Provider Profile record 2019/20 - Data collection schedule
Version 1.1 Produced 2020-04-17
The document below is designed to guide providers through the stages of data submission for the Provider profile data collection.
Please note it is anticipated that the collection will open on time and that HESA will quality-assure the data broadly in line with the existing timetable. However, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the deadlines are currently under review while the impact on providers’ ability to make data returns is assessed.
At a glance
| Early 2020 | Data capture and collation |
| February 2020 | Validate data locally using validation kit |
| May 2020 | C19041 Data Collection system opens |
| 1 June 2020 | Commit |
| 2 June to 16 June 2020 | Data quality checking period |
| 17 June 2020 | Final Commit |
| 22 June 2020 | Sign-off |
Missed deadlines
HESA is required to report any providers who miss any of the deadlines detailed in the schedule to the relevant statutory customer. These are the Commit, Final Commit and Sign-off deadlines.
Providers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are required to complete an extension form if they anticipate that the Commit deadline will be missed. Providers in England are required to complete a late form for all missed deadlines. Please note that the Accountable Officer is required to sign the late form for the Final Commit and Sign off deadlines, however, they should be kept informed of any missed deadlines. For all administrations the reason for late submission or extension will be shared with your primary regulator or funder.
Providers are reminded to make use of the HESA Liaison team and to make them aware of any issues that could impact on your providers ability to meet these deadlines.
Detailed requirements
Early 2020: DATA CAPTURE AND COLLATION
Providers should read the C19041 Provider profile coding manual and associated documentation for details of the requirements for this return.
Academic HESA cost centre data returned in the Provider profile record will be incorporated into quality rules for the Student, Staff, and Finance returns. It is therefore recommended that colleagues responsible for the Provider Profile record liaise with those responsible for these other collections, to ensure all required HESA cost centres are returned.
February 2020: VALIDATE DATA LOCALLY USING VALIDATION KIT
HESA's data quality assurance processes are outlined in the Validation overview.
The C19041 validation kit is made available to download from: Validation kits.
The validation kit enables providers to test their data locally ahead of the Data Collection system opening. Providers are strongly encouraged to use the validation kit as part of their data preparations.
A guide to using the validation kit can be found at Help with XML validation kits. Alternatively please contact Liaison.
May 2020: C19041 DATA COLLECTION SYSTEM OPENS
The C19041 collection is available on the Data Collection system giving providers the opportunity to test files against quality rules ahead of the commit deadline.
The C19041 Provider Profile Data Collection system will be available to providers in May 2020.
It is a provider’s responsibility to ensure that they are progressing reasonably towards the commit deadline; if any issues become apparent or you require assistance with the submission process then please contact Liaison. HESA does monitor provider interactions to feed into their own risk assessments and this information may be shared with the primary regulator or funder of a provider.
1 June 2020:COMMIT
Providers are required to send complete data that has no remaining errors and have committed the data on the Data Collection system by 23:59 on 1 June 2020. This schedule allows the maximum amount of available time for data quality checking.
To meet the requirement of the commit deadline providers are required to:
- Submit campus information for their provider.
- The provision of HESA cost centre data is compulsory for providers in England that submit to the Student record. Provision of HESA cost centre data is optional for providers in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as for providers in England submitting to the Student Alternative record.
- Where errors are triggering for genuine data, a switch will need to be requested. This request should be sent to Liaison by email detailing the rule and an explanation for why this data is genuine, in good time prior to the Commit deadline.
- Where a provider requests that their file is decommitted before HESA data quality analysts have been able to check the file then this will count as a missed deadline.
2 June to 16 June 2020: DATA QUALITY CHECKING PERIOD
This is an iterative process during which providers may need to submit, commit, review and decommit their data several times to ensure the final submission is credible. The suite of web reports available on the Data Collection system should be reviewed by the provider to ensure that the data submitted is a credible representation of your organisation.
During this period HESA data quality analysts will examine data committed by all providers. If any anomalies are found queries will be raised through Minerva. Nevertheless providers are in a better position to recognise more detailed anomalies within their data, using local knowledge of the intricacies of their own organisation. As a consequence providers are required to either resubmit their data to amend these anomalies, or provide an explanation in Minerva as to why these apparent anomalies are genuine.
HESA analysts aim to check files within 5 working days following a provider committing their file and responses to data quality queries raised by HESA will be reviewed within 2 working days. However, during busy periods i.e. around the Commit deadline please be aware that this may take slightly longer.
Upon satisfactory completion of this process data will be set to credible.
17 June 2020: FINAL COMMIT
Providers are required to commit their final file on the Data Collection system by 23:59 on 17 June 2020.
Once the file has been committed it will be checked by a HESA data quality analyst and this can result in additional data quality queries that require a response. Providers should be aware that data quality checking can take up to 5 working days and should therefore ensure that they have sufficient time to make any required changes based on these queries and/or respond to these queries ahead of the sign off deadline. All data quality queries need to be resolved before the data can be set to credible.
22 June 2020: SIGN-OFF
Providers are required to have their data marked as signed off on the Data Collection system by 22 June 2020. The sign off form needs to be emailed to Liaison before 5pm on 22 June to guarantee sign-off on the deadline.
Once a provider's data has been set to credible on the Data Collection system, the ‘sign off’ button can be selected which allows the sign-off form to be downloaded. The sign-off form must be completed by the provider’s Accountable Officer (England) or the Head of Provider. Once completed, the form should be emailed to [email protected].Please note that the transaction number on the sign-off form must correspond to that of the data being signed-off.Sign-off completes the data collection process. Timely sign-off ensures that your data is included in any data deliveries to statutory customers, as well as onward use of the data for publication and analysis.
POST COLLECTION INFORMATION
Providers should download and keep copies of all relevant reports that they are likely to need during the year. This will be necessary as access to the site will be restricted after the collection has closed.
Targets that were set during the collection will be sent to providers and should be reviewed. The record contact will be notified by email once targets have been assigned in Minerva and providers should ensure that processes are put in place to implement any changes required to data collection.
If a provider is aware of any errors in their data, then they should inform their primary funder or regulator. Providers in England should notify Office for Students through the data amendments process . This may result in a request for the provider to go through fixed database. Providers should also notify HESA so a data intelligence note can be created.
Contact Liaison by email or on +44 (0)1242 388 531.