Validation Errors & Exceptions

When you upload a Bulk Rate Update file into FastTrack360 to update rates, a series of checks is performed to ensure that the uploaded file can be read by the system and that it contains all of the relevant data required to successfully update rates in the system. If any of these checks fails, a validation error or an exception will be raised. Each of these conditions are described below.

Validation Errors

A validation error occurs when the Bulk Rate Update file that you have uploaded cannot be recognized. That might occur if:

• you have mistakenly attempted to upload a file other than a Bulk Rate Update file

• the structure of the file has been altered by, for example, changing the order of the columns within the file

• the ExportType column has been removed and therefore the system cannot determine what type of rates are being updated.

If this is the case, a Bulk Rate Update batch will not be created and an error message will display to advise the file is invalid and cannot be uploaded.

If this occurs, check that you have attempted to upload the correct file. If not, start a new import and ensure that you select the correct file.

If you did upload the correct file, but the validation error has occurred because the structure of the file has been altered, generally the best course of action is to export the relevant rates to a new file, update rates in the new file as required and attempt to upload the new file.

A validation error will also occur if any mandatory columns other than the Export Type column are missing from the file that you have uploaded. If that is the case, a Bulk Rate Update batch will not be created and an error message, which identifies the missing mandatory columns, will be displayed.

If this occurs, generally the best course of action is to export the relevant rates to a new file, update rates in the new file as required and attempt to upload the new file.

Another reason why a validation error can occur is if the file you are attempting to import has been altered such that there are duplicate columns. If that is the case, a Bulk Rate Update batch will not be created and an error message will display to advise there are duplicate column names.

If this occurs, open the file, look for any duplicate columns, delete them from the file and save the file. Take extreme caution not to delete any other columns from the file. Once you have removed any duplicate columns and saved the file, attempt to upload the file again.

Exceptions

If there are no validation errors when you upload a Bulk Rate Update file, FastTrack360 creates a Bulk Rate Import batch and performs further checks on the data that is contained within each of the mandatory columns in the file is not blank and is valid based on the type of data that is expected in each respective column. For example, a check is done to ensure that each row in the NewValdityDate column contains a date and that the date value is in the format dd/mm/yyyy.

If these checks fail, the status of the Bulk Rate Import batch is set to File Validation Failed. If this occurs, an email message will be sent to the email address of the logged in user. An exception file is attached to the email message, identifying the columns in the Bulk Rate Update file that contain invalid data.

If the invalid data is in the NewValdityDate, NewRate or NewRateDescription columns, you can edit the relevant values in the file so that the values comply with the required data type and maximum number of characters. You can then attempt to upload the file again. However, if the invalid data is in any other columns, the best course of action is to export the relevant rates to a new Bulk Rate Update file and to update the rates again before attempting to upload the new file.

If the data validation checks are successful, FastTrack360 will begin processing the Bulk Rate Update batch. During processing, each row in the Bulk Rate Update file is read and an attempt is made to update the corresponding relevant rates in the system. If any row in the file cannot be updated, the following will occur:

• on completion of processing, the status of the batch will be set to Completed with Exceptions if at least one rate could be updated successfully or Rates Import Failed Due to An Exception if no rates could be updated successfully

• an exception file will be generated and the offending row from the Bulk Rate Update file, and all other rows in the file that are linked to the same agreement rate rule or standard rates rate set are written to the exception file, along with an exception message that explains why the corresponding rates could not be updated (for more information, see Batch Processing Exceptions)

• the exception file is attached to the notification email message, which is sent to the user who submitted the Bulk Rate Update batch when the batch completes processing.

You can refer to the exception messages in the exception file to determine why the corresponding rows could not be updated. You can then fix the offending row in the exception file, save the file and upload the updated file to process a new Bulk Rate Update batch so that the rates that failed to update the first time around can be updated. For more information about the exception messages that can be written to the
exception file and how to fix each exception condition, see Batch Processing Exceptions.