5.20 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 Communities 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 2019/20 learners have been entered before the upgrades are applied. This is because the upgrade migrates 2019 data to the 2020 fields, and any 2019 learners entered after the upgrades will not be migrated. As such, if any 2019 learners do need to be entered after the upgrade, both the 2019 and 2020 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 / 5.20.7500.2. 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 1.0.3.5 is also included in the upgrade but must be installed separately, which is detailed in the Upgrade Guide. The reports library can be found in the Maytas 5\Extras\Reports Library folder of the upgrade. 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 20 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 2020/21 ESFA Formula-Funded Contract

A 2020/21 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 2020/21).
  5. Enter a contract number if required.
  6. Select the SFA/EFA/ESFA Formula Funded Contract option.
  7. Select year 2020/2021.
  8. Click Next.
  9. Amend the schemes you wish to include in the contract and click Next.
  10. Click Finish.

Import Funding Information

The process for importing the required funding information into Maytas is as follows:

Re-Import the FIS Data Sets

If the 2018/19 data sets were imported in 5.19, this step can be skipped and you should proceed to importing the LARS.

If the FIS data sets for 2018/19 were not imported in the 5.19 release, it is essential that they are imported into Maytas one final time for use by the funding cache. 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 2018/19 FIS application with the latest 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.

Import LARS

The LARS for 2020/21 should be imported as follows:

  1. Download the LARS MDB file for 2020/21. At the time of this release, the latest version is the LARS MDB version 7.
  2. In Maytas, go to Exports on the toolbar.
  3. On the ILR Tools panel of the ribbon, go to Uploads | Upload Funding Information | Upload LARS (Version 7).
  4. Browse to and select the downloaded LARS file and click Open.
  5. The file will now be imported. Click OK on the message which appears.

Progress on the import can be checked by going to Home | Server Tasks | Server Jobs. Typically it will take several minutes.

Import Postcode File

Postcode data for 2020/21 is not available as of the time of this upgrade. Instead, the postcode data for 2019/20 should be imported if it has not been already:

  1. Obtain the postcode uplift factors file - Download the zip file under 2019 to 2020 uplift factors by postcode and LLSOA: CSV files.
  2. In Maytas, go to Exports on the toolbar.
  3. On the ILR Tools panel of the ribbon, go to Uploads | Postcode Uploads | Upload Post Code Data (2019/20).
  4. Browse to and select the postcode uplifts zip file and click Open.
  5. The file will now be imported. Click OK on the message which appears.

Progress on the import can be checked by going to Home | Server Tasks | Server Jobs. Typically this will take several minutes.

Devolved AEB postcode data is also available for importing, but it is not currently used in Maytas and so there is no need to import it. Future upgrades may require it to be imported, depending on whether the data is used in the funding calculations.

Large employer factor data sets do not need to be imported for 2020/21. LEF data for 2018/19 and earlier is included in 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 5.20.7500.2 Release Notes

2020/21 Contract Year Updates

New Contract Year Tabs

New Maytas tabs for 2020/21 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 2020/21

These are the main ILR changes for 2020/21 which have been implemented in Maytas:

New Tabs for 2020/21

There are six new ILR tabs for 2020/21:

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 2020/21 are:
    • ILR 2020 App Starter Info
    • ILR 2020 App Leaver Info
    • ILR 2020 16-19 Starter Info
    • ILR 2020 16-19 Leaver Info
    • ILR 2020 Other Starter Info
    • ILR 2020 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 two new ILR fields for 2020/21:

Additionally, each aim now has six Learning delivery monitoring (LDM) fields rather than four.

Removed Fields

The following fields have been removed from the ILR:

Notes on Continuing Learners and Migration

As part of the upgrade, data for continuing learners is migrated from the 2019/20 fields to the 2020/21 fields. Any changes to continuing learners and any late-notified learners entered after the upgrade should be completed on both the 2019/20 and 2020/21 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 2019/20 to 2020/21:

It is important to ensure these fields are completed on the 2020/21 tabs where required.

