The following two software changes have been implemented in AQS:

1) Reports that you choose to be delivered via Email (as opposed to CDX), are now being sent by the user "Internet Deamon Owner" instead of Report_User.

2) Batch Load job logs are now being emailed by the user "Oracle Database Owner" instead of the end user. Release Notes
Date: March 25, 2005

Load Precision

1. Collocated and PEP (Performance Evaluation Program) precision data with a corresponding Raw Data measurement were interpreting null values as zero. The software has been enhanced to reject the Precision data.

2. Previously the Precision Scale was always the scale (number of digits after the decimal point) of the Actual Value on the input transaction. It has been modified to be the larger of the Actual and Indicated value scales. All existing Precision and Accuracy data will be corrected to reflect this change.

3. AQS was generating a truncated error message, "ORA-204", if precision or accuracy data transactions were loaded for a monitor that was not in the database. This has been fixed to generate a meaningful error, "Monitor ID (State, County, Site, Parameter, POC) not in database".

Load Accuracy

Previously the Accuracy Audit Scale was always the scale (number of digits after the decimal point) of the Actual Value on the input transaction. It has been modified to be the larger of the Actual and Indicated value scales. All existing Precision and Accuracy data will be corrected to reflect this change.

Maintain Precision

Previously the Precision Scale was always the scale (number of digits after the decimal point) of the Actual Value on the input transaction. It has been modified to be the larger of the Actual and Indicated value scales. All existing Precision and Accuracy data will be corrected to reflect this change.

Maintain Accuracy

1. Previously the Accuracy Audit Scale was always the scale (number of digits after the decimal point) of the Actual Value on the input transaction. It has been modified to be the larger of the Actual and Indicated value scales. All existing Precision and Accuracy data will be corrected to reflect this change.

2. The Maintain Accuracy Form was not calling the Reporting Organization summary procedure whenever a value changes; as a result, the values on the Reporting Organization Summary Report (AMP240) would not reflect changes made with the form. The Maintain Accuracy Form has been fixed, and a correction script is being run against the AQS accuracy data to compute the missing values. The three most recent years (2003 - 2005) will be updated this weekend, and earlier years will be corrected in the near future as computer resources become available.

Batch Submit Form

When the Batch Submit form was accessed by a user support staff member, it reported an error on startup and would not allow the Raw Data Inventory report to be run. This has been fixed.

Maintain Certification

Form has been enhanced to allow both Concurrence and Non-Concurrence of monitor certification.

Violation Day Count Report (AMP300)

The report was summarizing data by County instead of by State. This has been fixed.

Maintain Raw Data

The form was reporting an error when changing a pre-production null code to a sample value. This has been fixed.

Browse Parameter Form

The EPA Chemical Identifier was displayed as gray text on a gray background. This has been fixed to be gray text on a white background (standard for read-only data).

Browse Sampling Methodology

The form has been enhanced to show units description in the units column list of values. Release Notes
Date: February 25, 2005

1. The Time Zone field for sites is now mandatory -- It is now required whenever sites are inserted or updated. The Maintain Site form was updated to move this field from the "Optional" list to the "Required" list. All existing sites without a Time Zone have been updated by a script to populate this field.

