02 user procedures expo processing
User Procedures for EXPO Processing
The Batch Job Processing documentation was developed to describe the varieties of micro and macro batch jobs executed by the EXPO/EARS system. Refer to the Batch Job Processing Introduction for information on the standard job naming convention and how to access the batch job processing screens. The DMA Processing documentation explains how to initially logon and navigate the system.
Processing EXPO Data
The processing of EXPO data occurs on a quarterly cycle. Most employer information originates from the State's Contribution File. This includes experience-rated and reimbursable1 single account and master multi data, which are usually collected by the State Contribution section and entered into the Contributions File. The responsibility of collecting multi sub-unit data usually belongs to the QCEW unit.
Note: A hyperlink is provided each time a new job is first mentioned. Verbatim job descriptions are included in bolded text, listed as they are named in the EXPO system. The provided links can be used to cross-reference detailed information about the job, listed in the Batch Job Processing documentation. Additional links in the Batch Job Processing document explain which programs are executed by the job, which files are manipulated, which reports are produced by running the job, and how to program the job's individual parameters.
The first step for the typical QCEW staff, in dealing with a new quarter, is the preparation of MWR (Multiple Worksite Report) forms for mailing to multi-establishment employers. However, most of this processing has been removed to the Centralized Printing of MWR Forms, using the 012P (Create File for MWR Print Contractor) job. Many firms now report by the web, too, so only need an initial reminder with the 012W (Print MWR-Web Solicitation Forms) job. Larger firms and Federal accounts are handled by the EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) Collection section in Chicago, and come in using the 024E (Micro File Update from EDI CENCO File) job.
MWR forms are generated by Job 012D (Print Multiple Worksite Report (MWR) Forms) for standard multiple worksite employers and Job 012F (Print Federal Single/Multi Worksite Forms) for Federal employers.2 An option exists in these jobs to include pre-solicitation3 multi's in the printing of the MWR form. For Service Center States, MWR forms can be printed on their Hewlett Packard PC printers if they are not processed by either the Centralized MWR production, the MWR-Web, or by the EDI.
1 Experience-rated accounts are those that are taxed quarterly at a rate determined by their history of employment; frequent layoffs will produce a higher tax rate; the tax rate is usually adjusted annually. Reimbursable employers pay U-I benefits back to the State as claims are filed by their former employees; when no claims are filed, they pay no U-I contributions.
2 This process was set up the offices in Iowa to meet HP printer specifications. However, some of the printers (including HP printers) no longer work with this set of processing. This is beyond our capabilities to correct.
3 Pre-solicitation (sometimes referred to merely as "Solicitation") refers to an early attempt to acquire worksite-level employment and wage data from an employer that is known to be operating in multiple locations. The worksites are not yet in active status, but can still receive any reported data from the employer during this time. Whether the worksites are activated depends on the employer's acceptance or refusal to supply the more detailed information.
For States that have the capability of printing MWR forms on their own State mainframe printer, Job 012E (Create Files to Print MWR Forms Off-Site) can be used to write the necessary files to disk. This is rarely used, however, as the processing from other methods are better automated.
Returned Multi-Worksite Reports are usually processed by the QCEW unit, either by direct on-line entry into EXPO or by delivering the reports to an outside data-entry shop. On-line entry is best handled through the ES2R CICS screen. This screen allows rapid entry of multi sub-unit employment and wages, creation of new sub-units, inactivation of existing sub-units and entry of comment codes.
ES2C should be used to fill in administrative information for new sub-units established in ES2R, since this screen can only build a skeleton record to receive employment and wage data. New sub-units can also be added or inactivated through the ES2C or ES2V screens. Although it has become very rare, some employers may submit Multi-Worksite Reports on magnetic media (tapes or diskettes). These magnetic media reports can be processed in the State with Job 024D (Micro File Update from Old MWR File), which performs a direct update to the Micro File.
One functional area of multi-family processing is web-based collection of MWR data. This alternate avenue of collecting multiple worksite data has spawned a subset of batch jobs for exchanging information between the State and BLS for selection, solicitation, and retrieval of MWR data. Job 037D (Process MWR-Web Confirmed Registry File) starts the process by receiving a BLS file listing U-I accounts that may be eligible for web-based collection, and preparing a collection of micro data for transmission back to BLS.
Once the final eligibility selections have been made at the National Office, Job 039D (Update Micro File with MWR-Web Collected Data) receives the BLS "Web Data File." This flags the records in the Micro File so they don't need to receive standard MWR forms.
