Summary

This article explains how Data Management error reporting works, how to download error reports, and how to interpret common file issues.

Overview

Data Management gives authorized users visibility into processed files and file-related issues. Depending on the file status, you may be able to:

• View processed data files
• Review file history
• See whether a file was completed successfully, completed with errors, is being processed, or failed
• Download a single error report containing file issues that need to be reviewed and corrected

How to download the error report

1. Open Data Management in the application.
2. Find the file you want to review in the file history list.
3. If errors are available, download the error report.
4. Open the downloaded report and review each error message, affected row, and field detail.

How to read the error report

The error report is designed to help you troubleshoot upload and processing issues quickly. While exact columns may vary by error type, the report generally helps you identify:

• The row or record associated with the issue
• The field or data element that caused the error
• The system message returned during processing
• The action needed to correct the file

When reviewing the report, start by identifying whether the issue is a formatting problem, a data consistency problem, or a record identity problem. That will usually tell you whether you need to correct a field value, update repeated records, or change how the file was prepared.

Example Error Report Details

Typical errors and how to fix them

The following are the most common issues users may see when preparing, uploading, and reviewing Data Management files. Each error will fall into one of the following types of error:

• Entire File Error: the error has caused the whole file to fail, and nothing in the file has been uploaded into PT App. Resolve the error and re-upload the file.
• Line Error: only the affected row is skipped; the rest of the file still processes normally. Fix just that row, and the entity will come through on the next upload.

Validation errors for specific fields

Type of Error: Line Error

What it Means: A value in the row does not match the format for that field

Example Error Messages:

Date of birth not in "YYYY-MM-DD" format but was 06-30-57

Invalid SSN. SSN must be in ######### format but was 012-34-5678

Invalid TIN. TIN must be in ######### format but was TF2125610

Invalid NPI. NPI must be in ########## format but was 232436550

Invalid Zip. Zip must be in ##### or #####-#### or ######### format but was 7054

How to Fix It: Correct the field value to match the required format and re-upload. Only the affected rows are skipped, so you only need to fix those rows.

Errors during file transformation

Type of Error: Entire File Error

What it Means: An error occurred while the file was being converted or prepared for upload. This usually points to a formatting issue introduced during export, save, copy/paste, or delimiter handling.

Common causes include:

• Incorrect file encoding (Must be UTF-8)
• Unexpected special characters

Example Error Messages:

Encoding Error: File is not properly UTF-8 encoded. 

Found non UTF-8 byte 0xa0 at row xxx, suggesting a possible encoding of ISO-8859-1.

How to Fix It:

• Save your file in UTF-8 format.
• Check the row number in the error message for invisible spaces or other unusual characters, which are often caused by copying and pasting from another program. Retype or delete them.

File Header Error

Type of Error: Entire File Error

What it Means: The header provided is not exactly the same as our template header for either our individual file or organization file. Either the fields are misspelled, miscapitalized, there are extra fields, or there are not enough fields.

Example Error Message:

The following unknown Headers were found: ['EXTERNAL_ID', 'FIRST_NAME', 'MIDDLE_NAME', 'LAST_NAME', 'DATE_OF_BIRTH', 'LICENSE_TYPE', 'LICENSE_ISSUER', 'LICENSE_NUMBER', 'LICENSE_ISSUED', 'LICENSE_EXPIRATION', 'DOCUMENT_TYPE', 'DOCUMENT_EXPIRATION_DATE', 'ADDRESS_TYPE', 'ADDRESS_NAME', 'ADDRESS_LINE_1', 'ADDRESS_LINE_2', 'BUSINESS_UNIT', 'END_DATE']; The following Headers were missing: ['External ID', 'First Name', 'Middle Name', 'Last Name', 'Date of Birth', 'Address Type', 'Address Name', 'Address Line 1', 'Address Line 2', 'Business Unit', 'End Date']

How to Fix It:

• Confirm that the header is exactly the same as the template for the file you are submitting
• Make sure you are submitting the file to the right folder. Services/Monitor/individuals for the individual file and Services/Monitor/organizations for the organization file

Delimiter and Quoting Errors - Incorrect Number of Fields

Type of Error: Entire File Error

What it Means: A row in your file has more fields than expected. This usually happens when a value contains a comma (or whichever character the file uses to separate fields), such as an address like 123 Main St, Suite 4. The system reads the comma as the start of a new field, so the row no longer lines up with the header

Example Error Message:

{Exception: Error tokenizing data. C error: Expected 23 fields in line 37, saw 25}

How to Fix It: Use one of the following options:

• Add double quotes around each field so the csv reader knows to ignore commas in a field.
• Switch to a .psv formatted file with | (pipe) separators if double quoting is not possible.
• Review columns that may include commas or pipe characters inside the value.

Data Mismatch Error: Same External ID, Different Main Data Points

Type of Error: Line Error

What it Means: Each External ID identifies one monitored subject, so ProviderTrust treats all rows with the same External ID as the same subject. A subject can have multiple rows, for example, for multiple addresses or licenses. However, the following details can only have one value per subject, so they must be identical on every row: First Name, Middle Name, Last Name, SSN, NPI, TIN, DOB, and End Date. If they differ, the system can’t tell which value is correct, so the subject is skipped.

Example Error Message:

Data Mismatch Error: Row 3 has the same External ID as Row 2 but different data in the following column: DateOfBirth, EndDate, SSN

This error occurs when multiple rows for the same entity use the same External ID but contain different First Name, Middle Name, Last Name, SSN, NPI, TIN, DOB, or EndDate values.

How to Fix It:

Normalize the following data points for each subject: First Name, Middle Name, Last Name, SSN, NPI, TIN, DOB, or EndDate values.

Quick reference

Best practices before you re-upload

• Check dates, identifiers, and ZIP codes for required formatting
• Confirm External IDs are unique and consistently used
• Review repeated entities for conflicting primary data points
• Confirm the file is UTF-8 formatted
• Use a delimiter that will not conflict with your data values or double-quote fields
• Verify business unit and network assignments before submitting

Frequently asked questions

Why can’t I see Data Management in the app?

Data Management is only visible to users with the required permissions. If you do not see it, contact your ProviderTrust administrator.

Do I get multiple error downloads for one file?

Sometimes. If you have license errors those come through on a different error file than the typical file errors. But they all come in a downloaded zip file from the data management tab.

What should I review first in an error report?

Start with formatting issues such as dates, identifiers, delimiters, and encoding. Then review record identity conflicts such as External ID reuse.