Using the Tahdah Candidate Database

How do I log in?

This is the login page for tahdah. If you are a Course Director, Assistant Course Director, or Course Administrator you should have received an email with instructions to allow you log in for the first time. If you haven't and believe you should have done, please log in to your Mountain Training account and visit the 'Invites' section: if no invitation is listed there for you to accept or you do not have a Mountain Training account then please contact us.

I received an email link a while ago, but it has now expired?

The email links are valid for 60 days. If yours has expired please contact us so we can reissue it.

Why is it an individual and not a "per centre" login?

Data management and data protection are important to us and with GDPR coming into force in May 2018, we are keen to ensure that there is a clear audit trail of data processing for sensitive data. This means each individual who manages candidate data needs to have an individual login to the database. If you haven't got a login and believe you should do, please log in to your Mountain Training account and visit the 'Invites' section: if no invitation is listed there for you to accept or you do not have a Mountain Training account then please contact us.

Is it the same login and password that I had for the old database?

You will not use the same login (in the format ABC/1111) for this new system. Each person who accesses the new database needs to use an individual login and password rather than the one-per-centre log-in we used previouly. You should have received an email if you are a Course Director, Assistant Course Director or Course Administrator with instructions about how to login for the first time. If you haven't had an email, or are unsure who is the key contact at your centre, please log in to your Mountain Training account and visit the 'Invites' section: if no invitation is listed there for you to accept or if you do not have a Mountain Training account then please contact us.

Note: while your log-in has changed, when you fill in an Award certificate for a candidate to hand to them you should still use your centre's unique identifier (e.g. ABC/1111/unique candidate reference) which was allocated when you first joined the Scheme. If you do not know your centre's unique identifier, please contact us. This identifier is always in the format of three letters which refer to your Primary Centre (e.g. MIL for Mile End) and four digits unique to your centre. The final unique candidate reference will be between 4 and 6 digits long depending on when they were first registered for the Scheme.

Who is able to use the new database system?

The initial roll out was to Course Directors, Assistant Course Directors and Course Administrators. They can then add their own staff as either as "Staff" or “Managers” to the system. If you believe you need access, please speak to the Course Director for your centre, or for any issues contact us.

The user types are:

• ABCTT Officers = Administrators in tahdah
• NICAS Climbing and NICAS Bouldering Course Directors / ACDs = Director in tahdah
• NICAS Climbing and NICAS Bouldering Course Administrators/relevant wall staff = Manager in tahdah
• Coaches (in-house and freelance) = Staff in tahdah (no database access, just a website log-in for resources)

A “Manager” can add and register new candidates and request that a pass is awarded.
A “Director” can do the same as a Manager, but also is the one who has to award the pass.

NICAS candidates will not have their own access initially; over time we envisage candidates or their parent/guardian being able to “adopt” their account and adding more detail to use this account for other activities, for example if they wish to enrol with MT. For now candidates will not have logins or passwords and only the minimum data about candidates is captured by climbing walls and provided for this system, just as with the previous candidate database.

I’m a Course Director. I didn't use the old database, why do I need to use this new tahdah system?

Course Directors do need to be assigned for each centre and have an account even if they don’t actively manage the day to day candidate management on the system. This is key to ensuring that our records are accurate. Each candidate, when being passed, needs to have a named Course Director associated with that pass and that CD will have signed the physical pass certificate. An award should only be given to candidates by personnel that are approved to fulfil this function for NICAS Climbing and NICAS Bouldering, i.e. the Course Director or one of two named Assistant Course Directors at a larger centre. A Course Director does not necessarily need to log in to the system to update the candidate's record to show the pass: a Course Administrator is able to do this. However the Course Director needs to be assigned on the system and will be notified accordingly via the system.

The Course Director is ultimately liable for all the NICAS Climbing and NICAS Bouldering coaching delivered at their centre, the accreditations given to candidates, and signing off the certificates. In the event of a query or complaint it is the Course Director who will answer any questions so they need to be familiar with the coach delivery and the candidates under their responsibility. Course Directors can find out more in our Centre Handbook which is available to all registered centres.

I have a login to the system. How do I add other staff members at my wall?

