I have a great tip for this FAQ - how do I get my tip on this page?

Call your field coordinator - or see our Staff page for their email addresses.

How do I send my data to FCDS now that diskettes are no longer accepted?

You must submit your data to FCDS over the Internet. Requirements:

My laptop computer, which has my web browser and Internet access program on it, works fine from home, but I can't "connect" at work, what's wrong?

The modem inside your computer "dials" your Internet Service Provider's (such as AOL) phone number, and connects you to the Internet. These modems are built to be compatible with your analog home phone lines. Office phones are usually digital to allow for multiple extensions and custom features. You usually can't use an analog modem on a digital phone line. One workaround is to plug the phone line from your laptop computer into the office fax machine phone jack. Fax machines usually use analog phone lines. You might have to change your dial-out connection to first dial a "9", then the Internet Service Provider phone number. Since there are as many ways to connect to the Internet as there are people, you should contact your facility's technical staff for more help.
Another method to connect to an unfamiliar phone system is often employed by overseas travelers. A small phone coupler is attached to the phone handset. This will convert your computer modem's output into sound that will travel through the handset, circumventing any analog-digital problems. Of course you would have to press an extension button to engage an open line first, before starting your Internet Access program dial-out.

Why can't I use the DOS FCDS Comprehensive Abstracting Software anymore?

That software has been phased out. It does not have fields for the new variables FCDS and NPCR requires. The new FCDS IDEA system does not "run" on your computer, but instead runs on the FCDS Web server. When a software bug is discovered or an update needs to be applied, it only has to be changed in one location on the FCDS web server.

We buy vendor abstracting software. Are we still going to be able to use it for FCDS data submissions?

Yes! As long as your vendor has updated the software to create NAACCR version 9 files with FCDS required data. Instead of sending a floppy disk of your data to us, simply login into the FCDS IDEA web site, and upload the file. The data is inserted into our database and a receipt of the transmitted records is displayed which you can save or print.

Why must we send 10 test cases to FCDS if we are already approved abstractors?

If you use vendor software to abstract your cases and upload the data to FCDS, we must test whether your vendor company has updated it's software at your facility. Therefore, abstractors must upload 10 test cases per facility# and send paper documentation to FCDS before a facility is "passed". Paper documentation means printouts from your vendor software - not handwritten abstract forms. After passing the upload test, the test cases will be deleted. Future uploads for that particular facility will then be processed and edit checked as usual. Please be aware that your vendor may have updated your screens, but not the program that makes a data file. For example, your screen may have a nine-digit accession number, but the data file we receive only has 7 digits. That's why we need the print outs from your computer.
NOTE: Sending documentation for 10 test cases is not required if you are using the FCDS Single Abstract Data Entry module, the web-based replacement for the DOS-based FCDS Comprehensive Abstracting Software.

What are your hours of operation?

FCDS IDEA can be accessed between 7:00AM and 11:00PM Monday-Friday, and 10:00AM Saturday until 11:00PM Monday.
From 11:00PM-7:00AM Monday night-Friday night (10:00AM Saturday), maintenance and backups are performed.

I don't have a printer connected to my network or computer, but I have one at home. How can I print the "Confirmation of Receipt" I get after uploading a file?

One method is to save the web page that is displayed to a file. You can either use the File->Save As menu choice and save it on a floppy disk or highlight the entire page or table, and Copy/Paste it into a word processing document. You can then take the saved file and print it on another computer that has a printer.

After I login into the FCDS Web system, every time I press my Internet browser's "Back" button, my browser reports back that the page has expired and wants me to press refresh. What is happening?

Depending on your Internet browser setup, the page you see on the screen may be expiring as soon as it's displayed. One option you can check for in Internet Explorer: Tools->Internet Options->Advanced->Security options, see if "Do not save encrypted pages to disk" is checked. If it's checked, that is why pressing the "Back" button does not work - your browser has to retrieve the page from the FCDS web computer instead of your computer's hard drive. This is the tradeoff of this particular security setting.