2. The Edit Error Detail report was fixed so it contains relational errors after running a Submit Correct Data job.

3. A new report was added to the "Standard Retrievals" list. The Screening Group Inventory Report (AMP025) allows users to obtain information about the contents of their screening group. The formatted report produces a count of the number of each transaction type and action. The workfile version will produce a file containing the transactions in the various staging tables. Please note: You must have selected a screening group in the session in order to see this report appear on the list of available reports. Release Notes
Date: January 27, 2005 Tribal Enhancements The primary enhancement is the support of Native American Tribal data. AQS now allows data to be entered and queried by either the combination or by . The intent is that either method of referencing a site is equally valid for all of the user interface to AQS. To this end, a Tribal Code field has been added to the Site definition in the AQS database. Whenever this new Tribal Code field is filled in, the site can be accessed via either method. For new sites, the State and County of the site are considered to be just geographical characteristics of the site, that are determined by its latitude and longitude. When a new site is created using the Tribal Code and Site-ID, its geographical state and county are looked up in the EnviroFacts GIS database by its latitude and longitude, and when a new site is created using State Code and County Code its latitude and longitude is verified to be in the boundaries of the State and County in the GIS database. The following are the specific changes to support this capability: Tribal Mode The user interface forms for AQS have been updated to operate in either "Tribal Mode" or "non-Tribal Mode". In Tribal Mode, a Tribal Code can be used for creating or retrieving data for a site, while in non-Tribal Mode, the State Code and County Code are used. The user can switch back and forth between modes by using the "Tribal Mode On" and "Tribal Mode Off" menu pick available from the "Action" menu at the top of the screen. Note: When a user changes mode, the form they are using is reloaded ?C i.e. a blank form will be loaded in query mode. The mode that the user starts in when they log in to AQS is set by the "Tribal User" flag on the user's profile. To change this flag, use the "Admin" menu "Security" pick to display the user's profile. Then check or un-check the Tribal User flag and click the save icon. The user's mode is immediately changed, and the next time the user logs in, they will start in the selected mode. Please note: When a user is operating in Tribal Mode, they can query data by Tribal Code and Site-ID; however, the State and County code columns are still displayed. This is done to allow Tribes that overlap multiple states and counties to retrieve just their data in a particular state or county if desired. AQS LOAD Process To load tribal data into AQS, the AQS batch input transactions can be used. All of these transactions have been enhanced as follows: The "State Code" field is now "State Code or Tribal Indicator" and the "County Code" field is now "County or Tribal Code" (See the new transaction layout definitions at
http://www.epa.gov/ttn/airs/airsaqs/manuals/AQS Input Transaction Formats.pdf.) To create, update, or delete data for a Tribal Site (including creating the site itself), the user should enter 'TT' in the "State Code or Tribal Indicator" field and the Tribal Code in the "County or Tribal Code". This is true for all AQS transaction types. Note: Since either combination or can be used to specify a particular site, both must be unique in the database. I.e. if a Tribal user wants to create a site with Site_ID = 'XXXX' that is geographically located in a state-county that already has a site with Site_ID='XXXX' then it will be rejected as a duplicate, and if a non-Tribal user attempts to create a site with Site-ID='YYYY' in a State and County where a tribal user has already created site 'YYYY' then it will be rejected as a duplicate. Please note also: Since Tribal Code is part of a unique identifier for a site, it is not possible using the AQS Load Process to update an existing site with a tribal code, or to change the tribal code of an existing site; these can only be accomplished via the Maintain Site form. Correct Forms The "Correct" forms are used to fix errors that are reported when loading AQS input transactions. They display the data for the user's screening group exactly as it is entered on the transaction, with errors reported for any relevant fields. This means that if the user is operating in Tribal Mode, the first two columns will be labeled "Tribal Ind." and "Tribal Code" while if the user is not in Tribal Mode, they will be labeled "State Code" and "County Code". Note: in either case, the data will be displayed as it was entered on the transaction; i.e. if the user entered State and County codes on the transaction, they will see that data in the first two columns regardless of the mode, and if they entered "TT" and a Tribal Code, they will see that regardless of the