Job 038D (Create MWR-Web Historical Data File) sends a historical file to the BLS for the families so the specialized web-collection solicitation can take place. Another portion of the process is Job 047D (Produce MWR-Web Master File), which prepares a list of multi-families that can be used by the analyst to identify those that are eligible for selection.
The first extract of employer data each quarter is normally accomplished with Job 001Q (Quarterly Extract (Shift Micro File Quarters)). This job shifts the quarters in the Micro File (so the future quarter becomes the current quarter), and processes current and prior quarter employment and wage data, which have been drawn from the State contribution files by the State's extract program.
The State extract program reformats the extracted data into the Input Micro Transaction (IMT) File format, which is the input file for 001Q. Job 001Q uses IMT data to update existing accounts on the Micro File, add new records, and terminate any accounts identified as inactive on the extracted IMT data. Job 001Q also updates the MOA File (see note below) and administrative data on the Micro File by comparing data, field by field, with the corresponding elements in the IMT record and changing those that are different.
Note: The MOA File was formerly named the Micro Other Address File. It now has a more generic name of Micro Omni-Auxiliary File, since it has been updated to include contact names, fax numbers, email addresses, and website URLs. The Micro Omni-Auxiliary File is simply referred to as the MOA File in most instances.
The Alpha Locator File and two macro-to-micro Crosswalk Files (County-based and Statewide) are also rebuilt by Job 001Q. The Delinquency File (a list of U-I numbers that have not yet reported) is optionally rebuilt. Estimates are performed on partially reported records and optionally for delinquent records. The delinquent estimation option includes proration of delinquent multi sub-units and allocation of taxable wages and contributions data for multi sub-units. Job 001Q also writes error codes to the Micro Edit File for records rejected in the micro edit and establishes the sequence of the Micro Edit File, which, in turn, determines the sort order of the hardcopy edit and the sequence of record advancing in the ES2E screen. "Housekeeping" operations also occur, including the purging of Transaction File records that are over six months old, and the elimination of narrative comments for quarters that no longer exist on the Micro File.
Some States prefer not to employ all of the above processing methods in their Micro File quarter shift. For them, Job 001R (Shift Micro File Quarters (No IMT, Edit, Estimate)) is available to shift the Micro File quarters, but not do any IMT, estimation, or editing processes. However, some of the auxiliary file processing is necessary to prevent excessive fragmentation of the data files. Hence, a defragmentation process is enacted for the rarely rebuilt files, keeping them in efficient organization. In addition, the purging of old Narrative Comment File records is still performed to remove superfluous narratives that are no longer useful. Because this job bypasses many of the 001Q processes, it runs significantly faster and more economically, without risking the bad effects to system file integrity.
Job 001D (Extract, Edit, and Estimate (No Quarter Shift)) is used for supplemental extractions of Contribution File employment, wages, and administrative data to update the Micro and MOA Files. Job 001D functions like 001Q, except it does not shift the quarters in the Micro File, nor perform auxiliary system file maintenance or data purging steps. Job 001D does not alter the sequence of the Micro Edit File, unless the sequence is modified in the Lookup File prior to running 001D. Partial estimates are performed and optionally delinquent estimates. Micro edits are run and the Micro Edit File, established in 001Q, is updated by 001D.
Some States require frequent late-reporter updates, on a weekly or even a daily basis. Such frequency will produce a relatively small volume of IMT records for any individual job run. Job 001S (Extract and Estimate (No Edits - IMT Process Only)) was designed for these small-scale updates. Rather than processing the entire Micro File, 001S processes only those Micro File records to be updated. Since the entire Micro File is not processed, edits are not performed and estimates for non-processed records are not performed. In addition, 001S does not rebuild the Delinquency File, Crosswalk Files, or Alpha Locator File. The job does, however, produce limited estimates for the accounts involved. As a result, the job runs much quicker than 001D. The tradeoff of faster execution versus loss of currency of these files and micro edits must be weighed before the use of 001S.
Job 001X (Extract IMT Data Only (No Estimation, Edit, Etc.)) is available as a shortcut processing method. This job performs only IMT updates without any estimates, edits, or auxiliary file rebuilding. Unlike Job 001S, the 001X job can use large IMT files. There are two primary reasons for States to use this job. First, when IMT data are brought in piecemeal (i.e., with two or three downloads or FTP transfers), these files can be processed individually without any estimation or editing. Second, when IMT data are brought in while integrated editing is in effect, late in the quarter, Job 001X avoids the standard edits that could interfere with the intended integrated edit process of Job 242D (Run Integrated Edits and Rebuild Crosswalks). Job 242D is described in further detail later.
