Data

CWS-CARES Data Dictionary, Training Video, and Upcoming Webinar

April 01, 2025 Communications
External Systems Points of Contact, CARES SPOCs, County Leadership, CARES Implementation Coordinators, and OCM Coordinators:
 
April 1, 2025 UPDATE: As stated in the original communication sent out on March 4, 2025, the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary will be published on a quarterly basis. This update is to notify everyone that v0.03 of the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary is now available to view in the MS Teams channel under ‘Files.’

This updated version includes:
1) Newly added tab:
a) "Column Definitions" tab
2) Changes to the current tabs:
a) "Tables" tab - newly added/removed object names based on application development activities.
b) "Columns" tab - newly added/removed columns names based on application development activities.
c) "Relationships" tab - modified relationships based on application development activities.
d) "Columns" tab - added “Unique” column.
e) "Columns" tab - removed “DISPLAYED_ON_SCREEN” column. This column will be added back in future versions.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
This email provides an update on the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary information previously communicated to External Systems Points of Contact and CARES SPOCs on February 11, 2025. 
We are excited to share that the initial version of the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary and legacy mapping of CWS/CMS is now available. We have also created a training video that provides a walkthrough of the materials, and a Webinar will be held on March 20, 2025 where staff can get further details and ask questions. See below for more details. 
Updates since our last communication: 
  1. CWS-CARES Data Dictionary Preview Session Complete: On February 13, 2025, a small group of counties previewed the Data Dictionary and provided feedback, which was incorporated into the Data Dictionary. 
  1. New Microsoft Teams Channel: A dedicated Microsoft Teams channel has been created for all CWS-CARES Data Dictionary-related materials. Your county’s Implementation Coordinator and CWS-CARES Single Point of Contact (SPOC) will be invited to the MS Teams channel. The Teams Channel is located under the CWDS Org Share, and the Channel name is CARES Data Dictionary. See the below section For Reference: Accessing Materials in MS Teams for more instructions on how to access materials. 
  1. CWS-CARES Data Dictionary and Legacy Mapping – Ready for Review: The initial version of the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary, which incorporates legacy mapping of CWS/CMS fields is now available in the Teams channel under Files. The folder name is CWS-CARES Data Dictionary v0.02. 
  1. Training Video Available: A training video has been uploaded to the Teams channel under Files, in the folder called Walkthrough Recording. Please watch the video before reviewing the materials to ensure a clear understanding of the content.  
  1. FAQ Document Available: A FAQ is located on the Teams channel under CARES Data Dictionary FAQs Tab.
  1. Terms of Use: The CWS-CARES Data Dictionary documentation is considered sensitive and confidential. Please read the CWDS Terms of Use located on the Teams channel under Files. 
  1. Upcoming Webinar: A webinar will be conducted on Thursday, March 20, 2025 from 9 AM – 10 AM. Your county’s Implementation Coordinator and CWS-CARES SPOC will be invited, and the meeting invitation may be forwarded to others. The webinar will cover navigation of the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary, utilization of the support documentation, and use of legacy mapping documentation with the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary. 
  1. Adding Staff to the Teams Channel: We kindly ask that you email CWDSDataManagement@osi.ca.gov with any additional County staff names and associated email addresses and their roles that should have access to the Microsoft Teams Channel:  CARES Data Dictionary. 
Publication and Ongoing Updates 
  • Updates to the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary will be published quarterly in the Teams channel. The next version will be available March 31, 2025.
  • Future versions will include significant changes, including potential additional and updated legacy mapping. 
Communication and Support 
  • Please refer to the FAQs in the Teams channel. 
For Reference: Accessing Materials in MS Teams
Under CWDS Org Share, select the CARES Data Dictionary channel.

In the CARES Data Dictionary Channel, select the Files Tab. The initial version of the Data Dictionary is available in the folder called CWS-CARES Data Dictionary v0.02. 
 
In the CARES Data Dictionary Channel, select the Files Tab. The recorded Training video walkthrough is available in the folder called Walkthrough Recording. 

