PA IU's and School Districts

OIGCN Data Transmission Overview

Please read the following page for data formatting and files structure below.

Browser Information

Registration and Data Uploads have been tested successfully utilizing the following browsers and versions:

• Internet Explorer 8.x
• Firefox 4.x and 5.x
• Google Chrome 13.x

Data Files

Client will have the opportunity to upload one list for Employees and one list for Vendors, each month, designated by the OIGCN system as “Employees” and “Vendors”. Each uploaded file must be a COMMA SEPARATED VALUE (.CSV) file. We recommend that you create your files using Microsoft Excel, and then save the files using CSV format. Please remove any column headers in your final CSV file.

Data Content and Formatting

Client has the discretion as to what information to include on each list. Client should include as much information as possible for the designated fields.

The process used to validate individuals and entities requires specific fields to ensure that there is no confusion during the identification process. Listed below are the data formats, showing the order of the data fields and the maximum length of each field. These are the only fields that we require. Please do not include any other fields.

Employees list (contains educational facility employees)

LastName(200), FirstName(200), SSN(9), DOB(10), Address(200), City(200), State(2)

• LastName must contain ONLY full last name. No suffixes (Jr., IV, etc.) and no initials. Multi-word and hyphenated last names are acceptable if they are the legal names.
• FirstName must contain ONLY full first name. Two-part names (e.g., Mary Jane) are acceptable if they are the legal names. No middle names or middle initials.
• SSN must contain valid 9-digit Social Security Number (with or without dashes).
• DOB must be in MM/DD/YYYY format.

Vendor Entity list (contains vendor/contractor information)

BusinessName(200), LastName(200), FirstName(200), VendorEntity TIN/SSN(9 digits)

• Vendor business entity names should contain ALL correct punctuation, including correct spacing, commas, periods, hyphens, etc., since this is the methodology used by federal and state websites for logging vendor entity exclusions.
• Vendor contractor (individual) names should follow the formatting guidelines for the Employees list described above for LastName and FirstName fields.
• For vendor business names, please complete BusinessName and TIN fields (leave name fields blank).
• For vendor contractor (individual) names, please complete LastName, FirstName and SSN fields (leave BusinessName field blank).
• TIN/SSN must contain valid 9-digit number (with or without dashes).

**All names must include associated TIN or SSN information for screening of those names to occur. Blanks will be completed once vendors provide correct name and TIN/SSN information during the OIGCN registration process.

Upload Options

Website data uploads are conducted through our website at www.sanctionscreeningnow.com, which uses a 2048-bit SSL certificate using RSA encryption issued by a Certificate Authority. We offer two website upload options for submitting data files for screening: manual data grid (for Employee File only) and data file upload (for both Employee and Vendor files). While client has the discretion as to what information to include on each list, we recommend that client should include as much information as possible for the designated fields.

Manual Data Grid Option for Employee File

Client logs in to the password-protected client portal area and enters the following data into the grid fields on the OIGCN website: Last Name, First Name, Social Security Number (SSN), Date of Birth, Address, City, State.

*Note: SSN information must be included with the manual data grid option. If this information is not available, then you must use the Data File Upload option.

Data File Upload Option for Employee and Vendor Files

Client logs in to the password-protected client portal area and utilizes the UPLOAD FILE option (separate links for Employees and Vendors) to browse and locate the respective employee or vendor file for uploading. Please refer to the section on Data Content & Formatting for details. Once CSV files are created, client can use Notepad to view the files to ensure correct formatting prior to upload.

Employee File

• Employee data file should consist of a simple text file in Comma Separated Value (CSV) format.
• Data file should contain SEVEN (7) columns of information, containing as many of the following fields as possible, in this order: Last Name, First Name, SSN, Date of Birth, Address, City, State.

Vendor File

• Data file should consist of a simple text file in Comma Separated Value (CSV) format.
• Data file must contain the following fields, in this order: Business Name, Last Name, First Name, Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN)/Social Security Number (SSN)

Monthly Data Submissions

Client will upload all data files to OIGCN on a monthly basis, as follows:

• Client uploads the Comma Separated Value (CSV) data files to (or manually completes the data grid on) the OIGCN website once per month. We recommend that you select a consistent monthly schedule to facilitate tracking of your submissions.
• Client will submit new and complete data files each month, which contain all the names from the previous month, as well as any additions/deletions. We cannot accept lists of only additions and/or deletions. This is necessary to support auditor requests to demonstrate compliant monthly screening.