Custom Data Requests
For all custom data and report requests, please fill out our custom request form.
Request types
Requests can be made on existing products - these are considered Product Maintenance. There are two types of Product Maintenance:
Feature Enhancement: you have a great idea to add to a current report
Bug Notification: you have noticed an issue in a current report
Requests can also be made for new products. You can request a New Report, something that you will be able to run on your own, or you can request a Custom Data Pull, where we provide you with a one-time report of data that cannot be obtained by existing reports.
After a request is received
All data and report requests should go through the custom request form. Reporting team staff will initially acknowledge requests within 72 hours. We will then review the feasibility of the request and our current resource allocation. Once those are determined, we will get back to you with any needed clarifications and an expected timeframe.
Prioritizing reports
Our prioritization process involves assessing the type of request, the regions the request benefits, the primary purpose of the request (i.e., does the report/data primarily serve to house individuals, assess, data quality, assist with funding, etc.), the type of requestor, and the time required to complete the request.
Please note that we cannot meet all report requests. Due to limited reporting capacity, we will prioritize requests that benefit multiple stakeholders, such as statewide or CoC-wide datasets.
Report timeframes
Report delivery times will vary depending on priority requests, mandated reporting cycles, and other outstanding projects. Based on the current report queue, we will make an estimate of when we can begin work on the request. Based on the nature and complexity of the report, the time it will take to fulfill requests can range between 2 weeks (e.g., a simple bug notification) and 10 weeks (e.g., a large-scale project) to fulfill. After prioritization, we will send you an expected delivery date.
For all requests, the more notice you can give, the better. Please note that September-March is our busy season.
Complex reports
For requests for new reports or custom data pulls that will require a significant time investment, we will create a Statement of Work (SOW) that outlines the purpose of the request, estimated hours, estimated timeline, details of the deliverables, and report details. Your approval is required for the build to proceed. Any changes to the request will require an updated SOW.
Some requests for new reports or custom data are larger than we can accommodate in our normal reporting process. These are considered projects and will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Delivering reports
Fulfilled requests will be delivered in two phases. We will initially deliver the request, along with any associated documentation, in the Beta Delivery phase. This marks a period of time in which we seek your feedback and our reporting team will work to quickly fix any issues. The length of this beta period will depend on the nature of the request. After the Beta period, the request will be considered Live, and all subsequent bug notification or feature enhancement requests will proceed through the full request procedure.
reporting costs
Most requests are considered part of our normal reporting process and do not require payment. However, some requests that are complex and/or outside the scope of normal reporting may require payment. These will be handled on a case-by-case basic and cost will be determined based on the amount of additional resources required.
St. louis city and county Data request policy
The St. Louis City and County CoCs have a policy for data requests, which breaks into data requests not requiring approval from the HMIS Committee and those that do require approval from the Committee. If there are any questions about the policy, please contact the Joint HMIS Committee.