|
This news update from the NIH Office of Research Information Systems (ORIS), provides the Department of Health
and Human Services (DHHS) and its partners with pertinent information about the plans and progress of the NIH
Electronic Research Administration (eRA). Through its eRA and information services, ORIS supports the Department's
research grants programs by using technology to reduce the costs of grants administration, to analyze and report on
grant data, and to synthesize grant information into knowledge for guiding the NIH research portfolio and improving
the Nation's health.
Secretary Thompson Receives eRA Briefing during NIH Visit
During his four-day visit to the NIH, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson attended an August 22 session of the Extramural Program Management Committee (EPMC) and then received an eRA briefing specifically highlighting the Electronic Council Book (ECB) and the Grant Folder from Dr. Wendy Baldwin, Dr. John McGowan, and Tim Twomey. Secretary Thompson actively engaged in asking questions about the system, its capabilities, and potential dates for completion of the system. He was impressed by eRA's progress in developing the IMPAC II and the Commons. He focused on the importance of the overall efficiencies introduced by use of the system, the potential gains in quality, and the opportunity for some cost reduction and streamlining benefits that these systems will provide. The briefing can be summed up in one word used by the Secretary: "Impressive."
Interim Oracle Bug Solutions Improve IMPAC II Performance
As reported in the August 17 issue, an Oracle "memory leak" bug adversely affected performance in the IMPAC II production system. Two interim solutions implemented by the database administration (DBA) team have mitigated the effects of the bug. The DBAs first devised a flushing mechanism that clears used SQL statements from the "shared pool" memory area when it has insufficient free space. The team then applied an Oracle patch that has been implemented in Version 8.1.7.2. Through careful monitoring of system performance and stability, the DBAs have validated the effectiveness of these solutions. After the end of the fiscal year, the Oracle database will be upgraded to Version 8.1.7.2, which will permanently resolve the memory bug and lesser problems. In preparation for the upgrade, an instance of the new Oracle version has been created in the test environment. In conjunction with system administrators and testers, the DBA team will use the next few months to assess the new version and plan for a smooth implementation.
IMPAC I Percentiling Function Retired
With the August 24 IMPAC II deployment of Peer Review (REV) Version 2.1.0.0, the IMPAC I percentiling functionality was retired. During training sessions on July 25 and August 14, 47 users representing 22 ICs received hands-on instruction in the new REV functionality. During training, IC percentile administrators and their alternates learned how to use REV module screens to define their IC's rules for percentile bases. The administrators now can determine what will be percentiled, not percentiled, or suppressed on the summary statement. Informal workshops for SRAs/GTAs were provided in late July and early August. On-site assistance after deployment will be provided as needed. As discussed in the July 11 issue, all percentiling scores now must be entered and released in IMPAC II for percentile calculation. The IMPAC I score collection system has been shut down. To release scores in IMPAC II: - Enter scores in the REV module.
- Click the Check Errors button to find any incorrect matches of codes and numerical scores.
- Print the matrix of scores for proof checking. New features also enable users to check percentiles before release.
- Click the Check Errors button, and then click the Release Scores button.
- During the release process, enter a percentile base for SEPs.
The information entered in IMPAC II is bridged to IMPAC I during the overnight update. After the bridge completes, perform the following steps in IMPAC I. Users should use the Edit Check button on the IMPAC II Sweep Codes/Release Meeting screen one day prior to executing these steps in IMPAC I. - Access the IMPAC I Module 71 (RG interface).
- Use the SCORE SHEETS command to load the work file with applications from the current review cycle by using a batch job.
- After the job ends, re-enter Module 71 and use the IMP2 command to populate the applications with the recommendations, priority scores, and HS/AS/G/M/C codes that were bridged from IMPAC II on the previous evening in batch mode.
- After the job ends, re-enter Module 71 and use the RELEASE command to generate tops on the draft summary statement file.
For detailed information see the Percentile Module User's Guide (8/27/2001) and What's Left to do in IMPAC I (8/27/2001).
