Depending on the inserted data the actual severities assigned to data quality queries raised in Minerva may differ for individual HEPs.

What to do if you find issues within your check documentation:Back to top

Where anomalies are found you should record them on any relevant Minerva queries raised by HESA and flag the queries to be fixed on resubmission. The HEP should then contact [email protected] to request that the HE-BCI Part B data is decommitted, or the HE-BCI Part A web form reopened, in order that the necessary amendments can be made and the data resubmitted.

Front_SheetBack to top

This sheet is designed as a useful check sheet for colleagues analysing the submitted data both at the HEP and at HESA. The Front sheet contains a checklist of the items from all sheets within the workbook and will be auto-populated with any automatic queries triggered on the rest of the sheets within the check documentation.

HE-BCI Part B check documentationBack to top

The figures in these tables and items come from the HE-BCI Part B template submissions this year and last year. These tables have ratio calculations and automatic query calculations built into the checkdoc sheets. All queries that are automatically triggered, then appear as an automatic query on the Front_Sheet.

HEBCI_B_T1_to_T4 and HEBCI_B_T4cont_T5Back to top

PRIORITY: CRITICAL

All HE-BCI Part B tables are replicated in the Check documentation on sheets HEBCI_B_T1_to_T4 and HEBCI_B_T4cont_T5.

Three types of automated query are run on these sheets.

Query 1 (shown in lilac) highlights high year-on-year differences

Query 2 (shown in lime) highlights where the restated difference is 5% or more

Query 3 (shown in aqua) highlights where the number return is greater than 5% of the total amount returned by the sector in the previous year.

Where queries are raised, HESA requires explanation of the reason behind the year-on-year variations. These responses will then be taken alongside the HE-BCI dataset by data users to explain patterns and shifts.

Checking HE-BCI Part ABack to top

PRIORITY: MAJOR-LOW

HE-BCI A is not included within the main check documentation for the HE-BCI data submission. Instead a separate Summary Report is produced which lists all data returned in the Part A web form for the current and previous year.

The table below details the expected year-on-year changes within HE-BCI A and can be used as a basis for data quality assurance checks of the Part A Summary Report.

Exception reportBack to top

Following a successful COMMIT transaction, HEPs are advised to review any warnings listed within the Exception Report. Any data items listed should be examined and amended and/or explained as necessary through Minerva.

Full details of the Quality rules for C14032 that are not built into the template can be found at Quality rules.

Exception warnings detail data that has passed validation but is highlighted because it does not correspond to other sources.

Exception reports are retained for each processed commit transaction to enable cross-comparison of exceptions between submissions.

Need help?

Contact Liaison by email or on +44 (0)1242 388 531.