Submitting data files to the SDCS system

These should be populated with data for the organisation(s) for which you are submitting data and then uploaded to the SDCS system. The system validates the file structure, therefore it is essential that these proformas are used and no alterations are made. Please note that .xls files are not accepted by SDCS.

Navigate to the Submissions drop down and then select "New"

Click on "Download" and follow your web browser’s instructions to complete the download.

You should save the proforma onto your local drive.

 Once your file is complete, saved in the relevant format and file type, you will be ready to upload it to the SDCS system. Before uploading data to the SDCS system you may want to upload a test file.

Submitting a test file

In some instances, it may be necessary to submit a test file in order to ascertain if the file to be submitted meets the requirements of the system. This process is purely for test purposes and therefore no data is loaded in the system from a test submission.

Navigate to the Submissions drop down and then select "New".

Click "Choose File" and navigate to the location on your computer where the files are saved.

Please note: If you choose to add notes to the submission, please ensure that this does not contain any person identifiable information. The notes will be available for you to view on the "All Submissions" page.

Before clicking "Create" ensure that the "Test Submission" box is checked as indicated below.

Click "Create".

Submitting a file

Navigate to the Submissions drop down and then select "New".

Click "Choose File" and navigate to the location on your computer where the Excel file is saved. Click "Open".

Note: If you choose to add notes to the submission, please ensure that this does not contain any person identifiable information. The notes will be available for you to view on the "All Submissions" page.

Click "Create"

Please note: At this stage if data has already been submitted for this reporting period, a warning may be displayed. This is to ensure that you want to overwrite the data in the data store. 

Please note: Once you click "Create", the page is set to auto refresh every ten seconds, therefore even though the system may appear not to be processing your submission it will be. Additionally, submissions will continue to be loaded even if you navigate away from the above page.

You can only submit one file per organisation per period at any one time. You will be presented with a warning message should this be attempted.

If the submission is successful

Once a successful submission has been made (that is - no data validation errors or warnings have been triggered), you will receive a system generated confirmation email. Please check that this email details the submission you intended to make. If the submission was a test submission, note that this would be validated but NOT uploaded. Therefore, you would need to resubmit with the "Test Submission" box un-ticked for your submission to be uploaded.

Unsuccessful submissions 

If your submission contains any errors, your submission will fail, and you will be taken to the "Validation Summary" screen. On this screen, you will be able to see the number of errors that your data contains. If you click on the "Field Area or Name" column, you will be presented with a brief description of each individual error that your data contains. This information should help you identify the issue, so that you can amend your data and attempt to resubmit following the submitting data files guidance. If you need additional help, you can click on the "View Guidance" button to take you to a supporting guidance document.

If your data contains only warnings, your submission is a valid submission and will be accepted by SDCS. However, you will be taken to the validation summary screen for more information. The warning message should inform you that your data may contain an error, therefore to check it against the message that you receive. If you feel that the warning message is correct, you can amend your data and resubmit your file. If you think that your data is correct despite checking it against the warning message, you can ignore the message and SDCS will accept this file as your final data submission.

Warning messages  

If your data submission contains only warnings, your submission is a valid submission and will be accepted by SDCS. However, you will be taken to the validation summary screen for more information. This will inform you that your data may contain an error. If you agree with the message you can amend your data and resubmit your file. If you think that the data is correct after checking it, you can ignore and SDCS will accept this file as your final data submission.

Resubmitting data for a reporting period

You can resubmit data for a reporting period.

You must correct and upload a new version of your submission if there are any errors highlighted which will prevent it being loaded onto the system. The steps below explain how this is done.

Resubmitting data:

Navigate to the "New Submissions" page

Click "Create".

Due to data having already been submitted for this period, a warning will be triggered in the system stating that data already exists for the reporting period.

Check the box to confirm the submission and overwrite the submitted data in the data store.

Click "Create".

Ticking the "Allow Resubmit" box and clicking "Create" will overwrite data currently held for that reporting period in the data store.

Submitting data for more than one collection

If you submit data for more than one collection, when you click to make a new submission you will be presented with the following screen.

To proceed, simply select the collection for which you would like to submit data from the drop-down box. Once you have selected your collection you will then be asked to select your organisation. Once this has been done you should be able to proceed as normal.