IRDB Redesign Underway
The eRA Query and Reports Group Advocate Carol S. Martin has been working with OER staff and contractors to develop a plan for improving the effectiveness and performance of the IMPAC II Reporting Database (IRDB). eRA hopes to pilot several redesign features as well as an ad hoc query and reporting tool this coming fall. The IRDB is the IMPAC II decision support system, designed and tuned to facilitate query and reporting. By having the IRDB handle the query and report requests, the Online Transaction Processing (OLTP) database is free to efficiently handle the transactions created by IMPAC II applications such as the Grants Management module. In practice, the IRDB has been underutilized because of a number of problems. Correcting these deficiencies is at the top of the eRA priority list for 2001. The IRDB redesign has three main objectives. The first is to improve response time by reducing or eliminating table joins and by migrating existing PowerViews (PVs) to new Materialized Views (MVs). PVs combine data from multiple IMPAC II tables into pre-defined logical groupings (for example, PV_BUDGET to extract information pertaining to the budget). Unfortunately, summary queries are resource intensive. MVs will improve performance by pre-storing PowerView result sets in the database, eliminating the need for generating those result sets at runtime. Another objective is to create summary tables that hold aggregate data, eliminating the overhead of calculating that data "on-the-fly." The second goal of the IRDB redesign is to better provide users with the information they need. The IRDB currently does not contain all the business data captured in the OLTP. As part of the redesign, the IRDB will incorporate "missing data" requested by users. In addition, the team will create topic-centric and aggregate/summary tables. The supporting TechView documentation will be updated, and training will be provided. The third redesign objective is to make the information more useful by introducing On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) capabilities. Whereas transaction processing systems have the ability to collect and manage data, OLAP systems provide strategic information for decision-making and forecasting. Ms. Martin also is working with OER staff and contractors to evaluate the products of four leaders in the business intelligence field: Oracle, Cognos, Business Objects, and Hummingbird. After the evaluation team reduces the number of tools under consideration to one or two, they will invite NIH staff from all business areas to participate in evaluation testing. The team is on schedule to recommend a reporting tool and implement a pilot late this fall. Please see future issues of Inside eRA for the outcome of the tools evaluation and for information about IRDB redesign pilots. Questions about this initiative should be addressed to Carol S. Martin at martinc@mail.nih.gov.
Electronic Council Book Offers New Features
In August, the Council version of the Electronic Council Book (ECB) was extensively updated. The ECB is the online counterpart of the traditional NIH Council Book of Summary Statements. This version has a new look and provides the following enhanced capabilities for downloading and formatting data. - The ability to retrieve and print groups of summary statements using any of the methods below:
- Download one or more summary statements as a single PDF file that can be printed locally (if Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed on the computer).
- Download a group of summary statements as a Zip file from which individual summary statements can be viewed or printed.
- View individual summary statements in the browser without the distraction of embedded page headers in the text.
- The ability to customize hit lists for downloading summary statements. Users now can "tag" and "untag" items on that hit list. For detailed information, please refer to Instructions for Using the Electronic Council Book Hit Lists.
Information about ECB and the new version are provided in Instructions for Using the NIH Electronic Council Book and New Features Effective August 2001. This institute-specific document can be adapted for use by other institutes by modifying the IC name and contact information. For assistance using the ECB, please contact the IMPAC II Helpdesk at helpdesk@od.nih.gov or 301-402-7469. For questions about the Query View Reporting System (QVR), please contact Dr. Thor Fjellstedt at fjellst1@niehs.nih.gov.
Interagency Coordination Spurs Development of Federal Commons
In fiscal year 1999, federal agencies awarded over 170,000 federal grants at a cost of approximately $300 billion. Grants account for almost 20% of all federal expenditures and 82% of the NIH budget. To streamline and simplify the programs that support these grants, Congress enacted Public Law 106-107, the Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act of 1999. In response, grant-making federal agencies, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), are establishing a secure, one-stop gateway that supports electronic grants administration and provides access to grant opportunities. By streamlining and simplifying the application, administrative, and reporting procedures, federal agencies can improve customer service and reduce cycle times and costs. The electronic gateway is expected to be fully operational by 2003. Under the aegis of the Grants Management Committee, four workgroups were established to implement the streamlining and simplification provisions of PL 106-107. The Pre-Award Workgroup addresses issues related to funding opportunities, the grant application, terms and conditions, and suspension and debarment. The Post-Award Workgroup addresses issues related to financial and programmatic reporting, payments, and OMB cost principles; and the Audit Oversight Workgroup focuses on improving the audit oversight process. The fourth workgroup, Electronic Processing, is responsible for enabling electronic services to support the streamlining efforts of the other workgroups. The NIH is represented on all of these workgroups. The Electronic Processing Workgroup is integrated with the Inter-Agency Electronic Grant Committee (IAEGC), which was established to coordinate and oversee government-wide efforts and to develop standards. The IAEGC has initiated the Federal Commons site as a single point of entry for all e-grants business. The Federal Commons provides a common face to the grantee community. With a single logon, applicants and grantees who do business with one or more participating federal agencies will be able to use the Federal Commons to obtain information, submit applications, and provide progress updates. The Federal Commons will use streamlined forms, standardized data, and simplified language. Multiple data submission options and universal access across languages, disabilities, and technology levels will support the diverse recipient community. Coordinated efforts from numerous agencies are spurring the development of the Federal Commons. The NIH, which is the only entity with a trans-agency system, Interagency Edison (I-Edison), is leading the technical development of the Federal Commons. The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Administration for Children and Families (HHS/ACF) have initiated Web-based grant application pilots. In addition, NIH, NSF, the Office of Naval Research (DOD/ONR), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are participating in a pilot to centralize grant funding opportunities across the government.
