Filing Tips and Instructions (Updated 6-23-2011)

Form No. 549D Availability
On June 14, 2011, the Office of Management & Budget approved corrected versions of:

1. The fillable Form 549D
2. The XML XSD
3. Data Dictionary and Instructions

Please print out these documents and this web page for future reference.

New eFiling Deadline and When Filings will be Accepted
The deadline for filing the first 2011 quarterly report is September 9, 2011. The second quarter report deadline is September 30, 2011. The third and fourth quarter 2011 reports are due 60 days after the end of the respective quarters.

Continue to work on either the corrected fillable Form 549d PDF or XML XSD file. DO NOT EFILE THE FIRST QUARTERLY REPORT UNTIL AUGUST 15, 2011. Staff is still making changes to our systems to accommodate the corrected versions.

Converting the old data in the fillable Form 549D PDF to the new version of the PDF
Many filers have already begun working on their fillable Form 549D filing using the older version of the fillable PDF. If you have done this you will have two options. The easiest and the safest thing to do is to reenter the data in the corrected fillable Form 549D PDF file. The second option is a work around.

The workaround involves exactly following the steps below and specifically changing the XML file. We only recommend this if your IT Department can assist you. Here are the workaround steps:

Step 1
Open the old form in Adobe Acrobat Pro 9 and export the data to an XML File. To do this go to the Menu and select Forms>Manage Forms Data and click on Export Data.

Step 2
Open the above XML file in the Notepad, Wordpad or in any other XML editor and rename the xml element Row3 to Row3a in the section of the XML file. See below.

OLD

<Row3>
<CID_Resubmit_Expln />
<CID_ContactState>TX</CID_ContactState>
</Row3>




NEW

<Row3a>
<CID_Resubmit_Expln />
<CID_ContactState>TX</CID_ContactState>
</Row3a>

Step 3
Save the XML changes and import the corrected XML file into the blank new fillable Form 549D . To do this go to the Menu and select Forms > Manage Forms Data and click on Import Data. Then save the file.

Step 4
Please verify the new PDF and input the missing values before e-file it. If not, the e-filing system will show the validation errors during the e-filing process and the filers can correct it in the PDF.

Filing Options
Respondents may choose to file either the fillable Form No. 549D or the XML option for a given quarter. However they must choose one or the other and may not combine options within a quarter. Respondents do not have to notify the Commission of their selection and they can change their filing option in future quarters.

Option A- Fillable Form 549D
There are two steps when using the fillable Form 549D: a) completing and saving the fillable Form 549D PDF, and b) eFiling the saved fillable Form 549D PDF to the Commission. Paper filings and emails are not permitted. Note, if you used an older version of the fillable form 549D, see instructions above for converting the data to the newer version.

Step A

1. Users must have at least the current free version Adobe Acrobat Reader.
   


2. Download the current Fillable Form No. 549D PDF from the FERC website.


3. Carefully read the instructions to avoid costly and time consuming mistakes. For example, don’t manually sign the form. Just type the name of the Company Officer, which will serve as a digital signature for filing purposes.


4. Save the Form No. 549D to your computer to avoid losing data.

Step B

1. Log-in to efiling and eFile the Fillable Form No. 549D to the Commission
   Note: If you are a new user, use the New Account menu and create a FERC Online Account which will allow you to eFile the Fillable Form No. 549D to the Commission.



Page Name	Action	Item or Button Name
Log on to FERC Online	Enter your registered email address and password. You will designate your own password.
	Click on	Submit
FERC Online Home Page	Click on	eFiling
FERC eFile	Click on	Create Filing
Filing Type Selection **	Click on	Gas
What kind of Filing are you making **	Click on	Report/Form- No Docket Number
Filing Type **	Click on	Form No. 549D
File Upload	Click on	Browse
	Find the saved copy of the Form No. 549D on your PC directory and attach. If desired, enter additional text to describe your filing.
	Click on	Upload
Confirmation email	Click on You should receive a confirmation email that your eFiling is complete. Print a copy of it. If you don’t get a confirmation, contact FERC Online Support.	“Next” to finish submission process FERC Online Support at 1-866-208-3676 (Toll Free) 1-202-502-6652 (Local) or ferconlinesupport@ferc.gov
** Failure to check the appropriate filing type will result in a rejection of your filing and you will have to eFile again to be in compliance. It is very important that you select the proper filing type. Our system checks your Form No. 549D data for common errors and makes the data available for Staff analysis and download. Your filing will be available in the Commission’s eLibrary within 24 hours of eFiling. After the each quarterly deadline, the Commission will provide a webpage that will allow the public to download the entire Form No. 549D database for specific quarters in various formats.

Option B- Using XML data to file the Form No. 549D
Filing your data using XML may be more cost effective when you have many shippers and contracts in a given quarter. There are four steps when using XML data to file Form No. 549D data:

1. Compile your data in an XML format according to the XML Schema i.e. the XML XSD file provided by the Commission.
2. Review and validate your XML data prior to eFiling it with the Commission. See the instructions in Step A below on how to do this. You may need Adobe Acrobat Pro version 9 or a later version.
3. eFile only your validated fillable Form 549D to the Commission. Staff does not want nor need the validated XML file.
   

Step A

1. Compile your data in an XML format using Notepad, Wordpad, Excel or a variety of free open source and fee-based XML software using the XML XSD file which is now available from the Commission’s website.
2. Open the most recent version of the fillable Form No. 549D. Go to the Menu and select Forms>Manage Forms Data and click on Import Data.
3. Select your XML file. You will now be able to see your data in the form easily. Review your data for accuracy, make any corrections and save the file to another name such as validated-acme-pipeline-form549d.pdf.
4. Export your validated-acme-pipeline-form549d.pdf back into an XML file. Just go to the Menu and select Forms>Manage Forms Data and click on Export Data. Name it validated-acme-pipeline-form549d.xml.
5. Once you are satisfied with your filing, simply eFile only the validated PDF file to the Commission following the directions above under Step B. Do not eFile the validated XML file.
6. Make sure you select the correct filing types when eFiling so that your data can be parsed by our system and be placed into the Form 549D database. Failure to check the appropriate filing type will result in a rejection of your filing and you will have to eFile again to be in compliance.