Do I need a FCDS username/login for each Facility I work for?

No, you just need one FCDS userid/password per person. You may use this userid for multiple facilities. Do not share it with administrators, temp workers, etc. All access to the FCDS Web server is logged by userid. The next time you log in, the screen will list all your previous login dates and times.

I want to print a listing of last week's data that I have entered in using the FCDS Single Abstract Entry, but I received an error when I ran the "Generate listing" menu. What happened?

Periodically, the single records you have entered into the database are batched and moved to the edit check program. You can print out only the data that has not been moved. If the "Generate listing" menu returns an error, all your records have been batched and moved for edit checking. In the future, choose the "Generate listing" menu choice after entering in a days worth of abstracts.

Several people in my facility are entering data using the FCDS Single Abstract Entry. When I choose the "Generate listing" menu choice, the report does not show data from everyone, just my own records. Why?

The "Generate listing" program will only print out data that was entered under your login. This was done for security reasons.

I logged into the FCDS Login page, then went to lunch for a couple of hours. Upon returning, I received a session time-out error message, why?

For added security, the FCDS IDEA system will time you out of the system due to inactivity after approximately 30 minutes and forces you to relogin. This is to lessen the chance of someone else accessing the FCDS IDEA page if you leave it open on your browser at the end of the day. You should select the logout menu choice as soon as you have completed an upload or finished entering in data.

I sent in my username/password request form. What is the meaning of this weird password that was sent to me?

It doesn't mean anything! To ensure that passwords are unique, random, and secure, we choose your password from generator program that breaks apart real words and mixes up the syllables. The result looks like a foreign dialect but has the advantage of being English-like enough to remember.

What are some keyboard tips when entering in data using the FCDS Single Abstract Entry module?

You may notice that pressing RETURN activates the SAVE button by default, running edit checks, and highlighting errors in red. Text fields are changed to upper case automatically when you TAB to the next field. Here are some other keyboard tips:

TAB	Move to next field
SHIFT-TAB	Move to previous field
ALT-DOWN ARROW	When in a list of items field such as sex/race, pops up entire list. You can ARROW down to the correct choice, then press TAB to go to the next field.
ANY NUMBER/LETTER	When in a list of items field, brings up first item starting with that number/letter. For example, pressing "U" while in the Birthplace field brings up UGANDA. Press "U" 3 more times, brings up UNITED STATES.
HOME	Shows the start of the data entry form. For HOME/END/PAGE UP/PAGE DOWN, you have to click with your mouse outside of a field (on the "white" portion of the form) for this to work. Otherwise, the HOME key will bring you to the start of the text field you are editing, for instance.
END	Shows the end of the data entry form.
PAGE UP	Moves the form up 1 screen.
PAGE DOWN	Moves the form down 1 screen.
ESC (Escape)	Undo changes to the form. Please be careful when you start typing in a new abstract. If you type in a new abstract and then press ESC before you press SAVE - the form undoes all the changes, and will "undo" you back to a blank form - clearing out all the data you have just entered for that new abstract.

When I click on the link to download the FCDS Web Login Request Form or any other link that points to a PDF file, I get garbage on the screen or an error saying unrecognized Adobe PDF file. What is happening?

The login request form and many files on the FCDS web site (Monthly Memos, Register) are saved as Adobe PDF formatted files. This format is one of the most popular methods of distributing documents on the web. The advantage is we can save a Microsoft Word document as an Adobe PDF file, and it will look the same on your screen as it does on ours - you don't need Microsoft Word on your system to view the file. The disadvantage is you need a web browser enhancement program, called a plug-in, to read PDF files. This plug-in is free and easy to install - here is a link to the plug-in on Adobe's website: Adobe Acrobat Install program. Download this install program to somewhere on your computer where you can find it, such as My Documents. Then, double-click on where you saved the downloaded file and run the Adobe Acrobat installation. After it has run, clicking on PDF link will automatically run the reader program, allowing you to view or print. Delete the install program since it's not needed anymore.

