Understanding the DIISRTE File Generation Process
To understand the business process requirements to generate and submit the various DIISRTE files, it is important to understand the relationships between processes and file output.
This section discusses:
Student Data files with multiple reporting periods per year and revision requirements.
Past Course Completions–annual reporting and revision requirements.
Unit of Study Completions file–annual reporting.
Course of Study file.
Most files in Student Data Collection (EN, LL, DU, SS, SA, OS) rely on a prerequisite work process to extract the data to be reported. This process populates work data records with the base data for reporting, and in the case of enrollment data, key information that is common to multiple file extracts. Each of these data tables contains a submission date field. The processes to generate the flat file extracts report data only from the work records with a blank submission date.
When the flat files are submitted to DIISRTE, the work data records are 'stamped' with a submission date. This process populates the submission date field to acknowledge that the data was submitted. These records are no longer reported in the flat file extracts for the related files if they are run again for the same reporting period. You can run the prerequisite process to load the work data records as many times as necessary prior to submission to 'refresh' the population for reporting.
When the process is re-run, any existing work data records for the submission year and period that have a blank submission date are deleted and replaced with records that have not previously been submitted for that reporting period. Any work data records with a non-blank submission date are retained and no longer reported. This mechanism allows institutions to adhere to the incremental reporting requirements of DIISRTE and ensures that previously reported data is not included in subsequent files for the same period. Any data records that are found to be incorrect or require remission after submission must be added as revision records.
These steps summarize the process:
Process Work Records – run the prerequisite process to create the work data records.
Run the DIISRTE Student Data files.
Load the file(s) into HEPCAT, review and validate data.
If validation errors exist and data must be corrected, correct the data and repeat from step 1.
If data is preliminary and not ready for submission, repeat from step 1.
Submit valid data by the required submission date.
Run the Submission Processing process to date stamp the work data records for the file(s) submitted.
Repeat steps 1 to 7 for further reporting periods or sets of data in the reference year.
The Past Course Completions file does not require a prerequisite work data process. The process to generate the Past Course Completion file extract both creates the data records to retain a history of the completions data reported and generates the file.
These steps summarize the process:
If required, enter Student Completion Percentage details for students studying joint degrees with partner institutions.
Run the DIISRTE Past Course Completion file.
Load the file into HEPCAT, review and validate data.
If validation errors exist and data must be corrected, correct the data and repeat from step 1.
If data is preliminary and not ready for submission, repeat from step 1.
Submit valid data by the required submission date.
Run the Submission Processing process to date stamp the work data records for Past Course Completions.
No DIISRTE revision requirements exist for Unit of Study Completions reporting and consequently, no work data records exist for this extract. Only those enrollment records previously submitted in the Load/Liability File for the corresponding reporting year are included in the flat file extract.
These steps summarize the process:
Run the DIISRTE Unit of Study Completions file.
Load the file into HEPCAT, review and validate data.
If validation errors exist and data must be corrected, correct the data and repeat from step 1.
If data is preliminary and not ready for submission, repeat from step 1.
Submit valid data by the required submission date.
You can generate the Course of Study file as often as required for a given reference year. Any changes or additions that must be reported to DIISRTE are treated as a replacement file and no work data records are retained.
These steps summarize the process:
Run the DIISRTE Course of Study file.
Load the file into HEPCAT, review and validate data.
If validation errors exist and data must be corrected, correct the data and repeat from step 1.
If data is preliminary and not ready for submission, repeat from step 1.
Submit valid data by the required submission date.