The next step in the quarterly processing cycle is to review the estimation and edit reports produced by jobs 001Q, 001D, and estimation reports from 001S. The Estimation Report does not normally need to be reviewed in detail. It is designed as a reference report to determine how estimates were derived. In the review process, the analyst has the prerogative of overriding any machine-generated estimates with on-line hand estimates. In case there is a need to verify the employment and wages, the third ES2C screen shows a side-by-side display of Micro File and Wage Summary File employment and total wage information. This works to verify the Micro File's employment and/or wage data.
While the ES2C screen can be used for entering on-line changes, comment codes or narrative comments, the ES2E screen is specifically designed for resolving micro edit issues on-line. It is the more efficient tool for micro edit cleanup applications. ES2E reads the Micro Edit File generated by Job 001Q and updated by 001D, to identify and display records with edit exceptions. This screen allows entry of corrections, comment codes, and narrative comments. A function key advances the screen through successive erroneous records, in the order of the Micro Edit File established in Job 001Q. As records are changed in ES2E, micro edits are immediately re-performed to give the analyst feedback on the post-correction error status of the record.
When an account has passed through the micro edits, a quarter-specific edit flag is set in the micro record to prevent the edit exception from being reprinted in a subsequent edit report. Normally, ES2C on-line changes for the quarter in the micro record will reset the edit flag to "unedited" status, so the changed record will be processed through the edits the next time the edit program is executed. However, if only comment codes or narrative comments are entered, the edit flag is not reset, since no editable fields are changed. In addition, some of the edit exceptions are considered "crucial," meaning that a correction is mandatory. In such cases the edit flag remains as unedited, causing the record to be processed each time the edits are run until the condition has been resolved.
It is noteworthy that the ES2E screen's displayed accounts may differ from those appearing in the printed edit report. A previous edit exception that goes unchanged will not reappear on a subsequent hard copy edit, but will continue to display on the ES2E screen, because it remains on the Micro Edit File. The unprinted ones appear with a pink page number to identify them as not reprinted. On the other hand, record bypass and flagging options are available within the on-line edits, making some records in the micro edit seem to be invisible on ES2E.
The micro edits can be run on demand, without the processing of new IMT data. This would normally be done when ES2C on-line changes have been made, if they need to be edited. Job 028D (Perform Micro Edits) runs the edit program for current and prior quarter without IMT processing and without performing any estimates. All accounts with crucial errors, or those with on-line modifications (e.g., in ES2C), or those added since the last edit will be processed.
Job 002D (Micro Edit and Estimation (No New Data Extracted)) also runs the edit program for the current and prior quarter without IMT processing, but will also perform estimates for partially reported and optionally delinquent records.
Job 002F (Micro Edit and Estimation for Future Quarter) performs estimates and edits for the future and current quarters only. It does not set edit flags in the Micro File, nor does it update the Micro Edit File. It simply produces an edit report. Records edited with 002F will therefore be re-edited by 001Q when the future quarter is shifted into the current-quarter position.
In addition to the standard micro edits, multi-worksite accounts can be edited for "balance" with the master record and other multi-family edits. This can be accomplished with Job 003D (Multi Balance Report / Micro Edit Update). An exception listing is generated for multi families whose employment and/or wages are out of balance. In addition, the Micro Edit File is modified to note any out-of-balance families. These can be queried and updated in the ES2H (multi-display) screen. On-line automated prorations can be performed with ES2H, which allows more versatile proration processing than the batch estimation methods (such as an allowance for partial worksite reported data and the use of year-old data for highly seasonal employers).
A key factor in micro-based editing is determining when an employer has sold one or more of its establishments to another employer in a predecessor-successor transfer. Space is provided in the predecessor/successor actuals record to store a primary predecessor and primary successor SESA ID; the most recent of these will appear in the micro data display. One-to-one matches of predecessors and successors can be verified in a third editing job, namely the predecessor/successor edit run in Job 015D (Predecessor/Successor Edits Report). This job matches predecessor/successor account pairs, searching for gaps and overlaps in employment as well as disparity of code values (county, ownership, or NAICS codes) between the predecessor (former owner) and successor (new owner) of the business. Problem areas are flagged on an exception report. There is no on-line storage of these edit exceptions in the system; they must be handled through review of the report.
