Intermediate Database (IDB) for data submission

The data needs to be submitted to NHS Digital in a Microsoft Access Database. NHS Digital has created a template of the database that is referred to as the Intermediate Database (IDB).

The IDB contains all the tables and fields that you can potentially submit to the MHSDS. It cannot be altered in any way before submission, apart from entering data and changing the file name, or it will be rejected by the SDCS Cloud validations procedure.

The data can be transferred from your records into the IDB in several ways, which are discussed below in the data entry section. 

Microsoft Access is a database management system from Microsoft. It is a member of the Microsoft 365 suite of applications, included in the Professional and higher editions or sold separately. The Intermediate Database should be compatible with all versions of Microsoft Access from Access 2007 onwards. Access is not available if you are using an Apple Mac. You will not be able to submit accdb files if you are using Microsoft Access on an Apple Mac.  It is only compatible through a Windows platform.

An Access database can store many different types of objects, such as tables, queries, forms and reports. The IDB (Intermediate Database) for MHSDS submission contains only table objects. This static set of tables is built around the data submission requirements for MHSDS.

A table is made up of a collection of fields. These fields accept certain types of data. The tables have relationships between them; for example, the tables on referrals and appointments are linked, because each referral can have one or more appointments associated with it.

The IDB can be downloaded from the Technology Reference data Update Distribution (TRUD) site.

1. Log in or create an account.

These options can be found in the top right corner of the screen.

2. Locate the IDB

Use the search bar to find local Mental Health Services Data Set Intermediate Database. 

3. Subscribe

If this is your first time accessing the MHSDS IDB, click subscribe and accept the licence.

We recommend that you opt to receive email notifications of updates to the file, so that you are always using the most up to date version of the IDB to submit your data.

4. Download the IDB

Once you have subscribed, you will be able to see options for download. Pay attention to the dates on the TRUD website and only submit the version of the IDB that is currently in use. There will only be one version of the IDB in use at any one time.

Once you are on the correct release, click Download and a Zip file will open, from which you can open and save the IDB. We recommend saving a blank copy on your computer, and duplicate this each month, so that you have a different copy for each month of data, and a spare blank copy.

There are several ways to enter data into the IDB.

Manually

Each of the tables can be populated manually by simply typing into the row. This is commonly used when writing the single required record to the Header table. However, this isn’t a practical solution for other tables.

Copy and paste

Copy and pasting data from such as an Excel sheet directly into an Access table is acceptable. Although individual columns or individual rows can be copied, it is much easier to simply copy all data across as one action. Ensure that the columns are in the correct order and the column headings are exactly the same as those in the IDB. 

Built into Access is a Data Import Wizard. This is a step-by-step process that allows you to point Access to a file that can be used to populate a certain MHSDS table.

See importing data to the Intermediate Database (IDB) for a demonstration of how to use the data import wizard and resolving common errors to help you during the import process.  

Some organisations may opt to save time by writing a piece of computer code (such as using Visual Basic) to automatically populate the Access database directly from their database or source files