ePACT.net Version 6.0 contains a number of new facilities. These release notes describe the facilities and how to use them.

Users should note that retrieving information for more periods will take longer to process.

Data Export/Archive

Many users have expressed a desire for an increased ability to download and keep information in a format that can be used later in other software packages. The Snapshot facility and the Datasheet View in Graphing already provide some ability to copy and paste information into other applications.

Version 6.0 includes an 'Export Data' option in the Report Template Screen.

If you select this option, then a file for download will be created at the same time as the data for the report is obtained. A new browser (Internet Explorer) window will start up when your report results are displayed. Depending on the settings previously selected on your PC, you will have a number of options:

• You may be presented with a choice to download and save the file or to open it directly;
  
  
• Your browser may automatically link the file to Microsoft Excel and open a window with the downloaded data in a spreadsheet - you can save it and use it in the same way as any other information imported into Excel.
  

The export option will create a file in Comma Separated Value format, which can be imported into many other applications. The following example shows a CSV file loaded into a table in Microsoft Word:

Each file will contain only the field names and the data. There will be no totals and no description of the Data Selections or processing date - we recommend that you include fields that adequately describe the information - i.e. include Period, BNF Description and Prescriber Organisation Name.

The amount of data you can export is limited by the existing restrictions on reports in ePACT.net. There may be limits to the amount of data that other applications can import (versions of Excel prior to Office 97 for instance can truncate after about 65000 rows without warning).

Please note that once data is exported in this way the PPA can no longer guarantee the integrity of the data

Health Authority Information

With the release of Version 6.0, Health Authorities are able to use ePACT.net to view all their PCG/Ts and Practices at the same time. They are able to use the same user ID and password in order to access all of the PPA's Information Systems.

The Organisation Data Selector shows the Health Authority broken down into PCG/Ts and their constituent practices. In addition two notional sub-organisations are shown containing:

• All the Community Nurse Prescribing Contracts
  
  
• Other practices: this includes practices that have not always been part of a PCG/T during the last 36 months (e.g. Deputising Services and practices in existence prior to the formation of PCGs).

The Health Authority service provides largely the same capabilities as the existing PCG/T service.

To enable Trend Analysis of PCG/T level information a number of Current Structure Tags will be created each month. If you are familiar with the PCG/T service you have probably used the Historic/Financial Switch to produce Trend Analysis Reports or Graphs.

These Current Structure Tags will give you totals for the PCG/Ts over the reporting period based on the practices in the organisation in the latest processing month. They use the Practice level to total the PCG/T level and will therefore be slower than selecting the PCG/Ts in the normal Data Selector Organisation Structure. The normal Organisation Structure will report the PCG/T organisation level as at the period requested.

To load and use all of these Current Structure Tags at the same time select the 'Component' menu and then 'Current Structure' from that menu.

Tags

Version 6.0 of ePACT.net contains a number of new features related to tags.

Number of Tags and Elements
Users can save up to 150 tags for Periods, Organisations and the BNF. Each Tag can contain up to 600 elements.

Current Structure Tags for Health Authority Users
For Health Authority Users a number of Current Tags will appear automatically in the Organisation Tag List each month, as described above. These represent the composition of the PCG/Ts within the HA at the current prescription processing period and enable Trend reporting on PCG/Ts.

Different Types of BNF Tag
Users are now able to create BNF tags for use by other users (see below). The system now distinguishes between three types of BNF tag.

The type of the tag is displayed in the list of tags in the BNF data selector:

In future the system may include further types of tag.

Sharing BNF Tags with Other Users
Users are able to share BNF Tags with other users:

• A tag can be saved into a public area for selection by other users.
  
  
• A tag can be selected from the public area for use in reports or graphs in the current user session.
  
  
• A private copy of tag in the public area can be made for use in the current and subsequent user sessions.
  
  
• Tags in the public area will be given an expiry date. They will be deleted automatically when new prescribing data is loaded for the month following the expiry date.

Creating a Shared Tag
First select the elements you want in your tag - these could be an existing tag or a number of selections but can only be in the BNF/NPF dimension. Then start to save your Tag as normal by pressing the Tag button. A 'Share This' button will appear on the Save Dialog:

Check the details and enter the name of your Tag as usual but press the 'Share This' button instead of 'Save'. This starts the Sharing Dialog, with the name of the tag, your organisation and the Tag type entered in the top box. The list of BNF items in the Tag is shown in the Item Contents list. Before saving the Shared Tag you must enter a description. Shared Tags are available to all users, therefore it is important to describe what the tag is for.

Creation and expiry dates will be displayed when users view the Tag.

You will notice a new 'Tag Sharing' button on the ePACT.net toolbar.

Pressing this button will display a dialog allowing you to view, use and copy BNF tags created by other users.

This screen has a number of components:

• A list, at the top of the screen, showing all Shared Tags. This shows the Name, Creator Organisation and Type of tag. You can sort on each of these by pressing the button at the top of each column.
  
  
• A list, in the lower left portion of the screen, showing the BNF items included in the selected Tag
  
  
• A description, in the lower right portion of the screen, of the selected tag, supplied by the creator of the tag. The description will also automatically show the date the tag was created and the date it will expire.
  
  
• A set of buttons that allow users to use or save tags.

You can select a tag by double clicking or highlighting it and pressing Enter. This will cause the items and description to be displayed. It will also enable the appropriate buttons. In the example shown 'Use Now' and 'Save' can be pressed.

By pressing 'Use Now' the Tag Merge Box will appear and you can add or show the Tag in your data selector.

This particular Tag will only be available for use by you for the duration of your current session. Next time you login the tag will not appear in your list of tags and will not contribute to the limit of tags you can save.

By pressing 'Save' you make a permanent private copy of the Tag that only you can access. This will be added to your private list of tags; it will appear next time you log in and will contribute to the limit on the number of Tags you can save.

Notice the newly saved tag: for the duration of the session it is imported in it appears as a User Defined Shared Tag. On subsequent sessions it will appear as any other User Defined Private Tag.

Patient Denominators

Patient denominators (PUs, ASTRO-PUs and STAR-PUs) can be included in reports and graphs: Tick the 'Show Listsize Fields' checkbox on the Field Selection dialog. The Field List is refreshed to include the various patient denominator types, which can then be selected for inclusion. This will give the number of PUs for the selected organisations, totalled appropriately.

The denominator used in calculations for estimates or other fields is not affected by this choice. It is still based on the denominator type selected in the 'Patient Denominator' list box on the Report and Graph Template screens.

Other Changes

Record Limit Selection: users may enter a specific value as well selecting a value from the list. User specified values are only available for the current session and will not be included in the list for future sessions.

BNF Descriptions are now up to 60 characters long.

Date Produced is included in report and graph snapshots.

Session Timeout will not occur whilst a query is running.

Running queries: The 'Get Data' button on the toolbar and the 'OK' button in report or graph templates now work in the same way. When the button is pressed the current data selections, field selections and summary levels are applied and the query is run to create the report or graph. Changing the report summary level for period, organisation or drugs no longer immediately initiates production of a report.

Feedback: A new menu item on the Help menu, loads up the users email client and places the recipient and subject details into relevant boxes. Feedback can be entered into the message section of the mail which can then be sent in the usual manner.