Predecessor/successor relationships are sometimes not readily known. One especially useful means of determining such pairings is with the Employment Transfer File, and optional file built from summarized wage records that cross over quarter boundaries to show employment counts for continuous or changed employment between U-I account numbers. Data for this file are collected by a State-specific program that produces an Employee Transfer Transaction (ETT) File. This is processed through Job 062D (Add a Quarter Pair to the Potential Pred/Succ File) to update the Predecessor Successor Potential (PSP) File, which lists U-I account number pairs that share employees between quarters, so could conceivably bear a predecessor-to-successor relationship. The data are viewed on-line with the ES2G screen, showing employment levels in descending sequence for inter-quarter employee changes. When the first listed potential predecessor or successor account number on the screen differs from the existing account number, it could signal a change of ownership. If one of these potential relationships is found to be a true predecessor or successor, the ES2G screen can be used to promote the pairing to the Predecessor Successor Actual (PSA) File; simultaneously, the relationship between the two accounts can be described in the Predecessor Successor Narrative (PSN) File. Although ES2E and ES2G seem to be closely tied together in function, the only kind of "hot key" linking the two is the ability to type the CICS transaction letter ("E" for ES2E, "G" for ES2G) to transfer to the other screen.
Each of the three mentioned edit jobs uses its own set of editing tolerances, which are set by the QCEW analyst in the Lookup File. When used together, the three micro edits represent a broad checks-and-balances process to aid in the procedure of reconciliation and correction of the micro data. In addition, an integrated edit process (Job 242D) is available to identify macro-level errors and previously flagged micro records with employment- and wage-related errors. It produces a report of macro cells with errors and associated4 micro records with employment and wage errors.
Job 018D (Gross Errors (A-B-C List) Report) produces a Gross Error Report, a listing of micro records that have been flagged with a major (level "A") micro edit exception by a previous run of 001Q, 001D, 002D, 028D, or 242D.
Job 008D (Scored Error Report (Focused Edit Scoring)) produces the "FESTER" (Focused Error Scoring Targeted Edit Report), a report of micro records with errors sorted by a score that measures the magnitude of employment and wage fluctuations. The 008D job is more precise than 018D in identifying significant errors. Job 008D can be run at any time, but should be run at least once prior to submittal of the EQUI deliverable to identify any serious errors that remain unresolved. Job 008S (Faster Scored Error Report (Focused Edit Scoring)) (sometimes called "Faster FESTER") is a streamlined version of 008D that uses the current Micro Edit File data for either the current or prior quarter.5
4 The "association" of micro to macro data is based upon their coding assignments (i.e., belonging to the same county, ownership, and NAICS code). It is not based on whether the micro record experienced the same type of employment or wage change as the macro cell. One micro record may experience an employment drop while the macro cell is flagged for an increase.
5 The problem with both the 018D and the 008S jobs is that they rely heavily upon the content of the Micro Edit File. It will not recognize the existence of newly added edits with the 001X batch job, for instance; neither will it recognize on-line corrections with such screens as ES2C. Therefore, each may flag a "significant" change in employment from 192 to 191, whereas the original values had been 192 to 1, but were corrected, for instance on the ES2C screen. Job 008D, however, conducts its own, current edits so that all micro-level edits will be up-to-date in this report.
For purpose of delinquency control for multi's, Job 004D (Delinquent Multi Employer Report) can be run to produce a report of delinquent multi-worksite families. This job is optional and no longer serves much purpose; delinquent multi's used to be an indicator for a follow-up mailing of MWR forms, but this is no longer the case. In fact nearly two-thirds of States have either submitted this under 3 times (in the past 11 years) or have taken more than five years to submit it.
Several jobs exist to produce general informational reports on micro data. Job 014D (Multi Master / Worksites Report) produces a listing of multi families with selected administrative, employment and wage data. Job 023D (Micro File Status Report) produces a matrix-style report with counts of Micro File records in specified categories such as type-of-coverage, MEEI, liability, and end-of-liability quarter, tax rate, etc. The job can also print a listing of micro records composing one of the matrix cells.
Job 019D (Size of Firm Report – No Data Sharing) generates a Size-of-Firm Report, summarizing the number of firms or establishments that fall into the various BLS-defined size classes, along with employment and wage data. The report can be run on a statewide or county basis for any quarter on the Micro File.
For a more standardized approach, the "Flash" report (a BLS term, but the origin is unclear) can be produced with Job 029D (Produce Micro Flash Report). This report is not quarter specific, so it can be run at any time to produce the multi-page report, giving a complete record count of the file.