We appreciate your support and understanding as we work diligently to ensure the successful implementation and ongoing maintenance of the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary. 
Data, Update, CARES, CWS/CMS, CWS-CARES

CWS/CMS: Remote County Testing - Release 9.6 Improved CWS/CMS Data Quality in Preparation for Import to CARES, Phase 3 – FINAL REMINDER

March 24, 2025 Communications
All SPOCs and Training Contacts:

March 24, 2024 UPDATE:  This is a reminder that the deadline to register for the R9.6 County Test Workshop (CTW) is tomorrow, Tuesday, March 25, 2025.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

The Child Welfare Digital Services (CWDS) Office is requesting county staff to participate in the Release 9.6 County Test Workshop (CTW). Registered testers will participate in the testing of Release 9.6 Data Quality SCRs, which is been scheduled for delivery to the Counties on Saturday, August 16, 2025.

The CTW for Release 9.6 will be conducted in a remote setting via Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) workstations.

The deadline to register is Tuesday, March 25, 2025

System Change Requests (SCRs) included in this release are:
  • SCR 8982 - Add Missing Name for Placement Homes for CARES
  • SCR 8983 - Add Missing Name for Non-Foster Care Facilities for CARES
  • SCR 8999 - Update Client Dates out-of-range for CARES
  • SCR 8985 - Make Name Mandatory for Non-Foster Care Facility
  • SCR 8989 - Cleanup Outdated Home Studies
  • SCR 8843 - Transfer Enrollment between DOE Schools
  • SCR 8967 - Duplicate Hearing Notebook Warning
  • SCR 8972 - ACL 22-95 ICWA Eligibility Data Entry Mandatory Fields (Part B)
  • SCR 8943 - Expand Merge History Log
  • SCR 9020 - R9.6 Training Tools Package
Counties are encouraged to register individuals with knowledge and experience working in the areas mentioned above. A mix of end users with casework or supervisory experience will also be beneficial. Participants will validate the changes in the release and will perform tests of problem fixes and enhancements. Participants will work with other County and State testers and vendor support staff.

Remote CTW sessions will take place in the morning from 9:00AM - 12:00PM and again in the afternoon from 1:00PM – 4:00PM on the following dates: 

R9.6 Data Quality SCRs in the VB6 Environment
CWDS is seeking a total of fifteen (15) County staff members for each of the following twelve (12) sessions (2 sessions per day):
Tuesday, April 29, 2025 (AM or PM session)
Wednesday, April 30, 2025 (AM or PM session)
Thursday, May 1, 2025 (AM or PM session)
Tuesday, May 6, 2025 (AM or PM session)
Wednesday, May 7, 2025 (AM or PM session)
Thursday, May 8, 2025 (AM or PM session)

R9.6 Data Quality SCRs in C# Environment
CWDS is seeking fifteen (15) County staff members for each of the C# fourteen (10) sessions (2 sessions per day).
Monday, June 23, 2025 (AM or PM session)
Tuesday, June 24, 2025 (AM or PM session)
Wednesday, June 25, 2025 (AM or PM session)
Thursday, June 26, 2025 (AM or PM session)
Friday, June 27, 2025 (AM or PM session)

Participants are welcome to register for any of the sessions listed above in half or whole-day increments.

We encourage you to submit your request for a specific session as soon as possible, but no later than 5:00 PM on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. If a session’s count exceeds the maximum count, Customer Relations will work with that tester to be rescheduled for another session. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

A Release 9.6 CTW Online Registration Form (see link below) for each potential tester must be received as soon as possible but no later than 5:00 PM on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, so the CWDS office can finalize the needed arrangements.

 Link: Release 9.6 Data Quality SCRs (VB6 and C#) County Test Workshop (CTW) Registration Form 
The CWDS Office will work with the registered testers on all the details of their CTW participation.
 
Special Note:
The County data will be pulled from the Production environment and copied to the CTW environment at the close of business on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. Therefore, changes to your Production environment after this date will not be in the CTW environment.

If you cannot access the Online Registration Form or have any questions regarding this recruitment, please contact CWDS Customer Relations.

Your continued support of CWDS is greatly appreciated. 

Action Required
Submit a Release 9.6 County Test Workshop Online Registration Form no later than 5:00 PM on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.
 
Data, CWS/CMS, Data Management, Release

CWS-CARES Data Dictionary, Training Video, and Upcoming Webinar

March 04, 2025 Communications
External Systems Points of Contact, CARES SPOCs, County Leadership, CARES Implementation Coordinators, and OCM Coordinators:

This email provides an update on the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary information previously communicated to External Systems Points of Contact and CARES SPOCs on February 11, 2025. 