mode. If the user is in Tribal Mode, and using the Correct Site form to create a site, when the user enters that Latitude and Longitude fields, the location will be used to determine the set of valid codes that can be selected for the other geographical fields such as City Code, UA Code, and etc. If the user does not enter the Latitude and Longitude before entering these other fields, then the List of Values ("Drop Downs") will be empty ?C i.e. the user can type anything in the field but cannot select from the list. Maintain Forms The Maintain Forms are used to edit (update) existing data or create small numbers of new data elements. The maintain forms have been modified so that if the user is in Tribal Mode, a Tribal Code field is displayed for entering or retrieving data. When not in Tribal Mode, this field is hidden. Otherwise, the Maintain Forms behave exactly as previously. Note: As stated above, in the section about the AQS Load Process, existing sites can be converted to Tribal Sites by using the Maintain Site form to assign a Tribal Code to a site. Standard Reports The AQS standard reports user interface has been enhanced in the following ways:
Data selection by tribal code is now supported on both the Monitor select and Area select tab.
The previous selection to run "on-line" vs "batch" really only effected the output delivery mechanism ?C either to the user's web browser, via email, or via CDX. The new interface allows the user to directly select the delivery method.
Multiple output types can be requested at the same time. I.e. A user can now request both a report and a work file at the same time.
If the user is in Tribal Mode when a formatted report is requested, the Site identifier is reported as TT-Tribal Code-Site for any retrieved sites where the tribal code is filled in, and as State-County-Site for retrieved sites where the Tribal Code is not filled in. Similarly, all extractions (AMP500, 501, 502, and 503) will format transactions with a Tribal Indicator of 'TT' and the Tribal Code for all sites where the Tribal Code is filled in. Other AQS Components All other AQS forms where data could previously be selected by State Code and County Code, such as the Monitor Certification form now support selection by Tribal Code. Other Changes The following are the AQS changes that are being deployed that are not related to the Tribal Enhancements:
XML is now an available work file format for the following reports: Extract Site-Monitor data (AMP500) , Extract Raw Data (AMP501) , and Extract Blanks Data (AMP503).
The Batch Post form has been consolidated from four tabs to two and re-designed for ease of use.
A problem with computation of Accuracy Summaries for SPAN data has been resolved.
A problem where the LOAD process was not restricting Qualifiers to those at production status has been fixed.
The Maintain Precision form was not previously using POC for data selection.
An error with Maintain Raw that allowed a user to delete production data directly from the form (without running POST) has been fixed.
A LOAD Raw data error that associated Monitor Protocols with an Alt MDL with raw data that was not reported with an Alt-MDL has been fixed.
Fixed error with POST of Raw Data Delete transactions of data that had Critical Review data.
Fixed problem with the Precision Data Report where it was ignoring the user's requested sort order.
Fixed problem with LOAD Monitor Collocation (MJ) that prevented an end date from being supplied.
Enhanced the Load Precision process to allow hourly duration data to be submitted for days where multiple hourly raw data values exist.
Reports User Interface: Saving and retrieving screening group as part of the data selection criteria now works. Known Issues Load/StatCr/Post Issues
Trailing blanks on Legacy format transactions cause rejections
Summary Min and Max rounded to different number of digits after MDL substitution.
Precision Load: Collocated and PEP audits that reference Raw Data records with null sample values show zero for precision value instead of being rejected.
Monitor Load:
a. Ozone status area rejected.
b. Large Sample Residence Time not rejected
Monitor Collocation Load: Not finding primary monitor for collocated transaction.
Site Load:
a. Incorrect error message (i.e. different from Coding manual) when attempting to set mandatory field to null.
b. Incorrect message for invalid Census Block
Monitor Agency Role Load: Job statistics on Edit Summary Report not correct.
Monitor Type Load: Job statistics on Edit Summary Report not correct.
All Transaction Loads: Only first error on transaction reported instead of all. User Interface Forms Issues:
Critical Review Report Selection Form: Enhance form to allow Tribal Mode data selection..
Maintain Events: Form disabled due to multiple errors and pending re-write.
Browse Parameter: Background of EPA Chemical Identifier wrong.
Browse Annual Summaries:
a. Only one summary protocol displayed.
b. Form does not display Minimum Collection Frequency
c. Summary Maximum time not displayed
Browse Sampling Methodology: Units field: List of values not displayed with description of unit codes. Release Notes
Date: November 20, 2004

