Frequently Asked Questions
Data
Q: Will CWS/CMS data overwrite Binti data?
A: Yes. CWS/CMS is the system of record. If a field already exists in CWS/CMS, Binti data will not override it.
Q: Will the converted data available at the end of May replace the test data from the beginning of May, or will the two be combined?
A: The converted data will replace the existing test data. Due to data volume and integrity considerations, a fresh start is required, and previously generated test data will not be retained.
Q: Will Binti documents be converted?
A: Yes. Binti documents, often referred to as unstructured data, are planned to be migrated into CWS-CARES.
Q: Is there a timeline for phase 1 and phase 2 of onboarding, or does each county determine the length of each phase?
A: Phase 1 is starting in early May. Phase 2 will open after the end of May, once the converted data becomes available, as long as County Administrators are ready. The Project will share more as these dates are finalized.
Q: If workers are mid-function in CWS/CMS when it changes to read-only and data transfers to CWS-CARES, will in-progress items default to pending or be treated as finalized?
A: The Conversion team has developed and implemented transformation logic that allows users to continue "in-flight" cases, referrals, or other units of work (such as items pending approval) from CWS/CMS into CWS-CARES. Production Simulation is a good opportunity to test these in-progress workflows.
Q: At Go-Live, what system will be available to document reports if CWS/CMS is read-only the weekend prior?
A: All CWS/CMS data entered on or before the Friday read-only mode begins will be converted to CWS-CARES and available on the Monday when CWS-CARES goes live. CWS-CARES will be available to document reports and provides a wide set of state forms and reports for users to generate, and counties have the option to create county-specific forms and reports.
Q: Will data entered or changed in the Production Simulation environment be saved or written back to CWS/CMS?
A: CWS/CMS production data will be loaded into the Production Simulation environment, but updates or changes will not be automatically saved in CWS/CMS. Any changes will be lost each time the Production Simulation environment is refreshed with new data. Please note that data entered into the Production Simulation will not transfer to CWS/CMS. Since the simulation is strictly a practice environment, CWS/CMS remains the sole statewide system of record. Consequently, any data required for official records will still require entry into CWS/CMS.
Q: When will the legacy data layer be available?
A: The Legacy Data Layer is available in CWS-CARES environments. Documentation is included in the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary and SqlDBM. County Developers have access to this in CARES102 (CountyDev) and this feature will be included in the Production Simulation environment once this is made available to the counties.
Q: When was the Family Finding module added?
A: The Binti Family Finding module was part of the original scope for Binti data conversion, it was not added later on.
Q: Will the State stop requiring counties to submit certain quarterly or annual reports once the State has direct access to the data in CWS-CARES?
A: This will be a CDSS decision made program by program, once CDSS can validate that the data needed is being consistently entered into CWS-CARES.