TCSI - Testing for providers

This page is written for education providers who have engaged a third-party Student Management Software (SMS) developer to build functionality to report to TCSI via APIs.

It outlines the types of testing you have told us about help increase your level of confidence in the solution, as well as how TCSI can support you with this. It also explains the types of testing being conducted as part of the TCSI project to help create a solution that is secure, reliable and meets the needs of both government and education providers.

Can I test file uploads using TCSI Data Entry (previously known as the TCSI Portal)?

Services Australia (SA) and the Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE) are conducting TCSI Data Entry testing internally. We are working through options to allow providers to test file uploads. If there are specific scenarios you would like to verify with us, let us know and we can work with you on them.

What are some reasons you might be interested in testing directly with TCSI?

Through our engagement with you, we understand that you would like to directly test with TCSI for the following reasons:

Confirming and familiarising yourself with new reporting functionality:To confirm your SMS' reporting functionality and trial new processes, 2020 data elements, validation rules etc.
Verifying migrated data: To be confident that historical data has been migrated correctly to TCSI.
Required for software implementation: Require integration testing as part of any additional development and customisation that enables your implementation.

How will TCSI support you for each of these scenarios?

Performance and load testing

Providers will not be required to performance and load test against TCSI. As part of our delivery, the departments understand that there are 'peak periods' where high volumes of data will be submitted. Our departments can confirm that the TCSI system can support this volume of incoming data through internal performance and load testing activities.

Developers have been provided information on the 'API call rate' limit for consideration as part of their solution.

We will also conduct a number of system testing activities internally to assure the functionality of the TCSI system and APIs, including but not limited to:

Testing of API and TCSI System functionality
Performance and security assessments of the end-to-end TCSI System
Functional, usability and accessibility testing of the TCSI Data Entry

Confirming and familiarising yourself with new reporting functionality

We encourage you to work with your SMS developer to understand their development and testing approach, and whether a demonstration of their product can be arranged. It may be beneficial to inform them of any reporting scenarios you are concerned with so that the developer can address these scenarios as part of their development and testing.

Should you need to confirm with your developer that the SMS solution works as expected, or to gain additional familiarity of the SMS, your SMS developer may be able to use their configuration as a developer to help you conduct testing from within your institution. It is critical that you do not use any live or Production data for this type of testing. For more information, please refer to “Test Data Considerations”.

For context, the following diagram provides a high-level overview of the current scope of testing for SMS developers and government.

Developers may also conduct other testing activities internally to ensure the SMS is fully functional.

Verifying migrated data

We understand this is an important matter to you. To support you with this, TCSI will be providing education providers with extracts of their migrated data. In addition, data migration rules are also currently available to providers on the Transitioning to TCSI page.

While on-boarding to TCSI you will also have the ability to use the production environment to verify your data and reporting. During this on-boarding period the connections to systems external to TCSI such as the ATO will be paused, allowing you to verify the accuracy of your data, system and reporting before this data is released. The details of this process will be communicated once finalised.

Unfortunately, the TCSI Test environment is not able to host migrated live data due to government security requirements.

Required for software implementation

Some providers may need to perform additional customisation, configuration or integration on top of a vendor’s product. If you anticipate that this may impact your SMS’ interaction with TCSI, the best approach is to co-ordinate and arrange direct test access for your provider organisation through your vendor.

Again, it is critical that you do not use any live or Production data for testing. For more information, please refer to “Test Data Considerations” at the end of this fact sheet.

Test Data Considerations

Whilst actual live or production data should not be used for testing purposes, providers can consider using de-identified data, with the acknowledgement and confirmation of certain conditions. These conditions are:

The provider is sufficiently satisfied that the data has been de-identified in such a way that it cannot be un-scrambled or re-identified
In the event that this data is published or exposed externally, the provider maintains no concern to its privacy or security sensitivity. Essentially, the government will treat this data as unclassified material
In the event that data is able to be un-scrambled or re-identified, the provider holds all responsibility for this and any associated implications.