Do you have step-by-step pictures/instructions on how to upload a data file to FCDS?

Instead of placing the data file on a floppy disk and mailing it to us, you simply upload it over the Internet.

4 simple steps:

After I upload a data file, I print out the "Confirmation of Receipt". However, the printed report chops off some of the rows in the table so I can't see if FCDS received the abstract. How do I fix this?

The margins, headers, and footers on your printout have to be adjusted. On your Internet Explorer File menu, go to Page Setup. There, you will see the page margin settings, and any headers and footers (such as page title, date) that are added. The headers and footers are usually the cause of truncated pages - the browser is trying to print a page title in the same area as the report. You can experiment with deleting the headers and footers or increasing/decreasing the page margins. The newer web browsers such as Internet Explorer 5 have "Print Preview" where you can see the adjustments before you send the page to the printer.

Sometimes my internet connection drops in the middle of saving a single abstract when using the FCDS Single Abstract Entry program. I can press "Save" again to attempt the save procedure, but how can I tell if FCDS has the data without using the browser "Back" button and losing all the form data I just entered?

You can open up multiple browser windows. One could have the form data, waiting to be saved, the other could be at the FCDS menu where you can use the Generate Listing menu choice to see what data has actually been received by FCDS. If the listing does not show the facility/accession/seq you were entering, the database has not stored it. (Another case where you would not see any of your abstracts in the listing is when all of your current abstracts have been "batched" for processing by your field coordinator.) Switch to the other Internet Explorer window and press the "Save" button again to try to save the data. There are many ways to start another browser window. One is to simply select Internet Explorer from your Windows Start-Programs button. Sometimes, when your internet connection drops, you may have to sign back in again, which will clear the current abstract from the screen.

How can I keep track of what data I have entered into the FCDS Single Abstract Entry program?

After you have entered some records using the Single Abstract Entry program, use the Generate Listing menu choice to see a listing of accession numbers/medical record numbers that have been stored in our database pending batch creation. Simply click and drag your mouse over the table on the report that is generated to highlight the data. Select Edit->Copy from the browser menu, open Excel or your spreadsheet or word processing program, then select Edit->Paste to paste the data into the document. You can now add columns such as name/ssn and use this file to keep track of the data you have entered.

I use the FCDS Single Entry screen to enter individual abstracts. How do I find out what was the last accession number I used for each facility?

Notice on the IDEA main menu - after you login with your username and password - there is a scrolling list of messages. This shows your login/logout times, error messages, and the facility/accession/seq for each record you added. The message will look like: 111:Record has been added.(1234-200022222-00) which shows you entered an abstract for facility 1234, accession# 200022222, sequence# 00. The message list is sorted by date/time, with the latest ones on top. You can scroll through the list to see older messages.

How do I return to the FCDS IDEA Main Menu without pressing the browser "back" button a million times?

After you have finished entering records, you can return to the main menu by clicking on the large FCDS logo at the top of the screen.

After I uploaded a file, my browser window goes blank and does not give me a Confirmation of Receipt. How can I check to make sure FCDS has my records?

You can always call your field coordinator to see what records we have received or use the new Generate Listing for File uploads menu option. Do not keep re-uploading the same data file in an attempt to get a new receipt. Depending on your internet access speed, your internet browser settings, and the size of the upload file, your browser may "timeout" after sending the data. The program has been modified to avoid this as much as possible, but you can either call us, print out a new receipt from the IDEA main menu (available until the batch has been processed), or look at the updated scrolling log message that shows your login/logout times, and now shows more detail than simply "Upload completed".

What are some of the basic file checks that are run after a file has been uploaded but before a field coordinator has received it?

Uploaded files are rejected for a very few, but very important reasons. Most of these file checks were put in place to ensure that the vendors were updating their programs for the new FCDS/NAACCR Version 9 standards. Here are a few file checks: