5.16 Maytas ESFA Release Notes

Note regarding submissions

We would like to remind providers to create a submission early and check for any errors using reports from the appropriate software (i.e. the FIS or LLWR-Inform). Welsh providers should also remember to download their ULI file. After submission to the ESFA or DfES, providers should check that data has submitted correctly using the available reports. Providers should check that all their expected starts and completions are submitted correctly, and that start and outcome payments correctly match the PFR or ACE funding reports.

Our support desk gets extremely busy in the days prior to the submission deadlines, and although we try and prioritise submission-related queries, we cannot guarantee assistance if queries are sent late. If you do encounter any issues, please ensure that you contact Maytas Support as soon as possible, as we can only rectify issues of which we are aware. We also recommend checking Maytas.net regularly for information on any known issues and solutions. Tribal cannot be held responsible for any issues caused by your failure to comply with this advice.

Data migration

Please note that it is important to ensure that all 2017/18 learners have been entered before the upgrades are applied. This is because the upgrade migrates 2017 data to the 2018 fields, and any 2017 learners entered after the upgrades will not be migrated. As such, if any 2017 learners do need to be entered after the upgrade, both the 2017 and 2018 tabs must be completed to ensure all data is present and correct.

Technical specification

The latest Maytas and e-track technical specification can be found here.

Once the upgrade has been completed, the version number should be checked to ensure it has been successful.

  1. Start Maytas and go to Support on the toolbar.
  2. Click About.
  3. The version numbers should read 181.20 / 5.16.6800.3. If you have any other version, please ensure you have followed the upgrade instructions correctly. If you require assistance, please contact Maytas Support.

It is the responsibility of customers to ensure that users carry out any required user acceptance testing and sign off on the upgrade.

Complete the Upgrade

Features Added in the Upgrade

These are the main updates in the upgrade:

Reports Library 1.0.2.9 is also included in the upgrade but must be installed separately. This is detailed in the Upgrade Guide. If you are a hosted customer, please contact the Service Desk to arrange for the reports library update to be applied.

Check the Contractor Details for the ESFA Export

  1. Open Maytas 5 and select Management | Contracts.
  2. Highlight the contractor name (company) you wish to edit.

  3. Right-click and select Edit.

  4. The Company screen will be displayed. The technical upgrade will have copied the UK PRN field to the new 18 box. If necessary, you should amend this value.
  5. Providers need to ensure that these instructions are completed for each company (contractor) used for the ESFA export.

Create the 2018/19 ESFA Formula-Funded Contract

A 2018/19 ESFA formula-funded contract should be set up for each ESFA contractor. Without this contract, Maytas is unable to determine the funding rules, schemes and lookup codes to use.

  1. In the Contracts module, left-click the contractor (company) to which you wish to add the new contract.
  2. Click Add Contract on the ribbon.

  3. Make sure that option 1. Existing company is selected then click Next.

  4. Enter a contact description (e.g. ESFA 2018/19).
  5. Enter a contract number if required.
  6. Select the SFA/EFA/ESFA Formula Funded Contract option.
  7. Select year 2018/2019.
  8. Click Next.
  9. Amend the schemes you wish to include in the contract and click Next.
  10. Click Finish.

The Contract Wizard will create the appropriate funding model within Maytas and set up all of the schemes that apply.

Re-Import the FIS Data Sets

The FIS data sets must be re-imported for this upgrade, even if they were imported in a previous upgrade.

It is essential that the latest aim information is imported into Maytas for use by the ILR export. This should be done by importing the relevant information directly from the Data Service’s Funding Information System (FIS). To do this, you must have the FIS installed and correctly configured (please refer to the Data Service’s instructions for setting up the FIS).

Please ensure you have the latest version of the FIS with the 2018/19 components installed.

