Frequently Asked Questions
Production Simulation
Q: What exactly are we supposed to be validating in Production Simulation (e.g., case assignments, contact notes)?
A: When conducting validation, the Project asks that you please compare what's in CWS-CARES to what's in CWS/CMS and look for discrepancies. Records should generally match one-for-one except where changes have occurred since the April 17th data snapshot. This includes cases, records, assignments, participants, demographic/person profile info, contacts, and documents.
Q: Are adoption cases included in the cases that are removed from Production Simulation?
A: The only cases being removed from Production Simulation are cases falling under Sealed and Sensitive.
Q: Are we able to use the CARES 104 environment for workflow testing or are we only to use the Product Simulation Environment?
A: The Production Simulation Environment should be used for workflow testing. The CARES 104 Environment will not have the necessary data to test all workflows.
Q: As county admins adjust permissions, will those adjustments be reset whenever a fix/update is uploaded into Production Simulation?
A: Permissions would only reset with a full data load (such as a future Mock 3 load) — not with routine functionality updates. The team is researching how to preserve current Prod Sim permission sets so they can be combined with CWS/CMS permission sets at go-live, with counties verifying before the combined list is uploaded to production.
Q: How many cases does the Project suggest counties validate — is it a sampling?
A: There is no set projection or required number of cases. The guidance provided was in the All County Letter (ACL) issued when Production Simulation first launched; the Project is not prescribing additional specifics beyond that.
Q: Will enablement trainings be available in the Prod Sim CARES 100 environment specifically?
A: Yes, Enablements trainings willl be in available in the CARES 100 environment, also known as Production Simulation.
Q: Is there a data validation process for CARES-Live Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths Assessment (CANS)?
A: Converted CARES-Live data will be available for validation in Production Simulation environment after Phase 2 begins in July 2026.
Q: May we please have a reminder outlining the expected items to continue testing in Mock cycles in Production Simulation?
A: Users are free to validate data at their own discretion, as there are no formal test cases to execute. For example, users may compare a record in CWS-CMS with the corresponding record in CWS-CARES Production Simulation to validate that the data matches. Based on county requests, resources will be available on the Production Simulation Hub, including EUST scenarios, navigation guides, walkthrough meeting recordings, and source-to-target mappings that detail source and target fields, as well as data transformations. In addition, Enablement Programs will become available to help guide users through the system.
Q: Can we request additional security rights for Production Simulation users? Is there an inbox for this?
A: Please attend office hours to make this request. Access is based on the permissions/roles provided by county leads; office hours staff can help address requests for additional permissions.
Q: When do counties need to start submitting tickets to ServiceNow? And how long will office hours be used for questions/issue logging?
A: Counties can begin submitting ServiceNow tickets as soon as they are comfortable doing so. At this time, office hours end dates have not been finalized.