It may be desirable, at some point during the micro data processing cycle or after the data are finalized, to print a quarterly firm list report arranged in NAICS or county sequence. Job 007D (Firm Listing and Summary Report – No Data Sharing) produces either of these firm listings. A now-obsolete option allows for SIC-based processing to be included instead of NAICS codes. Options also exist in this job to produce summary reports that show quarterly employment and wages, summarized by 6-, 5-, 4-digit, sub-sector (3-digit), and sector (2-digit) NAICS groupings, as well as NAICS-based "super-sectors" at both statewide and county levels. These summary reports can employ marking or masking of non-disclosable data, in either the 3/80 method or the newer p% and w% disclosure method.
Another firm-listing style of report is available in Job 025D (13-Month Firm List). This report provides establishment-level employment data for a 13-consecutive-month period of time. It notes code and status changes during the reference period and indicates what category a record came from or went to in the case of code changes. The report is useful in the CES benchmark process. It is industry-based and can be run at a statewide, county, or MSA level.
After the micro-level edits have been completed, a macro/micro integrated edit can be run with Job 242D, which not only performs the integrated edit, but also updates selected quarters on the county-based Macro File and rebuilds the Statewide Macro File. It is often preferable to run the integrated edits only after first cleaning up the standard micro edits from Jobs 001Q and 001D. The fewer micro-level errors that remain, the fewer are the macro-level exceptions that will be flagged, making the macro clean-up process easier. However, if desired, the integrated edit can be run without first cleaning up the micro edits. The macro portion of the integrated edits identifies county-ownership-NAICS macro cells with error conditions. The integration of the edits involves locating micro records within the macro cell that also have employment/wage-related edit exceptions, using the Micro Edit File. An exception report is generated showing the macro cell in question, followed by the associated micro records with employment or wage error conditions. Micro edit exceptions not affiliated with a macro exception appear in the leading (micro-only) portion of the edit report, while the integrated (macro and micro) edits appear at the end of the 242D edit report. Note that the report may be further sub-divided if QMSA (Quasi-Metro Statistical Areas) are employed to segregate the data into these physical regions (by grouping the counties together). In this case, unaffiliated counties (without a QMSA assignment) appear first, followed by each QMSA code, appearing in the report header.
The ES2D screen has been designed as an on-line integrated edit cleanup tool. The F9 key shifts the screen into editing mode, established to resolve macro edit issues on-line. In this mode, the screen searches the Macro Edit File to find flagged macro cells identified by Job 242D. The screen stops at the first county-owner-NAICS macro cell with an error for the selected quarter (current or prior) and displays the macro data along with associated micro records with employment and wage type errors. In ES2D, only macro cells and micro records with edit exceptions will display in the editing mode. The user can review the displayed micro records and either enter comment codes, or make corrections to the employment and/or wage data. Narrative comments can be made by transferring back to ES2C for a selected record. Corrections to any of the displayed micro records can be made directly from the ES2D screen.
As corrections are made to micro records from the ES2D screen, the corresponding adjustments are automatically made to the macro-level employment and wages, so the user can immediately see the impact of the micro-level changes. The macro edits are also immediately performed and macro edit feedback is provided. If macro errors are resolved, the record is removed from the Macro Edit File. Error codes previously displayed in the message line (in the lower-left corner of the screen) are removed from the display as they are removed from the Macro Edit File. Any remaining or new errors are identified with error codes in the message line. It is noteworthy that in the ES2D cleanup process, the Statewide Macro File becomes out of balance with the County Macro File because only the county-based data are updated. In the same manner, if micro changes are made in ES2C, neither the Statewide nor County Macro File is updated.
Jobs 241D (Macro Quarters Rebuild / Crosswalks Rebuild) and 242D (the integrated edit job) update both Macro Files with the latest data from the Micro File. It is also possible to rebuild the macro-to-micro Crosswalk Files by running the 051D (Build the Crosswalk Files) job. This is the most cost-efficient way to get the data, since this job doesn't do any of the other auxiliary processes of the 241D or the more costly 242D.
On-line micro changes (whether in ES2D, ES2C, or any other screen) create micro transaction records (before-and-after images of the portions of the record that changed). These transaction records are written to the Administrative, MOA, and Quarterly Transaction Files and can be viewed on-line with the ES2P screen or in a hard-copy audit trail report generated by Job 016D (Audit Trail Report). Job 005D (Transaction File Purging of Old Data) can be used to selectively purge the Transaction File records, removing all transactions older than a specified date. This is generally not necessary though, since Job 001Q automatically purges transactions that are over six months old.
The ES2F screen can be used to view records by various categories. It produces an on-line firm listing that isolates micro records in a selected MSA, county, ownership, industry, NAICS sector, or employment size. It uses both the Statewide and County Crosswalk Files to identify and display selected records. This screen can be used as a supplemental tool in the editing process. Toggling between ES2D and ES2F (with the F12 key) provides any desired macro-micro association. The nice thing about ES2F is that it can show the micro records that comprise any macro aggregate; only a single cell (e.g., a county, ownership, and 6-digit NAICS code) can be displayed for macro and micro level on the ES2D screen.
