England User Group

Development Presentation

2006/7 Development review

• Email broadcasting: not done, word mail merge to email used.

• Auto-upload of data: not worked on in year above discussion level

• Upgrading of On-line help: not done• Web-site upgrade: not done• User log-on: not done• Review of menus, buttons and texts: not done

2006/7 Development review

• Reports: new excel reporting functionality launched Sep 07. More reports to be developed.

• Question expansion for 51-65: completed Sep• Updating destination lists: one update in year,

process being put in place• System question management: completed Sep.

2006/7 Development review

System maintenance: doneMass Balance Report: doneQueued processing of data roll-ups: doneCalculated variables: doneQuarterly question management by LAs: doneUser feedback on data submission (rev): doneOn-line status reports: doneReview of Questions: done with some changes madeNational data access: done, for England and Wales

2007/8 Development PlanEarly Gains

We have had early gains in the year from work that were started last year

• Reports for BVPIs and other analysis via Excel

• Negative numbers data-entry checks• New Q51-65 structure• Question Management• Menu review to group data tasks and

reporting tasks

2007/8 Development PlanFirst Phase

• Keep adding to available Excel based benchmarking reports– Including question reports– Reports for Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales– Remove crystal reports

• Pre authorisation validation checks page• Auto upload of data

– For fixed questions by Christmas– For variable length (destination/district) questions start of

2008

• Selection list update process to go quarterly

2007/8 Development PlanOther tasks

• Improve the authorisation screen

• Improve user management screens

• Improve authority management screens

• Improve list creation screens

• Add a scrolling WDF news

• Bring log-on to before you see menus

Review of AutoUpload

Automatic Data Upload

• The process is to be flexible, so we are creating an XML file structure.

• Any system can then be designed to create a WDF output file in the published format.

• WDF will provide an Excel template that will have built in macros to create the XML

• WDF will provide the system to upload the XML file to the WDF server and technically check the XML file meets the format.

• The user will then press a button to load the numbers into WDF data-entry screens and check, amend and validate the numbers as they do now.

Automatic Data Upload

• The steps in the upload process are:– File selection– File upload to server– File validation – Upload of data to the question.– Continue as normal and finalise return

• the validation process will check that the user has data entry rights to upload data.

Flow Diagram

User system:Excel filesDatabaseBespoke

WDF Excel:

Bespokeprocess:

Creation ofXML file:

Data for one authorityand one period

XML file:Stored locally

WDF Screens:To upload file

to server

WDF Screens:To check thedata in the file

Which questions?

WDF Screens:To decide whether

to load the datafrom the file?

WDF Screens:To complete thestandard dataentry process.

WDF Screens:To complete the

standardauthorisation

process.