Below is a list of NCVER frequent export issues and instructions you can follow to minimise the issues.
| Issues | How to minimise |
|---|---|
| Essential information missing | Ensure all information requested is made available and records are complete according to the specifications outlined in this document. Ensure that only those fields stated, as per table 3 of contact list data items, are fully populated and in correct order. |
| The data contains more than one line per student | Each record should correspond to one student. |
| Records use different formats | Ensure the formatting of record data is uniform throughout the file. |
| Mismatching | Ensure the correct student information is added against the NCVER supplied record. |
| Incomplete Client_id | Ensure leading zeros in the Client_ID column are not removed (format the column as ‘text’). Ensure the Client_ID is not truncated in any way. |
| Special characters used | Remove all special characters such as %, #, $, * - (@ is permissible for email address information) |
| Information is written once and is missing in the subsequent fields | Do not use terms such as “As Above”, but ensure that all records can be treated as ‘stand alone’ records and are complete with their own individual information |
| Files contain a mixture of student types | Ensure that the contact lists on each spreadsheet contain only one student type (i.e. graduates or subject completers) |
| Information is present, but has some comments after it | Correct or remove records that contain addresses or comments with wording such as “Deceased”, “N/A”, ”NULL”, “Do not Mail”, “Do not use” etc., Please ensure that appropriate codes are included in the “record_withheld” column, as per points 4 & 5 on the Contact List Preparation Checklist |
| First and Last name concatenation | Ensure the student’s first and last names are in separate and correct fields |
| First and Last name capitalisation | Ensure that the student’s first and last names are correctly formatted in Proper Case |
| Last name and first name reversed | Ensure all records are consistent with the first name and surname placed in their correct columns |
| Concatenation of address items (street, suburb, state, postcode) | Ensure address appears in separate and correct fields |
| Address is not best mailing address | Ensure that the mailing address is a residential address or where necessary that PO Box details are used for rural or remote areas. In rural or remote areas, mail is often only delivered to PO boxes and not physical street addresses. Please ensure that the best mailing address is given in each instance |
| Missing area codes | Phone numbers should include correct area codes. Leading zeros should be retained. |
| Dropping leading 0’s | Ensure leading 0’s are retained |
| State field being numeric | Ensure ‘state’ field is character*3 (e.g. VIC, NSW) rather than numeric (e.g. 1, 2) |
| Std_code in phone field | Ensure ‘std_code’ is in separate field and not appended to ‘phone’ field |