In order to explain legitimate integrated edit and/or micro edit fluctuations, micro comment codes should be entered into the Micro File. This can be done in the ES2C, ES2D, or ES2E screen. In the ES2D screen, the F10 key displays the micro comment code field instead of prior quarter employment and allows entry of up to three micro comment codes. Narrative comments must be made on the ES2C or ES2E screen, or alternatively ES2Y. The ES2Y screen accommodates mass entry of narrative comments. A micro comment code/narrative comment report can be produced by Job 022D (Micro Narrative and Comment Codes Report). This report can be useful in reviewing the integrated edit. By listing the micro records belonging to the macro cell that have already been researched and for which comments have already been made, a better determination of the macro edit condition may be made. Please note that it is not possible to assign comment codes at the macro level, nor would these be saved, since only micro-level data are included in the EQUI submittal.
After the integrated edit review is complete and the analyst is satisfied that all edit issues have been resolved, the quarterly deliverable should be sent to BLS. This is done with Job 011D (EQUI Deliverable Production) which produces the standard BLS deliverable – the EQUI (Enhanced Quarterly Unemployment Insurance) File. The same job is used both for the initial submittal of the EQUI report and for preparing an update file. However, the update run is only supposed to be used by early-submittal States; all others should use the Subset run on Job 021F (EQUI> Subset Output for BLS using 'SUBS' Group), which collects all of the subset entries (entered with an F17 (or Shift+F5) key combination on the selected account and quarter, or the values can be manually entered in the ES2Z screen).
For Service Center States, the EQUI File is catalogued where it is prepared, at the DMA Office; BLS is able to read the file directly from there on the same day. Non-Service Center States (e.g., Oregon and California) will use an FTP process or use the EUS-Web utility to create the file at BLS. A transmittal form (which can be faxed or FTP'd by the State) notifies BLS of the availability of the deliverable. The BLS National Office processes the EQUI records, incorporating the data into their Universal Data Base (UDB) as well as the Employer Data Base (EDB) File, any changes go to their Longitudinal Data Base (LDB). They conduct their own edits on the data, supplying a confirmation report back to the appropriate BLS Regional Office. This Regional Office will, in turn, notify the State of the quality of the deliverable.
The macro-level "snapshot" can be produced with Job 246F (Macro Rollup for CES/QCEW Analysis). However, this job is embedded in the EQUI production of Job 011D, so it is not necessary to submit this job separately. Eight quarters of data are used for aggregate comparison to CES data to determine any divergence of trends between the two sets of data (which are also stored at BLS).
In other EQUI matters, if the BLS clarification process reveals an error in the EQUI, corrections to the micro data become necessary. As update/subset corrections are made to micro records in ES2C, Job 241D should be submitted to update the Macro File. If micro corrections are made in ES2D, corresponding macro updates are simultaneously made. As mentioned, complete EQUI data for all changes can be prepared for BLS by submitting Job 011D with the update option. However, this option is only available for the early-submittal States. All others should follow through with subset entries, and then submit the 021F job.
Occasionally a State will run 011D for an update EQUI deliverable and then decide not to submit the file to BLS. Perhaps additional changes are required. Then, a day or so later, the State decides to run 011D to produce the correct EQUI that will actually be submitted to BLS. If 011D compares against the most recent micro backup, it would base changes on the backup created a day earlier and would miss the prior corrections. Job 011S (EQUI – Special Correction Using Prior Backup) has been created for this special situation and compares changes against the prior generation backup Micro File.
Job 021D (Single-Quarter EQUI File (724-Byte Format) – No Data Sharing) can be used to prepare a single-quarter EQUI for the CES program or other applications that require data in the EQUI format. It can be run for any quarter on the Micro File. Job 021C (Single-Quarter EQUI File – For Data Sharing (CIPSEA-Compliant)) has been established to handle CIPSEA-compliant micro data extracts in a 1060-byte EQUI format (which includes the data in the old-standard 724-byte EQUI record, plus geocode-related data fields). The 021C job replaces employment values estimated from ACES employment with its own estimate to ensure that data distributed to other agencies are filtered to remove external ties.
CIPSEA (Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act) is a Federal program that affects EXPO primarily in its use of ACES data.