ICs Helping to Meet IMPAC I Sunset Dates
As reported in the July 25 issue, the IMPAC I system will be retired in October 2002. To ensure that ICs begin the transition to IMPAC II in a timely manner, the eRA Steering Committee has provided all IC directors with the retirement schedule and a summary of the impact on IC management and staff. We appreciate the individual staff within the ICs who are working to meet the dates established in the memo. Questions regarding the retirement plans should be directed to Tim Twomey, Chief of eRA User Support, at 301-435-0690 or by email at twomeyt@od.nih.gov.
A Tribute to IMPAC I
As we prepare to retire IMPAC I in October 2002, it is fitting that the NIH pay tribute to the extramural information system that has served faithfully for more than 35 years. In many regards, the story of IMPAC I reflects the remarkable evolution of all computer technology during the same period. The improved functionality, usability, and performance of IMPAC II are built upon the solid foundation of its predecessor system. Even before IMPAC I, there was the Electronic Accounting Machine (EAM), an electro-mechanical device for producing reports using data provided by the ICs. The Information for Management, Planning, Analysis, and Coordination system was born in the late 1960s when the NIH identified a need to centrally track research applications from receipt through final grant closeout. Contractors from George Washington University programmed IMPAC in COBOL, Assembler, and RPG, storing the data in ISAM files. The IMPAC system then was turned over to the Division of Research Grants (DRG, now CSR) for maintenance and future development, and the hardware was converted from Honeywell to IBM. DRG's Data Capture Unit was responsible for keypunching, which was the primary tool for inputting data. In the early 1970s, IMPAC I was opened to the other ICs and data retrieval routines were developed (including IRS queries, RAID, and Snapshot). The Committee Management Information System (CMIS) and the Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects (CRISP) were implemented, and CRISP and contracts data were added to IMPAC. There were many changes to IMPAC I from the early 1980s through the early 1990s. VSAM replaced ISAM, and ANSI COBOL became the coding language. Users could log on to WYLBUR or TSO on the CIT mainframe and access systems such as DRGINFO, S-CRISP, and Snapshot. The Joint Funding File was created to accommodate awards funded by two or more institutes. The ICD Mini Files allowed users to access IMPAC information by IC and reduced online time. Developers built interactive systems such as the IRG Interface, Simplified System for Reports (SSR), and the Interactive Award System (IAS) to enable the ICs and IRGs to input review data, recommendations, and council actions and to process awards. DRG's Receipt and Review Unit began inputting application assignments into the system. During the same period, enhancements enabled IMPAC data to be reconciled with data from the ICs, DFM, and other DHHS agencies. IMPAC data also was automatically transferred to the central accounting system and financial status information database. Upgrades continued into the mid-1990s, and new interfaces permitted the external community to view DRG's committee rosters. Grantee organizations began submitting their financial status reports electronically. With system retirement one year away, the IMPAC I system will not be modified further; however, the database will be updated with IMPAC II data for the foreseeable future.
Important Notice -- IMPAC I CRISP System Retirement Planned
As you may know, the eRA Steering Committee and IC Directors have determined that several elements of the IMPAC I system will be retired over the next year. The retirement schedules are available online. The IMPAC I CRISP system is one of the elements that will be retired. Therefore, FY 2001 will be the last year that the IMPAC I CRISP system will be updated. The CRISP files will contain a complete set of data for FY 2001, but no FY 2002 data will be added to the system. Although history files still will be available, all IMPAC I CRISP functions will become obsolete for FY 2002 data and beyond. Training schedules are being developed to assist you in transitioning to the following IMPAC II modules: CRISP on the Web, CRISP Plus, and IC Querying and Reporting (IQR). For assistance, please contact the IMPAC II Helpdesk at helpdesk@od.nih.gov or 301-402-7469.