Once the FIS is installed and configured, the information can be imported as follows:

  1. Perform a sync in Maytas 5, then restart Maytas 5.

  2. Go to Exports | Uploads | Upload FIS Data Sets.

  3. There are three items to configure:
    • Database Machine Name – If the FIS is installed on the same machine that you are using for Maytas 5, this can be left as (local). Otherwise, enter the machine name of the SQL server where the FIS database is held.

    • Database Instance – If the SQL server holding the FIS database has a named instance (e.g. MACHINENAME\INSTANCENAME), select Named Instance and enter the instance name. Otherwise leave this as Default Instance.

      If you have no named instance and Default Instance does not work, you may need to select Named Instance and leave the instance name blank.

    • Connection Type – This is the login for the SQL server holding the FIS database. Trusted Connection will use Windows authentication. If you wish to specify the login details, select Specific Connection and enter the credentials.
  4. Click OK. The FIS data will now be imported.
  5. If you have an Adult Skills budget contract and a transition factor, this must be entered on the contract:
    1. Go to Management on the toolbar and click Contracts on the ribbon.
    2. Select the relevant contractor, then select the Adult Skills contract on the right.
    3. Click the button.
    4. Go to the Uplifts tab.
    5. Enter the ASB Transition Factor and click OK.
    6. Click Apply to save the change.

Note on Postcode File

The ESFA have not released a postcode file for 2018/19. However, this file would not be required as the relevant data is now imported into Maytas via the FIS import.

Note on the Funding Cache

By default, the funding cache will update overnight so that funding information in Maytas uses the newly-imported FIS and postcode information. Please check with your system administrator if you are unsure if or when the funding cache is updated on your system. You can also manually set the funding cache to update by going to Management | Profiles and clicking the Funding Cache button, though please be aware that this may take a long time and may use a large amount of system resources, which could affect performance for other users on the system.

Maytas 5 Version 5.16.6800.3 Release Notes

2018/19 Contract Year Updates

New Contract Year Tabs

New Maytas tabs for 2018/19 have been produced for the ILR and LLWR as per specifications from the Data Service and DfES. These will have been imported automatically in the upgrade. Please note that while both ILR and LLWR tabs are imported, the relevant tabs will only show for the relevant learners – i.e. ILR tabs will only show to learners on English schemes and LLWR tabs will only show to learners on Welsh schemes. Details of the tabs can be found below.

Please note that user permissions will need to be set for the new tabs, as by default they are available to all users. Also please note that if you have changed the field type for any ILR fields (e.g. to or from a lookup), these will need to be changed from the default field type in the screen designer.

ILR Changes for 2018/19

These are the main ILR changes for 2018/19 which have been implemented in Maytas:

New Tabs for 2018/19

There are six new ILR tabs for 2018/19:

As in previous years, the tabs have been designed so that only the appropriate tabs appear for each scheme. However, we are aware that many providers have bespoke or non-standard scheme groups. In these cases, it is possible that the tabs may not appear on certain schemes. This can be rectified in the following way:

  1. Check the group type of the scheme (SCHEME.GROUPTYPE).
  2. In Maytas 5, go to Tools on the toolbar and click New / Load on the Screens panel.
  3. Select Trainee on the left.
  4. Double-click the ILR tab which is not appearing. The tabs for 2018/19 are:
    • ILR 2018 App Starter Info
    • ILR 2018 App Leaver Info
    • ILR 2018 16-19 Starter Info
    • ILR 2018 16-19 Leaver Info
    • ILR 2018 Other Starter Info
    • ILR 2018 Other Leaver Info

  5. Alter the Scheme group as required. Each group should be separated with a comma (no spaces). For example, if the App tab is not showing for scheme 3, and the group type for scheme 3 is called MY_GROUP, the tab should be set as in the screenshot.

  6. Click Apply to save the changes.
New Fields

There are three new ILR fields for 2018/19:

Notes on Continuing Learners and Migration

As part of the upgrade, data for continuing learners is migrated from the 2017/18 fields to the 2018/19 fields. Any changes to continuing learners and any late-notified learners entered after the upgrade should be completed on both the 2017/18 and 2018/19 tabs. This is because certain ILR fields are recorded in different fields in the database from year to year, and therefore it is important to ensure that all data is completed and correct on both tabs.

The following fields are NOT migrated from 2017/18 to 2018/19:

It is important to ensure these fields are completed on the 2018/19 tabs where required.

ILR Reports for 2018/19

The ILR reports have been created using the available ILR guidance for 2018/19. Providers should check with the ESFA that they are happy for the current reports to be used and that it is compliant for audit purposes. As this has been the case for the reports in previous years, we do not expect any issues in this regard.

There are reports available for apprenticeship, 16-19 (excluding apprenticeships) and non-16-19 learners.

The ILR reports are automatically imported in the upgrade and can be found in the ILR folder of the Reports Library.

There are two ways to run the reports:

ILR Export 2018/19

The ILR export for 2018/19 is now available in Maytas. To view the ILR export screen for 2018/19:

  1. Click Exports on the toolbar.
  2. Click ILR Export on the ribbon.

  3. Click the button.

  4. Choose 2018 from the Survey Year dropdown box.
  5. Choose the Notional Return period.
  6. Amend the UKPRN as required.
  7. Once ready, click OK.

  8. Locate the submission by expanding the contract year and period using the arrows to the left. Click the submission to select it. The status will say Generate pending until the export data has been generated. It will then say File preparation finished. Please note that this may take a while, depending on the amount of data being exported.

    • Edit opens the export and allows you to view and edit the export settings. Please note that not all settings can be changed once an export has been created.
    • Generate processes the export and produces a text file showing any errors for each learner. This allows you to correct any errors and re-generate before the batch file is created. The generation progress is shown with the circular progress bar to the right.
    • View Log shows any errors in the export. These should be investigated and resolved and the data re-generated before outputting the XML.
    • Output XML creates the actual batch file. The file will be created at C:\Temp on the Maytas server.
    • Get File lets you download the batch file once it has been created.

The 2018/19 ILR export has been tested and validated against version 3 of the ILR specification and other accompanying documents. The provider support manual was only made available immediately prior to this release, and so any changes required from it will be implemented in a future release While we have tested the ILR export to the best of our ability with the available specifications, there may be further issues which have not yet been identified. We also expect that future versions of the FIS and the ILR specification may require the export to be changed to meet any new criteria. Any changes that are required will be implemented in a follow-up release of Maytas.

Migration of ILR export override flags

The following details whether ILR export flags are migrated from 2017/18 to 2018/19. For information on setting these flags, please contact Maytas support.

Force Export Flag

The 2017/18 force export flag is not copied to the 2018/19 force export flag. To override the ILR export and include a POT that does not meet the 2018/19 ILR export criteria, the 2018/19 export flag must be set.

Blocking Flags

The 2017/18 blocking flags are copied to the 2018/19 blocking flags. Aims blocked from the 2017/18 export will continue to be blocked in the 2018/19 export.

Funding Information

The funding information for 2018/19 in this upgrade is based on the funding rules for 2017/18, since full specifications were not available at the time of development. The 2018/19 funding information in this upgrade should be considered a beta version and is subject to change once specifications have been published.

Completion Status, Outcome and Contact Preferences

Updated versions of the ILR 2017/18 tabs are included with this release which use new fields for outcome, completion status, restricted use indicator and preferred method of contact. These are referred to as the R14 fields. Data from the existing fields are migrated to them during the upgrade, and in most cases these values do not need to be altered. The R14 fields are what will be used for the 2017/18 ILR export and the existing fields will continue to be used from 2018/19 onwards.