ILR Reports for 2020/21

The ILR reports have been created using the available ILR guidance for 2020/21. 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 2020/21

The ILR export for 2020/21 is now available in Maytas. To view the ILR export screen for 2020/21:

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

  3. Click the button.

  4. Choose 2020 from the Survey Year dropdown box.
  5. Choose the Notional Return period.
  6. Amend the UKPRN as required.

  7. Once ready, click OK.

    Please be aware that the option to choose between the legacy and refactor export engines is not available for 2019/20 exports, as they are only produced using the new refactor engine.

  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 2020/21 ILR export has been tested and validated against the latest version of the online ILR specification as of the time of this release, as well as other accompanying documents. As of this release, the 2020/21 FIS is still in a beta stage, and so we have not yet been able to test the ILR export with the FIS comprehensively. Further testing will be done as new versions of the FIS become available. At the time of this upgrade, the provider support manual has only just been published 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. It is also possible that future versions of the FIS and the ILR specification may require the export and/or FIS import 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 2019/20 to 2020/21. For information on setting these flags, please contact Maytas support.

Force Export Flag

The 2019/20 force export flag is not copied to the 2020/21 force export flag. To override the ILR export and include a POT that does not meet the 2020/21 ILR export criteria, the 2020/21 export flag must be set.

Blocking Flags

The 2019/20 blocking flags are copied to the 2020/21 blocking flags. Aims blocked from the 2019/20 export will continue to be blocked in the 2020/21 export.

Funding Information

The funding information for 2020/21 in this upgrade is based on the funding rules for 2019/20, since full specifications were not available at the time of development. The 2020/21 funding information in this upgrade should be considered a beta version and is subject to change once future specifications have been published.

Completion Status and Outcome

Updated versions of the ILR 2019/20 tabs are included with this release which use new fields for outcome and completion status. 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 2019/20 ILR export and the existing fields will continue to be used from 2020/21 onwards.

The purpose of this change is to allow different values for 19/20 and 20/21 to be recorded, so that learners who completed in 19/20 who were on a break in learning or had an unknown outcome can be correctly included by the 20/21 ILR export. 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 19/20 but the data is entered during 20/21, it is important that you complete the above fields on both the 19/20 and 20/21 tabs, even though the learner has not continued into 20/21. 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.

ACE 360 Tab and Report

A new tab and report are available for entering and exporting data for Apprenticeship Standard learners so that they can be sent to ACE 360.

To import the tab:

  1. In Maytas, go to Tools on the toolbar and click Import on the Screens panel of the ribbon.
  2. Click Browse.
  3. Browse to the Maytas\Extras\Tabs folder of the upgrade.
  4. Select the ACE 360.m5tab package and click Open.
  5. Click Next, then click Finish.
  6. Go to Home on the toolbar and click Sync.

To import the report:

  1. In Maytas, go to Home on the toolbar and click Import on the Reports panel of the ribbon.
  2. Click Add Files.
  3. Browse to the Maytas 5\Extras\Module Reports folder of the upgrade.
  4. Select ACE 360.m5rep and click Open.
  5. Click Finish.
  6. Once the reports have finished importing, click Finish.

The tab is called ACE 360 and contains all the fields required for ACE 360 (many of these are existing fields that can be found on other tabs).

The ACE 360 report can be found in the Progression folder of the Reports Library. The base criteria for a learner to appear on the report is as follows:

Reports Library 1.0.3.5

Updates for 2020/21

The reports library has been updated to use fields from the 2020/21 ILR where appropriate and to include the 2020/21 report year on certain parameters.

Traineeships QAR

Achievement rate figures can now be generated for Traineeships, which is based on draft specifications for the Traineeship QAR. Please be aware that further changes may need to be made once the final specification has been published.

QAR 2019/20 Rulesets

The Achievement Rate reports have been updated to include a placeholder 2019/20 ruleset based on the rules from the 2018/19 ruleset.

Once the 2019/20 QAR technical specifications have been published, the new rules will be implemented in the 2019/20 ruleset.