The department strongly advises providers to seek internal legal advice prior to exploring the usage of de-identified production data for testing in the TCSI test environment.

Mock CHESSN, TFN and USI

Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN)

Mock CHESSNs will be allocated in the test environment according to the CHESSN Management in TCSI guide. Reporting sufficient information against a student record will result in a mock CHESSN being allocated.

Tax file number (TFN)

Providers and developers can generate mock TFNs for testing. To reduce interaction between test accounts, the TFN must begin with the test provider code assigned for your test account. TFNs will verify if the final digit is an even number (2, 4, 6, or 8). All other final characters will return verification fail messages.

TFN must start with test provider code and end with an even number to verify

Unique Student Identifier (USI)

For assistance acquiring mock USIs, please see the System Developers - USI System and Support page via the Office of the Student Identifiers Registrar.

For checking the USI character algorithm in your software solution, please submit a USI Check Algorithm request via the Office of the Student Identifiers Registrar.

TCSI – Setting up a test account

What is the purpose of this fact sheet?

This fact sheet is aimed at higher education and VET Student Loans providers, vendors and TCSI developers who are setting up one or more TCSI test accounts.

This fact sheet lists the steps you are required to complete and details the information you need to provide to the TCSI Support team so they can set up a test account for you.

What steps do I need to complete?

Navigate to vnd.proda.humanservices.gov.au/ and click "register now"
Create an account and verify your identity (real identity documents and data should not be used for this step – e.g. "9999 99999 9" can be used as a Medicare card and reference number). Please note your production PRODA username and password will not work
Navigate to "Organisations" and click "register new organisation"
In the "Enter Organisation Details" page – refer to the following instructions for filling out your details:
- Organisation Name: This can be any name
- Business Identifier Type: ABN
- Organisation ABN: Any 11 digit number – then click the "Fix Check Digits" button when it appears (the 'Fix Check Digit' button will automatically generate a valid test ABN to enable the registration, based on the 11 digit number you inputted)
- Organisation Contact Email Address: A real email you have access to
- Organisation Contact Phone Number (Optional): You can leave this blank
In the verify Organisation Relationships page, answer the questions with hinted value. E.g: Question: This is question 6. (hint: a6), Answer: "a6"
Click submit
Enter the verification code sent to the Organisation Contact Email address and click "Verify"
Your PRODA mock organisation should now be registered – please make note of the PRODA RA (Organisation) and ABN.

What information do I need to send to the TCSI Support team so they can set up my test environment?

Please send the following information to the TCSI Support team at TCSIsupport@dese.gov.au for your account creation:

Your provider name
Your 4-digit HEIMS/HITS provider code
Your selection from the following options (pick one on each line):
- Higher education / VET student loans / Dual provider / PIR
- Empty test account / pre-populated with migrated HEIMS data (you can only request a single account with your migrated data)
- For VSL providers:
  - Approved course reference data / test reference data / both
Mock ABN (generated using the "Fix Check Digits" function)
Mock Organisation Name
PRODA RA (Organisation)

What do I do once I have sent the requested information to the TCSI Support team?

Await an email from TCSI Support advising that test account has been set up. Requests received by COB on a Thursday will be returned to you the next week.

What do I do once I receive advice from the TCSI Support team that my test account has been set up?

Log in to your vendor (mock) PRODA account at vnd.proda.humanservices.gov.au/
Link the mock organisation to TCSI by navigating to Organisations > Organisation Name > Service Provider > add Service Provider > Tertiary Collection of Student Information > add service provider
A device can then be created, by navigating to Organisations > Organisation Name > B2B Devices > Register New B2B Device > Enter details and register device

What happens once my test account is all set up?

Once your test account is all set up, you will then able to start uploading your test data into the test environment. If you select the option of "pre-populated with migrated HEIMS data" the test account will be pre-loaded with production-like migrated data based on your records in HEIMS (with student's identifying information obfuscated). If you find there is a need to have multiple test organisations, you can request more test organisations by following the above steps.