AQS was unavailable (in restricted mode) Nov. 19 -- 20 so IMG could perform the historical raw data update for years 1993 to 1998. During this time, the following software enhancements were installed for AQS: Accuracy Enhancements

1. The Maintain Accuracy form has been re-designed to make it more user-friendly. This new and improved form will now allow users to change any data that appears in the warning information from within the AQS Load Log (see #2 and screen capture below).

2. Previously the AQS required accuracy values to be within the maximum and minimum levels for the parameter and level. The system will now issue a warning if the actual or indicated values are outside of the maximum and minimal range, but the value will still be accepted. The warning information will appear only on the AQS Load Log emailed to the user.

New Maintain Accuracy Form MDL and Qualifier Enhancements

1. When an Alternate MDL is provided for a raw data value, the numeric precision (number of digits after the decimal point) for the standard value is now determined by the numeric precision (up to 5 digits) of the Alternate MDL when converted to standard units. This is to correct cases where Alt MDL substitutions were being rounded to zero when rounding to the methodology summary scale.

2. Raw Data Qualifier Codes can now be restricted to be parameter specific, rather than always being valid for all parameters. The edit is in place now for just the exceptional and natural events. This upgrade also makes it apply to the QA qualifiers. Error Processing Enhancements

1. Previously mandatory fields that were left blank would generate a non-user-friendly error message. Now, the system will generate an error that says that the specific field is required. A new "AQS Coding Manual" is provided with this release that has the updated error messages. Maintain Precision

1. The Maintain Precision form was enhanced to sort the data in descending order by date.

2. The Maintain Precision form was enhanced to properly retrieve the FRM Audit, State Sample protocol data, and display the Agency code for PEP samples. Agency Role Begin Dates

1. Agency Role Begin Dates are now always required (Site Support Agency, Monitor Reporting, Analyzing, and Collecting roles). To support the implementation of this software enhancement, a script has been run against the AQS database that inserted agency role begin dates for those monitors with missing begin dates. Redesign of Batch Submission and Reports Forms

1. The batch submission and reports form has been simplified by consolidating the two separate tabs (Batch Load and Batch Reports forms) onto one form. (See screen capture of the Batch Submissions/Report Form below.)

New Batch Submission/Report Form Release Notes
Date: October 11, 2004

Since the EPA National Computer Center (NCC) installed the newer version of the Oracle JInitiator (v1.3.1.17) on Monday morning September 26, AQS performance has suffered. As a result the NCC is going to revert back to the previous JInitiator (v1.3.1.13). On Monday morning, October 11, the Oracle database administrator will install the patch that will switch us back. The patch will be installed between 7:30 and 8:00 am ET on Monday, 10/11. Please do not attempt to log on to AQS before 8:00 am ET on Monday. The first time you log on to AQSPROD you may notice a delay as the previous JInitiator (v1.3.1.13) reinstalls on your PC. (If you previously had v1.3.1.13 installed on your PC you may not have to wait for the reinstallation.) Release Notes
Date: September 26, 2004

This weekend (Sunday evening 9/26/2004) our Oracle database administrators will install an Oracle patch which will cause a new version of the JInitiator 1.3.1.17 to automatically load the first time you access AQSPROD on Monday. After the new JInitiator loads, everything will be the same. Release Notes
Date: September 13, 2004

On Monday morning (September 13, before 8am ET), the following system enhancements will be installed for AQS: (Please do not log onto AQS before 8am ET on Monday.)

1. Load Efficiency Improvement: This change will improve the efficiency of Raw Data insertions by removing the necessity to validate the raw data Sample Date against all monitor subordinate date range fields (such as monitor type assignment).

2. Regional Office Exceptional Event Certification Preservation: This software change will enable Regional Office Exceptional Event Certification to be retained when a reporting agency has certified the data for a year, and the Regional Office concurs with an exceptional event flag after the fact. Previously, the certification was being lost.

3. Fonts on the Delete Pre-production Raw Data Form: The Delete Pre-production Raw Data Form has been modified to display all the fields in the same font.

4. Maintain Raw Data Protocol Validation: Previously, when updating/inserting a raw data record on-line, the Maintain Raw Data form did not require that there be an active ("P") protocol record on the Monitor Protocol table. The enhanced Maintain Raw Data form will now require that the protocol record (combination of Parameter, Duration, Unit, Method, and Collection Frequency) exist at Production status ("P") in the Protocols table.

5. Batch Load Time-out: The problem, where the batch load form could hang when loading a large data file from CDX, has been fixed.

6. Precision & Accuracy Reporting Organization Summary Report (AMP240): The P&A Reporting Organization Summary report data will be grouped by parameter instead of collocated vs. non-collocated.

7. Monitor Network Detail and Summary reports (AMP220D & AMP220S): This past week, the two Monitor Network Detail Report (AMP220D) and the Monitor Network Summary Report (AMP220S) were merged into a single report. The new report is now called the Monitor Network Report (AMP220D). The advantage to the new report is that you no longer have to run two reports to obtain both detail and summary information. Release Notes
Date: August 30, 2004

AQS software was modified to correct the following five items:

1) The collection and analysis method descriptions are now showing up in all of the Method LOVs (list of values) on all the on-line screens (Maintain, Correct, Std Reports, etc).

2) The saving of report criteria sets, or changing from one report to another, is no longer causing parameter codes to disappear when they were appropriate for the selected report.

3) The AMP430 Data Completeness Report's Monitor Select Tab has been corrected to not display the date range labels since the date ranges have been removed from the form (e.g., date range is no longer a valid selection criteria).

4) The Maintain "Blanks" form will now allow update users to delete the last Blanks record.