We are excited to share that the initial version of the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary and legacy mapping of CWS/CMS is now available. We have also created a training video that provides a walkthrough of the materials, and a Webinar will be held on March 20, 2025 where staff can get further details and ask questions. See below for more details.
 
Updates since our last communication: 
  1. CWS-CARES Data Dictionary Preview Session Complete: On February 13, 2025, a small group of counties previewed the Data Dictionary and provided feedback, which was incorporated into the Data Dictionary. 
  1. New Microsoft Teams Channel: A dedicated Microsoft Teams channel has been created for all CWS-CARES Data Dictionary-related materials. Your county’s Implementation Coordinator and CWS-CARES Single Point of Contact (SPOC) will be invited to the MS Teams channel. The Teams Channel is located under the CWDS Org Share, and the Channel name is CARES Data Dictionary. See the below section For Reference: Accessing Materials in MS Teams for more instructions on how to access materials. 
  1. CWS-CARES Data Dictionary and Legacy Mapping – Ready for Review: The initial version of the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary, which incorporates legacy mapping of CWS/CMS fields is now available in the Teams channel under Files. The folder name is CWS-CARES Data Dictionary v0.02. 
  1. Training Video Available: A training video has been uploaded to the Teams channel under Files, in the folder called Walkthrough Recording. Please watch the video before reviewing the materials to ensure a clear understanding of the content.  
  1. FAQ Document Available: A FAQ is located on the Teams channel under CARES Data Dictionary FAQs Tab.
  1. Terms of Use: The CWS-CARES Data Dictionary documentation is considered sensitive and confidential. Please read the CWDS Terms of Use located on the Teams channel under Files. 
  1. Upcoming Webinar: A webinar will be conducted on Thursday, March 20, 2025 from 9 AM – 10 AM. Your county’s Implementation Coordinator and CWS-CARES SPOC will be invited, and the meeting invitation may be forwarded to others. The webinar will cover navigation of the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary, utilization of the support documentation, and use of legacy mapping documentation with the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary. 
  1. Adding Staff to the Teams Channel: We kindly ask that you email CWDSDataManagement@osi.ca.gov with any additional County staff names and associated email addresses and their roles that should have access to the Microsoft Teams Channel:  CARES Data Dictionary. 
Publication and Ongoing Updates 
  • Updates to the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary will be published quarterly in the Teams channel. The next version will be available March 31, 2025.
  • Future versions will include significant changes, including potential additional and updated legacy mapping. 
Communication and Support 
  • Please refer to the FAQs in the Teams channel. 
For Reference: Accessing Materials in MS Teams
Under CWDS Org Share, select the CARES Data Dictionary channel.

In the CARES Data Dictionary Channel, select the Files Tab. The initial version of the Data Dictionary is available in the folder called CWS-CARES Data Dictionary v0.02. 
 
In the CARES Data Dictionary Channel, select the Files Tab. The recorded Training video walkthrough is available in the folder called Walkthrough Recording. 

We appreciate your support and understanding as we work diligently to ensure the successful implementation and ongoing maintenance of the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary. 
Training, Data, CWS-CARES

CWS/CMS: Temporary Pause of Data Quality Workgroup

August 22, 2024 Communications
All Data Quality Analysts and SPOCs:
Thank you for your ongoing support of CWS/CMS Data Quality clean up, engagement in the Data Quality workshops, and formulation of CWS/CMS System Changes that support Data Quality improvements. All the work efforts you have been engaged in will have a great impact to the success in the conversion of your CWS/CMS data to CWS-CARES. We are sending this email to make you aware that the project remains committed in supporting county data clean up and encourages counties to continue to leverage the Data Quality portal on the CWDS website for information related to opportunities to continue to perform ongoing data cleanup efforts.
Due to administrative delays, you will see a temporary pause for the Data Quality workgroup monthly engagement starting with the September 2024 planned meeting. A meeting cancellation is forthcoming. The project is seeking to reprocure Data Quality services that will continue to support your efforts. We are hoping to reengage the Data Quality workgroup within the next few months and encourage workgroup members that are part of the CARES Data Conversion workgroup to remain plugged into that effort. We would like to also thank James Sidebotham for his devotion to this workgroup and the extraordinary measurable accomplishments it has made over the past years. Stay tuned for more information in the upcoming month on when the workgroup will reengage.
 