The purpose of this change is to allow different values for 17/18 and 18/19 to be recorded, so that learners who completed in 17/18 who were on a break in learning or had an unknown outcome can be correctly included by the 18/19 ILR export. It is also important for separately maintaining the 17/18 and 18/19 codes for the contact preference fields (RUI) and (PMC), as this may be necessary for GDPR purposes. As with any other continuing learner, you should ensure that data is correct on the tabs for each contract year.

For late-notified leavers where the learner left in 17/18 but the data is entered during 18/19, it is important that you complete the above fields on both the 17/18 and 18/19 tabs, even though the learner has not continued into 18/19. This is to ensure the data is recorded in the existing / ongoing fields so that the correct data for these learners is included on reports.

GDPR Contact Preferences Tab

The GDPR Contact Preferences tab has been updated to use the RUI and PMC fields from the 2018/19 ILR. Any values entered on the tab before the upgrade are migrated to the 2018/19 fields.

Off-the-Job Training

A new tab has been added to allow off-the-job training to be recorded. To view the tab, open a learner record and go to Off The Job Training on the left.

First, enter the programme duration, working hours per week, days per week and the learner's total holiday allowance (including bank holidays) and click Apply to save the changes. This will populate the Learner Total Working Hours (per year) and Off the job calculator fields.

Learner Total Working Hours (per year) is derived using the following formula:

( (hours per week x 52) – (days holiday x (hours per week / days per week)) )

e.g. for the above example, the calculation would be:

( (37.5 x 52) – (33 x (37.5 / 5)) ) = 1950 – 247.5 = 1702.5 (rounded up to 1703)

Off the job calculator is derived using the following formula:

( Learner total working hours (per year) / (12 / duration of programme) ) x 0.2

e.g. for the above example, the calculation would be: 

(1703 / (12 / 12) ) x 0.2 = 340.6 (rounded up to 341)

Next, click the button on the grid to add a new row. This is where off-the-job activity is recorded.

Complete the details as required and click OK. Click Apply to save the changes. This will populate the Total Duration of OTJ Activity and OTJ Hours Remaining fields. The total duration adds together the durations entered on each row in the grid and then subtracts that figure from the Off the job calculator figure to get the hours remaining.

Global Updater Improvements

Reports created in Report Generator can now be used to create views for use in the Global Updater. Please note that this functionality should currently be considered a beta version.

A report must meet several conditions to be usable as a view:

Due to the changes in this upgrade, existing Global Updater views must be rebuilt for them to continue working. To rebuild the views:

  1. Go to Management on the toolbar.
  2. Click Definitions on the Global Updater panel of the ribbon.
  3. Click Rebuild Views.
  4. You will be prompted to confirm. Click Run to continue.
  5. When the views have finished rebuilding, a message will appear to confirm this. Click OK.

Please note that existing Global Updater definitions may have additional primary key fields included after the rebuild. Primary key fields are greyed-out and cannot be edited (e.g. TRAINEEID and POT in the screenshot below).

To create a view from a report:

  1. Create a new report as required in Report Generator, making sure to meet the conditions described above.

  2. Go to the Design tab, then select Views | Create Update View on the ribbon.

  3. Enter the display name. Click OK.
  4. Click Apply.
  5. You will be prompted to update the view associated with the report. Click Yes to proceed.
  6. Click OK on the confirmation message which appears.
  7. Sync and restart Maytas.
  8. Go to Management on the toolbar and click Definitions on the Global Updater panel of the ribbon.
  9. Click the button on the left to add a new definition.

  10. Your report view can now be selected from the Update view dropdown box. Complete the definition as required and click Apply.

In Report Generator, you can manage report views by going to Views | Manage Views. This can be done from any report (not just reports with associated views).

This will open the Generated Views window.

Each row tells you the view and display names of the view and which report it is linked to. To delete a view, select the row and click the red cross at the end of the row. Click Yes to confirm. Please note that if the view is used in any Global Updater definitions, it cannot be deleted until the definitions have been deleted (or changed to use a different view).

Click OK to close the window.