15 April 2024

What is data transparency?

Data transparency APIs, available on the API catalogue, enable data analysts to populate data warehouses with data from Submissions and TCSI. Data analysts can create custom reports out of their own data warehouse. Data analysts can also investigate discrepancies between the data reported to TCSI and the expected data. For example, data analysts can investigate why the number of unit enrolments in TCSI for the current year is significantly higher or lower than the previous year.

Data analysts use the Submissions data transparency APIs to extract records from Submissions and TCSI. Data analysts can then compare records from Submissions with government records, which for example, enables the following:

Reconciliation between the various records in Submissions, such as course admission and related unit enrolments.
Reconciliation with the student management system.
Reconciliation with TCSI.

Data transparency APIs endpoints can extract data from the following tables:

SMS table: The SMS table is a copy of the data from the student management system. Submissions compares the data in the SMS table with the data in the student management system to decide whether to report a new, changed, or removed record to TCSI.
Staging table: The staging table has data with status information, which is visible in Submissions. Therefore, if Submissions needs to report a new record, the record is added to the staging table to be approved and submitted to TCSI. The staging table includes records that have been edited and overridden.
Government table: The Government table contains the data submitted to TCSI. Therefore, on submitting a record to TCSI, Submission's Government table is updated with the new record.
TCSI: The data transparency APIs connect to the TCSI tables through PRODA.

The diagram Data tables show the Submissions SMS, Staging, and Government tables, and the TCSI tables.

Submissions shows the reporting status of records as detailed in the table Data transparency reporting status .

Data transparency reporting status
Data transparency code	Reporting status	Tooltip message in user interface
100	Processing	Record is in the process of being submitted to TCSI.
200	SentToGovError	Record is in error. Click for more information.
300	DependencyNotMet	Record has unmet dependencies.
400	SentToGovWarning	Record is not in error, but has warnings. Click for more information.
500	PendingUpdateGov	Record has not yet been submitted.
600	PendingDeleteGov	Record has been flagged as a delete
900	SentToGovOk	Record has been sent to TCSI.
910	HistoricalData	Record contains historical data only and cannot be adjusted. To change this record, please adjust it in TCSI Data Entry.

For example, the image Historical data shows an historical record for the citizenships of a student.

The data transparency APIs enable data analysts to get the following data:

Get a collection of SmsRef for any entity or data group that has been modified since a specified date and time.
Get data from the SMS, Staging, Government, and TCSI tables for a specified entity or data group's smsRef.

For a detailed description on the data transparency APIs, go to How data transparency works.

Data transparency APIs require the API credential SubmissionsService.Api.Integreation.Read. For more information, go to API credentials in System admin.

For example, API GET method extracted records from the SMS, Staging, Government, and TCSI tables. Note that data from the TCSI table shows a discrepancy in the course name.

Copy

Example

{
  "product": "Submissions integration outcome",
  "SMS": [
    {
      "smsRef": "A321.1",
      "E307CourseCode": "A3211",
      "E308CourseName": "BACHELOR OF ARTS",
      "UID16": "12345"
    }
  ],
  "Staging": [
    {
      "smsRef": "A321.1",
      "E307CourseCode": "A3211",
      "E308CourseName": "BACHELOR OF ARTS",
      "UID16": "12345"
    }
  ],
  "Gov": [
    {
      "smsRef": "A321.1",
      "E307CourseCode": "A3211",
      "E308CourseName": "BACHELOR OF ARTS",
      "UID16": "12345"
    }
  ],
  "TCSI": [
    {
      "smsRef": "N/A",
      "E307CourseCode": "A3211",
      "E308CourseName": "BACHELOR OF ART",
      "UID16": "12345"
    }
  ],
  "take": "100",
  "count": "1",
  "skip": "0",
  "total": "1"
}