Action Required
Continue to leverage the Data Quality portal on the CWDS website for information related to opportunities to continue to perform ongoing data cleanup efforts
Data, Announcement, CWS/CMS, Data Management

CWS/CMS: Business Intelligence County Access Data – Upgrade to CAD BOBJ 4.3 – REMINDER #2

July 26, 2024 Communications
All SPOCs, Technical Contacts, and CAD Contacts:
July 26, 2024 - REMINDER: The upgrade to County Access Data (CAD) - CAD BOBJ 4.3 will take place on September 14, 2024. The Business Intelligence (BI) team will provide a demo on Thursday, August 8, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, and a Sandbox environment will be available from Friday, August 9, through Friday, September 13. Please see the details below to ensure you have your County CAD ID.
________________________________________________________________________________________
July 9, 2024 - REMINDER: This is a reminder of the upgrade to CAD BOBJ 4.3 on September 14, 2024. The Business Intelligence (BI) team will provide a demo of the updated version on Thursday, August 8, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, and a Sandbox environment will be available from Friday, August 9, through Friday, September 13. Please see the additional details below. As an additional update, the Demo will not be recorded due to privacy guidelines.
________________________________________________________________________________________
 
June 13, 2024: The Business Intelligence (BI) County Access Data (CAD) application will upgrade to version CAD BOBJ 4.3 on September 14, 2024. The BI team will provide a demo of the updated version on Thursday, August 8, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. You will receive a meeting invite from OSI-CWS-CAD@osi.ca.gov for the Thursday, August 8, 2024 demo soon.
 
The enhancements are primarily focused on visual differences, featuring a new User Interface. Our goal is to ensure that users can easily navigate through this updated version. To facilitate that goal, we will be offering a Sandbox version for a five-week period starting Friday, August 9, until Friday, September 13.
 
You will need a CAD ID to log onto the Sandbox environment. 
 
NOTE: Most CAD users already have CAD IDs, however if you do not:
  • Please contact one of your County CAD Contacts to request a CAD ID.
    • You can locate your County CAD list of contacts on the CWDS website.
Action Required
  • Accept the meeting invite from OSI-CWS-CAD@osi.ca.gov scheduled for Thursday, August 8, 2024 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM.
  • Explore the new BI Interface from Friday, August 9, through Friday, September 13.
  • If you have issues, contact Chris Lovejoy at Chris.Lovejoy@osi.ca.gov
Data, Update, CWS/CMS

CWS/CMS: New Cleansing Processes On the Data Quality Portal

February 15, 2024 Communications
All Data Quality Analyst and SPOCS:
The Data Quality (DQ) Portal has been updated with new data cleansing processes that will cleanse, standardize, and enrich data providing timely, accurate, and consistent information to improve CWS/CMS services as well as contribute to a successful CARES migration. The summary of these processes is as follows:
  • SCR 8844 Education Enrollment Closure – Around 1.4 million (66% of total) of open education current enrollments can be closed as the focus client is not on an open case and/or not on an active referral.
  • Client Prefix / Suffix Cleanse and Standardization – Standardize around 330,000 clients with erroneous prefix/suffix values.
  • SCR 8776 SSN Cleanse for CARES – Remove 162,000 SSNs for Client & SCP that do not meet rules as set by the social security administration (SSA).
  • SCR 8935 Reporter Badge Number Cleanse for CARES – Move badge number from last name to the appropriate badge number field for around 70,000 reporters.
  • SCR 8955 Other Adult Name Update – After R9.3, new explicit first/last name fields exist for other adults in home. This process will perform the data parse and population from the existing single name field for the existing 250,000 records.
  • SCR 8840 Placement Home Name Standardization – Change county-created FFACRFH & FFACH home names to emulate LIS standards to assist in searches and reduce duplicates for 120,000 homes.  
The DQ Portal has been updated accordingly:
  • Information documents & sign-up links for the above processes can be found on the ‘Data Cleansing Instructions’ page, see sections 3.1 Fully Automated & 3.2 County Validation.
  • The ‘Auto-Clean Frequency’ page that summarizes all cleansing and their run frequency has also been updated.
  • To see what your county has signed up for, the ‘Auto-Cleanup Counties’ page has been updated.
Action Required
Visit the DQ Portal and review the above mentioned SCR’s.
Data, Announcement, CWS/CMS, Data Management