Protecting Person Data Integrity
As reported in the July 25 issue, one of eRA's major objectives is data quality improvement in IMPAC II. The eRA white paper, "Understanding Professional Profiles and Role Records," was the first in a series of Inside eRA articles covering technical aspects of the data quality issue. The "Common" Person Administration screens that can be called from each IMPAC II business area module are used to correct erroneous information, combine profiles, and reassign roles. Because users may inadvertently introduce data errors while performing these functions, users with record-editing privileges must assume responsibility for data accuracy and for using the system as intended. Profile vs. Role When a principal investigator (PI) submits a grant application for the first time to the NIH, the system creates a profile record for that PI. The system also creates a role record that relates to the specific grant application. As additional grant applications are received for the PI, new role records are created, and the "parent" profile record is updated with the PI's current information. For example, if Jane Smith applied for a grant in 2000 and then applied for a second grant in 2001 under her married name, Jane Jones, the system would include a point-in-time role record for each grant application. One role record would document Jane Smith's application, and a second role record would document Jane Jones's application. The profile record would be updated to reflect the PI's name change to Jane Jones. Common Person Administration Screens Of the following types of person profile information, only one is visible at any time on the Common Person Administration screens: - Basic information such as Person_Id, Last, First, and Middle Name, and SSN is available to all users, except for SSN, which is limited to users with the person_unrestricted_role.
- Sensitive information such as Birthdate, Birthplace, Gender, and Ethnicity has restricted access.
- Miscellaneous information such as Citizenship Country, Citizenship Status Code, and IMPAC II User ID is available to all user access roles.
On the Common Person Administration screens, the roles associated with a profile are displayed below it. The following role information is always visible; other information can be displayed by using a horizontal scroll bar. | Field | | Description | | Role | | A principal investigator, committee member, trainee, etc. | | Role Involvement | | A grant number, committee identifier, etc. | | Role Person Name | | The name of the person for that role involvement | | From | | The date on which the role involvement began | | To | | The date on which the role involvement ended | | Role Person ID | | The identifying number for the role person |
Correcting Errors The IMPAC II database currently contains duplicate profiles as well as role level records that are linked to the wrong profile. To determine whether these errors exist, the user can query two profile records and display the business roles. If a discrepancy is suspected, the user should thoroughly research and confirm the problem before applying a correction. The following examples illustrate these common errors and explain how to resolve them. | Problem 1: | | The profiles are for different people and the role records must be moved from one profile to another. | | Solution: | | As illustrated by the following sample screen, the user clicks the role record that is to be moved and then clicks the arrow for the profile to which the role record is being moved. 
|
| Problem 2: | | The two profiles are for the same person and must be consolidated (collapsed). | | Solution: | | After both profile records are displayed, the user selects the appropriate button to indicate that the profile is to be collapsed into the other profile. 
|
After properly investigating a mistake, users should correct the affected record, even if it is not within their business area. For assistance with resolving an improper collapse, a role incorrectly associated with a profile, or other errors, users should contact the IMPAC II Helpdesk at helpdesk@od.nih.gov. If necessary, the problem will be forwarded to the appropriate staff for resolution.
IMPAC II Releases as of August 24, 2001
New versions were deployed on August 24 for the following business areas. The complete IMPAC II Software Release Schedule for the next six months is now available on the IMPAC II web site. Please email questions about the schedule to the IMPAC II Helpdesk at helpdesk@od.nih.gov.
IMPAC II Training
The Human Resource Development Division (HRDD) has scheduled the following IMPAC II courses for the fourth quarter of FY 2001. | Course Title | Number | Date | Time | Location | Tuition | | Peer Review | 5825 | 9/19/01 | 9 am - 4 pm | Executive Plaza South | $180 | | Quick View | 5830 | 9/24/01 | 1 pm - 4 pm | Executive Plaza South | $110 |
Although the following courses also are offered, there are no scheduled sessions at this time or scheduled classes are full. For more information or to request a class, visit the HRDD website or contact Mr. Ajoy Gadhok at gadhoka@od.nih.gov or 301-402-3384. | Course Title | Number | Duration | Tuition | | Committee Management for CMOs and CMAs | 5834 | 1 day | $180 | | Committee Management for GTAs and Review Staff | 5833 | 1 day | $180 | | Committee Management for SREA Staff | 5835 | ½ day | $140 | | Grants Management | 5827 | 1 day | $180 | | Institute Center Operations | 5828 | ½ day | $138 | | Training Appointments | | ½ day | | | CRISP Plus | 5829 | 1 day | $110 | | Special Initiatives Tracking | | 1 day |
|