Another alternative 021 job is Job 021S (Single-Quarter EQUI (1166-Byte Format) without Data Sharing). This job acts like 021D, but it produces the 1166-byte EQUI record instead of the old 724-byte format. Currently, the 021S job is used for those States that need State-specific processing of micro data using the longer EQUI record format for the source data.
Another alternate for 021 is Job 021O (Single-Quarter EQUI (1060-Byte Format) for OES Use), which prepares the EQUI for the OES (Occupational Employment Statistics) unit. It differs from the regular EQUI by having a 1060-byte-long record, and by being intended for the OES people; otherwise, it is essentially the same as the 021S job.
Following the finalization of the quarterly data, several options exist within the system to generate local labor market information reports. Job 007D can be submitted to produce quarterly firm listings or summary reports from the Micro File. Job 245A (Annual Summary Reports – No Data Sharing) will produce annual summary reports from the Macro File. The annual reports can be for any consecutive four quarters present on the Macro File. Both the quarterly summary and annual summary reports can be produced on a statewide or county basis and include summations of data at various NAICS aggregation levels. These NAICS totals may be at the sector (2-digit) and sub-sector (3-digit) level, in addition to 4-, 5-, and/or 6-digit level, and NAICS "super-sector" (roughly akin to the SIC major industry) level. Of course, the report will carry grand total values as well.
In addition to these standard firm list and summary reports, customized reports can be generated. Selection parameters to define the content for these customized reports are entered from the ES2N screen. Job 020D (Customized Micro Report – No Data Sharing) can produce firm listings, name and address listings, a file output, a delimited file (that can be FTP'd), a labels report, or a group output for the selected firms from the Micro File. Job 246D (Customized Macro Rollup Reports – No Data Sharing) produces either a quarterly summary report with annual totals, or a matrix-style report (county-by-super-sector) for selected industries and counties. For both 020D and 246D, the output can be directed to the printer or to a file that can be FTP'd to a PC.
Job 040D (Micro Selection Report – Not for Data Sharing) is similar to 020D as a micro selection tool, but it operates more like a structured query language interface. It allows any micro fields to be selected (in combination or individually) based on the field's location in the record and the field length. It can also select a range of values, an offset (either by a whole number or percentage), and compare the values of two fields. The table of field locations is found in the system documentation, which is comprehensive, but it is not necessarily an easy access method. Job 040D also has a delimited option, as well as a group output option, which can select all of the accounts for further processing elsewhere.
Job 244D (NAICS-Based Publication Report – No Data Sharing) produces nearly-camera-ready publication tables. Table structures must first be created in the ES2U screen. Once the table structures are in place, 244D is run to merge the requested data with the table in a format that can be published. A full-scale publication table of all industry codes for a specific level (e.g., all 4-digit NAICS values) can also be created through Job 248D (NAICS-Based Full-Scale Publication Parameters Setup). Although this sets the parameters and can encompass thousands of detail lines, the publication itself must still be generated by running Job 244D, once the parameters have been created by the 248D job. Afterward, you should employ ES2U to add headers, footers, white space, and other adjustments and customizations.
Sometimes there are highly specialized reporting needs that cannot be met by any of these jobs. Fields such as the set-up date, the collection mode indicator, the place class code, and the latitude are all available to the 040D job. However, many of these fields are not available in the standardized output format. This job produces a micro selection report like that of Job 020D, but collects the data in a specialized query format, using the field names (which can provide the field lengths). This provides the most flexibility for finding fields in the micro data.
In 2004, CIPSEA generated quite a stir in the QCEW system. The commotion did not involve the fact that that efficiency would actually be a Federal goal, but in the "protection" portion of the legislation. One of the offshoots of CIPSEA is that data collected by another group (such as ACES), under a confidentiality agreement, carries an added security restriction in QCEW. The same restriction, however, apparently doesn't affect other programs, like BEA, which can still freely share data with QCEW. Since there is no longer a direct link between QCEW and ACES, this has become more of a moot point. The principle is that, when the external data (e.g., CES employment values) are copied into the Micro File (or other system files), it could not be revealed outside the QCEW unit itself. Despite the odd sound of this (since the same employer had agreed to provide this same information to QCEW), the law regarding the use of shared data is strict and real. Some States have gotten around this by making a minor change to the ACES employment and identifying it as a hand-estimate instead.
