Data entry

The Data Entry module provides three methods for adding data.

• Add a Data Collection is recommended for uploading monthly data.

• Import Data Points is recommended for small bulk uploads of historical data or corrections. Each data collection must be created separately.

• Offline Data Uploads is recommended for large bulk uploads of historical data or corrections. When using this method, users will not receive immediate feedback on the success of the upload.

Add a new data collection

1. From the system wide menu bar, select Data Entry > Add a New Data Collection.

2. Begin filling out the form. Note: (*) represents a required field:

   1. *Source document: Specify the Data Source Document as an Excel worksheet attachment, or manual entry.

   2. Publication name: Enter the publication name.

   3. *Collection date: Specify the collection date of the data series included within the data source document.

   4. File: Upload an Excel worksheet as an attachment. If no attachment is provided, the user will be redirected to a screen allowing for manual data entry.

3. Complete additional fields as applicable:

   1. Status: An indicator for the current status of the Data Source Document. Default status during the Data entry phase is Draft.

   2. Status changed: A tracking feature that records the date, time, and action taken regarding changes in status of a Data Source Document.

   3. Import log: For tracking notification warnings or errors, a log file is generated after the creation of every data collection. Warning notifications are sent to the FEWS NET Home Office Markets and Trade team to make the relevant corrections. This action ensures the Alias Market name is specified correctly, and that the appropriate data series are identified.

   4. Collection periods: Specify the collection periods of the data source document.

   5. Start date: The start date of a collection period, usually the first day of a month.

   6. Period date: Refers to the last day of a collection period. If set to monthly, it will be the last day of that same month.

   7. Notes: A text field for notes and comments to improve context.

4. When ready, click on either the Save, Save and add another, or Save and continue editing buttons to save the data into the system and prepare it for processing. The system will display a message confirming the success of the saving operation.

   1. Save: Save and return to the Data entry homepage.

   2. Save and add another: Implies adding another data collection. Once the current one is saved, the system redirects the user to a similar window to repeat the process as many times as desired.

   3. Save and continue editing: The system allows a user to save the current work and continue editing which serves to minimize the loss of entered data in case of a poor internet connection.

Manual data entry

In cases where an Excel worksheet is not loaded, a user can enter values and set the status manually.

• Status options

  • Collected: Most common status. It means there is a value for the Data-Point in the Data Series for this Data Collection Period.

  • Not Collected: The Enumerator did not collect the price (a value for the Data Series) this month (for this Data Collection Period), and availability of the product is unknown.

  • Not Available: The Enumerator attempted to collect the data (a value for the Data Series for this Data Collection Period) but the product was not on sale/available in the Market.

  • Missing Historic Data: Should not be used by the Field Office because this status does not involve any new data. Concerns missing prices from historical data uploaded in bulk by Home Office: The data is not present in FEWS NET’s historic data; Unclear whether it was not available or not collected.

Bulk uploads

The Import Data Points and Offline Data Uploads screens should be used to bulk upload historical data or corrections. It is best to use Import Data Points when possible as this allows changes to be reviewed before the import is finalized. However, this option can be time consuming when there is large amounts of data so Offline Data Uploads should be used for large uploads.

Import data points

Data series can be imported in the following formats ( XLS, CSV, TSV, ODS, HTML, JSON, and YAML ). To import data series, follow the steps below:

1. From the system wide menu bar, select Data Entry > Import Data Points, and choose an item from the sub-menu.

2. Click the Choose File button and choose a file to upload.

3. Specify the file format that will be imported using the Format drop-down list.

4. Click Submit to start the import process.

5. Once the file is uploaded, the system will display the summary including:

   1. New: the data in the file that will be imported.

   2. Updated: the data in the file that are updates to existing data in the system.

   3. Delete: the records in the file that will be deleted from the system.

   4. Skip: the records in the file that will be skipped.

   5. Error: the records in the file that have errors in the data and will not be added to the system.

   6. Total: total number of records in the file.

6. To continue with the import, select Confirm Import. The data series will be imported and a confirmation message will appear when complete.

Offline data uploads

The Offline Data Uploads screen displays all the data upload records in the system together with their status, data domain, country information, and the user who initiated the upload process.

From this screen users can perform the following activities:

• Upload data contained in a file into the system.

• View the data upload process status (in progress, succeeded, failed)

• Displays the data upload result for each row of data in the data upload document

• Log records in the system while uploading the data for each record

• Edit data upload record

• Delete one or more data upload records

• Reprocess or restart the data upload works for one or more data upload processes.

• Search data upload records using a free text search criteria

• Filter data upload records using one or more of the following criteria: status, sub type (data domain), user who changed the status, and country.

Add data upload

1. From the system wide menu bar, select Data Entry > Offline Data Uploads.

2. Click the Add Data Upload button.

3. Choose the File.

4. Select the Import Format.

5. Select the Country.

6. Click Save, Save and Add Another or Save and Continue Editing.