Uploading

To begin using SP-Bench to compare your services to those of other Authorities, first you need to upload your SPLS Extract file.

If you make use of the CHR's Client Outcomes Framework then you can also upload the Outcomes spreadsheets they email to you throughout the year.

The upload process

1. Log in to SP-Bench.
2. Click the "Upload" link in the menu bar at the top of the page.
3. Click the "Browse..." button on the right of the page.
4. Browse to the location where your SPLS Extract or Outcomes spreadsheet can be found, select it and click "Open".
5. Click the "Upload File" button on the right of the page.
6. The upload process may take a few minutes depending on the size of your file and the speed of your internet connection, so wait while the file is uploaded. During this time your file is validated to make sure it conforms to the correct specification.
7. Once the upload is complete:
   • If the upload is successful, you will receive a confirmation message telling you the file has been validated and uploaded into the system.
   • If the upload was successful but SP-Bench found some irregular values in your data, it will report them to you in a table on the page. You will be able to choose whether to include the highlighed data if you believe it to be correct, or exclude it, in which case it will not be shown on any reports until you re-import corrected data.
   • If there were any serious problems with your file, the errors will be reported to you in a table on the page. These need to be fixed before the file can be uploaded successfully.
8. Your data will be processed overnight (to prevent interruptions to service during the day), so the data from this upload will be available in SP-Bench's reports the following morning.

Validation

When you upload an SPLS Extract or Outcomes spreadsheet to SP-Bench, it checks that your file meets the CLG's standards.

For SPLS Extracts:

• The file must be a ZIP file named SPLSExtract_ONSCode_DDMMYYYY.zip, where ONSCode is your Authority's ONS code.
• The file is checked to make sure it contains the necessary component files such as SupportService.csv.
• Each component file is checked to make sure it contains the fields necessary to construct SP-Bench's reports.
• Further checks are made to make sure that the necessary fields conform to type, length and range restrictions placed on them by the CLG.

For Outcomes Spreadsheets:

• The file must be an XLS file containing a worksheet named "Outcomes_ShortTerm", "OutcomeShort", or the long-term equivalents.
• The worksheet is checked to make sure it contains the fields necessary to construct SP-Bench's reports.
• Further checks are made to make sure that the necessary fields conform to type, length and range restrictions placed on them by the CHR.

For full details of what SP-Bench requires and validates from the two types of file go to the Data Requirements section.

Exactly what data is required?

Although it is easiest for you to simply upload the full SPLS extract or Outcomes spreadsheet into SP-Bench, it does not actually require the full file.

If you are keen not to upload unnecessary data then you can remove elements that SP-Bench does not need for its reports.

For a full list of exactly what SP-Bench requires from these files go to the Data Requirements section.

Errors

If SP-Bench finds problems in your file it will display an error message followed by a table of the errors it encountered.

The errors table contains the following information to help you diagnose and fix the problems before attempting the upload again:

• Extract Name - (SPLS Extract only) tells you which file in the extract contains this error.
• Line - tells you the line number in that file where the error occurs.
• Field Name - tells you the field of that line where the error occurs.
• Message - tells you what the problem is.

Once you have resolved all the errors reported in the table you are ready to attempt the upload again.

Back to top