The one avenue available for appeasing the CIPSEA protection clause is to "fuzz" the data (meaning to alter the external data enough that the exact original values cannot be deduced) before distribution outside QCEW. A standardized "fuzzing" algorithm (with secret source code) has been developed to export ACES-inclusive data. This algorithm is used in both micro (jobs 007C, 020C, and 021C) and macro (jobs 244C, 246C, and 247C) processing. There originally had been other "C" jobs present on the macro side for California macro processing without non-covered data; these have been renamed to "N" jobs (the non-covered equivalent of the "D" jobs – namely 244N, 246N and 247N). There are also "X" jobs (the non-covered version of the "C" jobs – 244X, 246X, and 247X), but these still apply solely to California and Utah. Several States have rejected this algorithm categorically, however, since it can provide wide variations in fuzzing of data (e.g., a 1000-employee employment could end up with close to 2000 in the fuzzed version).
One of the more time-consuming QCEW maintenance issues involves transferring some or all of the sub-units of a multi-worksite account to another multi as a result of an ownership change. Screen ES2X has been designed to automate much of this process. This screen allows all or selected sub-units to be transferred on-line from the old employer to the new. Sub-units to be transferred can be terminated under their old account number and new sub-units can be established under a new U-I number with the same administrative data as the old units. A maximum of 20 sub-units can be transferred at one time. If more than 20 units have been sold, the ES2X process can be repeated to complete the transfer of all affected sub-units. ES2X can also be used to terminate a family of worksites without transferring them to another account by entering all nines in the receiving master account number.
There may also be a need to add sub-units or make global changes to sub-units within a multi-establishment account. The ES2V screen was designed as a shortcut tool for accomplishing these tasks. It uses a pattern record of either the master account or an existing sub-unit to provide administrative data for the establishment of new sub-units on the Micro File. It also has a "change" mode, allowing the values of fields in existing worksites to be changed according to what is entered for the pattern account. This eliminates the need to hand-enter this information for each sub-unit.
Selected fields of the pattern record can be modified before adding new sub-units. For global changes to existing sub-units in a multi-establishment account, a pattern record is called to the screen, changes are made to the pattern and these changes are than applied to designated existing sub-units. Essentially this screen eliminates the need to add or change sub-unit records individually in the ES2C screen. There is also the ESV2 screen, which acts more like ES2X; it can be accessed from ES2V using the F12 key.
Since EARS is an integral part of EXPO, a few features are available to link EXPO and EARS applications. For instance, the F4 key toggles from the ES2C screen to and from the primary Refiling File maintenance screen EARC. The EARW screen displays both selected Refiling File data and Micro File data on the same screen. On the batch side, there are two EXPO jobs that interface with the EARS system. Job 017D (Code Change Report – Micro vs. Refiling File) is used toward the end of the refiling process to search for records with code changes made on the Micro File but not included in the Refiling File. Such records are identified on a report for use in adding the record(s) to the Refiling File (i.e., with a response code of '50' to denote the source is external to EARS). At the end of the refiling process, Job 013D (Transfer EARS Changes to Micro File) is submitted to apply EARS code changes and new physical addresses to the Micro File.
Many of the batch jobs are designed to use parameters that determine, for instance, a quarter and year to process and the various options to run within the programs. Batch job parameters are stored in the Lookup File, but are entered by the user in screen ES2N. The initial screen of ES2N lists all of the batch jobs that require parameters. By typing the beginning of the job's ID (e.g., 13 for ES2J013D), and then pressing the Enter key, the particular job can be selected from the list. Note that a specification is required that will make the Job ID unique, so that 01 can be distinguished from the 001D or the 001Q parameters. The parameter entry screen for the specified job will appear. Once the parameters of a job have been entered, the job can be submitted without a change in the Job Control Language (JCL). For non-Service Center States, there is one exception to the no-JCL-change rule, since a few jobs (such as the 011D job) need to identify the processed year/quarter in an output file name.
Within EXPO, CICS access functions are regulated by an internal security system that is maintained in the ES2M screen. Security access information can be updated within this screen by persons possessing the appropriate level of authorization. This screen determines if a user has inquiry-only or update capability and whether access is permitted to more specialized screens, including ES2I (Micro File Lock), ES2L (Lookup File Maintenance), and ES2N (Job Parameter Specifications). This security system controls the use of EXPO screens and selective update authorization for persons who have already been granted access to the EXPO system itself by the State or Federal CICS security system, such as RACF (Resource Access Control Facility).
Groups of U-I account numbers can be established in the ES2Z screen for special applications in several EXPO jobs. A four-character group identification code distinguishes one group from another. An existing group can be updated by adding new account numbers or deleting existing account numbers. New groups can be added and entire groups can be deleted. Once in place, these account number groups can be accessed by batch jobs 012D and 012F to print MWR forms for only those accounts in the group, and 020D to print a customized micro report for only those accounts in the group.
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