This article reviews why the Verify and Save Data button would be used and when it would be appropriate to use. NOTE: The Verify and Save Data button is only to be used when users receive direct and specific instructions to do so by the Data Center!
What does the Verify and Save Data button do?
The Verify and Save Data button at the bottom of the HMIS assessments is a data stamping feature that our software provider has made available. The button re-stamps all the data on the current assessment with the current provider, their visibility settings, and the date.
Why do we have the Verify and Save Data button?
The HMIS implementation has shifted away from a previous HMIS system where everything was visible and shared to the current HMIS system, where only some data is sharable and the rest is locked down to each individual agency within a single CoC. This means how data is recorded, viewed, and reported within the system can vary greatly. As the CoCs have an increased need in HMIS for data sharing and reporting for Coordinated Entry, this presents a challenge. The Verify and Save Data button allows for the system to update providers, dates, and visibility to current reporting needs with one click, which reduces reporting issues for CoC-wide data.
How data is recorded in the system
The HMIS software does not automatically update data in the system over time as new providers use it, so the data is still stamped with the original provider, visibility, and date. When a client presents at a new provider for a new intake to a new project, if the client's responses to the data elements on the intake have not changed, the data is still "stamped" with the original provider and their visibility. So agencies or CoCs using client responses to data elements that were already present in the system never claim those responses for their entries.
Determining which providers stamped a data element
The color bar ("history bar") next to each data element will display the history of that question's responses. The history bar will disclose the date the response was last changed, which user entered the data, which Enter Data As project was used to record the change, and what the client's response at that time.
So why not use Verify and Save Data every time?
Re-stamping the data for every entry and update will bloat the amount of data A LOT, which can cause issues with the software and the tools used for reporting. Most of the time, the same answer can be used across multiple projects and be reported accurately. It is only when there are reporting or visibility issues discovered that the Data Center should be contacted for permission to re-stamp the data.
Do not use the button without approval from the Data Center!
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