5) Occasionally, batch users would experience a SQL-Loader error ("sqlldr failed with status 2") that was the result of an overflow error when attempting to load data to the ST (staging) Tables. This SQL-Loader error would occur when a batch transaction field value contained more characters or numbers than the corresponding ST Table field was designed to handle. (For example, attempting to load more than 10 digits into the LDP Vertical Measure field would result in a SQL-Loader error.) To help prevent this type of overflow error, the internal size of the all the user entered columns in the ST (staging) Tables have been increased by three times their current size. Release Notes
Date: August 8, 2004

The major change for this update involves enhancing the AQS to support "Blanks" data with the following additional fields: Null Data Codes, Qualifier Codes, Uncertainty, and Alternative Minimum Detectable Limit.

The following AQS components are modified as part of this change:

1. AQSLOAD process: The blanks input transaction, RB, was enhanced to support all of the above fields.

2. Correct Blanks Form: The form was enhanced to support the new transaction layout.

3. Maintain Blanks Form: The form was enhanced to support the above columns.

4. Extract Blanks Report: The extract module was enhanced to support the new transaction layout.

5. AQS Data Dictionary and Coding Manuals: The Data Dictionary and the Data Coding Manuals are being updated to reflect the Blanks Data enhancements.

The following changes are also being implemented:

6. AQSLOAD Raw Data (RD Transaction) efficiency was improved.

7. The business rules for Monitor Collocation "Distance from Primary Sampler" were changed to allow values in the range of 1 to 4 meters instead of 2 to 4 meters.

8. Maintain Raw Form: The form was allowing null data codes and sample values to be input for the same observation. The form was restructured to prevent this by adding a null code column and a null code description to the raw data tab. Also, to address some concerns that qualifiers were not visible when editing raw data, the qualifiers information (code, description, type) was moved from the Qualifiers tab to a new block at the bottom of the Raw Data tab and the Qualifiers tab was eliminated.

9. In some cases, the quick look report was reporting an estimated PM10 exceedance count that was less than the actual exceedance count. Release Notes
Date: July 19, 2004

The following enhancements will be installed for AQS:

1. The "Poc" (POC) function on the Main menu tool bar (shown below) is being removed. This is being done to reduce software maintenance resources required to maintain functionality that is not in use.

2. The AMP502 (EXTRACT P&A DATA) report is being modified to correctly label the Quarter Represented fields as "Q1" - "Q4" instead of just "1" - "4".

3. In the future, database cleanup scripts will be run daily by the Database Administrator to remove all report output files more than 15 days old.

4. Database cleanup scripts will also be run daily to delete all California Dump Bucket data that has been exported more than 30 days. Release Notes
Date: July 6, 2004

Raw Data Workfile Parameters By Time (AMP460)
The program was selecting the same monitor and associated information multiple times, once for each monitor protocol.

Raw Data Listing (AMP350)
If the report encountered a raw data record where the Reported Sample Value and a Null Data code were both valued, it would cause the report program to produce an error and quit. The process has been modified to not print anything for the value in question if this event occurs, but a record will be written to an error log table. This error log table will be monitored by the data administrator periodically to see if any of these data have been encountered.

Maintain Site
The Maintain Site form restricted the Open Path number to be only a single digit, while the software requirements specify that a two-digit number should be allowed.

Entry of Latitude and Longitude with a leading plus sign are now allowed.

Maintain Monitor
The Maintain Monitor form restricted the Open Path number to be only a single digit, while the software requirements specify that a two-digit number should be allowed.

The monitor id on the Collocations tab is now grayed out since it is not changeable here.

Load Composite
Composite delete transactions that contain the minimum required information (monitor ID, year, and period) are no longer rejected due to the sample value being null.

Performance had been improved for the routine that verifies that composite data transactions are not duplicates.

Load Monitor Basic (MA)
Monitor Basic transactions (MA) with an invalid Pollutant Area Code are lost by the load process -- the error is detected and reported, but the transaction is not reloaded into the Staging Table.

Correct Site
Entry of Latitude and Longitude with a leading plus sign are now allowed.

Correct Menus
Added a menu pick to go to the Batch Submit form. This is request #21 from the AQS Conference recommendations. (http://www.epa.gov/ttn/airs/airsaqs/conference/AQS2004/SessionHandouts/2004 AQS Conference Priority List.pdf)

Standard Reports User Interface (R31)
Added a new Duration selection capability to the Standard Reports user interface form (R31) to allow selection of only observed durations for reports that do not select computed data.