Number of Fields Error

Here is the landing page of the PDP Interface.
The hyperlink on the Submission Number will only be available if there is an error contained within the file. Click on the submission number to go to the Error Resolution Report.
An incorrect number of fields error can occur in any of the records in the file: the header record, the column header record, the detail records, and the trailer record.

First, let’s look at the error associated with the Header Record.

On the Error Resolution Report, it is important to read through the Error Message and Proposed Solution columns carefully.
Here is an example of a Header Record that does not contain the correct number of fields.
The Proposed Solution states that the row must include 15 data fields which includes the filler fields.

To identify the error, please open your file in notepad or any other text editor and refer to the submission guide on how to format your Header Record. The Header record is the first row of your file. Please ensure there is a total of 14 commas. If you see additional commas after the filler fields, such as in the example provided, simply delete them and resubmit your file via FTP.

Now let’s discuss the error associated with the Column Header Record.

On the Error Resolution Report, this example of a Column Header Record that does not contain the correct number of column/field labels indicates the error occurs at line number 2.
There are two reasons why this error may occur. First, due to line breaks or text wrapping, and second due to there being additional commas in the header record.

To identify the error, please open your csv file in Excel and check for any cells or columns that are formatted to wrap text. The column header labels must be the second row of your file. In this example, the column header label of Cohort Term End Date has text wrapping. To resolve the issue, remove the text wrapping format, save, and resubmit your file via FTP.

You can also identify and correct the error by opening your file in Notepad or any other text editor. Formatting a cell or column to wrap text in your csv file will cause a line break. In the example provided, the line break begins in the Column Header Label of Student ID and continues on to the next row. To resolve the issue, remove the line break, save, and resubmit your file.

The longest record in the cohort file contains 35 data fields, which means there needs to be a total of 34 commas. The longest record in the course file contains 56 data fields, which means there needs to be a total of 55 commas. If the total number of commas exceeds the number for the total commas, simply delete them in your text editor and resubmit your file.

Next, let’s discuss the error associated with the Detail Record.

On the Error Resolution Report, notice the number of errors listed in the Error Count column and the lines that the error occurs on in the Affected Line Numbers column. Unlike the Header Record, Column Header Record, and Trailer Record, there may be multiple rows with this error.
In this example of a Detail Record that does not contain the correct number of fields, there is only one error in the detail records and occurs on row 3 of your file. Similar to the column header record, if a cell or column is formatted to wrap text in your csv file, it will cause a line break.

To view the line break, please open your file in notepad or any other text editor. In the example provided, the line break begins on line 3 in the Street Address 1 data field and continues onto the next row.

Another reason this error may occur is due to a field containing a comma. If a field contains a comma, you need to wrap the entire data field with double quotations, and not the individual comma. If we wanted to put “Managerial accounting topics include introduction to job order costing, breakdown analysis, standard costs and variance and short-term decision making” into the file as a course description, we would place quotation marks around the whole sentence.

Lastly, let’s discuss the error associated with the Trailer Record.

On the Error Resolution Report, this Trailer Record example does not contain the correct number of fields.

The trailer record is the last row of the file and contains three fields: The record type of T1, the Total Record Count which is the total number of rows in the file, and an empty field.

To view the error, please open your file in notepad or any other text editor. In the first example provided, there are additional fields after the filler field. To resolve the error, simply delete the additional commas.
If there is no comma at the end of your trailer row, as shown in the second example, simply add a comma to indicate the filler field.

Please make the necessary changes. Then, resubmit your correct file via the secure FTP.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please reach out the PDP team at pdpservice@studentclearinghouse.org.