If you want to add new staff members to the system, have a look at our "quick start" video in the section above which runs through this process. You need to be set up as a Manager in order to be able to add other staff. "Managers" will be the key contacts in place at our centres, the Course Directors and Course Administrators.

What can staff members do on the system?

Granting a person staff access does not give access to candidate data, unless they are also given Manager privileges.

• Staff access allows someone to view the basic information about the centre where they are staff; it also gives them access via their unique log-in to our website where we have relevant resources for coaches delivering NICAS Climbing and NICAS Bouldering.
• Manager status can keep a wall's details updated, can add candidates and register them, and can assign a pass to a candidate but need to select which Course Director or ACD has signed off the candidate as having passed that level.
• Director is the only status which can "pass" candidates on tahdah (i.e. sign off on a level of NICAS Climbing and NICAS Bouldering being achieved). Only NICAS can add Director status to a Manager account.

If you need to tell us your Course Director has changed or is changing, then a needs to be submitted to us and, once approved, we can help with adjusting permissions on the tahdah system.

Should I add freelance / external coaches to the system?

Yes: all freelance coaches and staff who use your centre, although they bring their own groups and climbers, should be added with a Staff account. This means they have access to NICAS resources but not to candidate details. At a later date you'l be able to add Induction dates to their records too.

Your own centre's Managers (for example Course Director or Course Administrator) should add the freelance coach's candidate details, update their records and 'pass' the records online. Freelance coaches should not be given Manager status as that would give them access to all your candidate records as well.

What happens if a staff member leaves, how is their access removed?

If someone leaves your centre, they just need be removed as staff from the system and this will immediately revoke all access rights to the NICAS-related part of their account. Managers on the system can remove staff or we as admin can do this.

If it is the Course Director who has left, please ask the centre manager or owner to let us know so we can work with the new Course Director to remove the old permissions and set up new ones. If you need to tell us your Course Director has left or is leaving, then a needs to be submitted to us so we can adjust th permissions for your centre.

What advice do you have about keeping my account secure?

Logins timeout automatically after 4 hours of inactivity. It’s set to 4 hours because that is half a regular working day and many people who use the system (in general, across all uses of tahdah) will use it several times a day, but not continuously. For anybody using the system for candidate management we recommend using an office or personal computer to which only they have normal access. We would certainly advise people to avoid using public computers for maintaining candidate data for data security purposes. We realise that sometimes computers are shared between different staff, and as such would recommend you logout of the tahdah system when you are not using it as each account is personal to the individual using it.

What happens if I forget my login details?

If you have a login already but can't remember your details, go to the login page for tahdah. From here you should be able to reset your password. If you don't have a login but think you should, contact us.

I'm told I can use the same login details as I already use for my Mountain Training CMS. Why is this?

tahdah is a single system with options to add/remove relevant provider details and privileges to user accounts. So for example a NICAS Bouldering Course Director may currently have a tahdah account which was set up via MT CMS in order to manage their MT activity. If this person agrees to allow NICAS privileges, it will also provide them an additional NICAS “theme” for their Course Director role. The benefit of having one tahdah account is that it can be used for managing all details in one place; for example a NICAS induction could be awarded to wall staff and form part of that person’s record alongside their MT qualifications. However we recognise that some users may prefer to keep their accounts completely separate and manage their data differently within those accounts.

What are the benefits of using this same account for different purposes?

tahdah say: "tahdah is a unique system designed for the future of education, providing a life-long record of learning and learning delivery. By keeping everything in a single account we can (for example) use your fully verified Climbing Wall Award with Mountain Training to verify your suitability to deliver the NICAS Climbing and NICAS Bouldering schemes. Your time spent delivering NICAS can be counted as CPD towards membership of CIMSPA. A single account is allowing tahdah to create a joined up solution for the UK sports industry that will benefit the industry as a whole across a range of sports."

Why do you advise using an existing (personal) account?

tahdah advise that "Using your personal details might seem counter-intuitive if you are using this system for work, but by using your personal account all of your experience and skills can be carried over when moving employer, or starting a new venture for yourself. When you leave a training provider (a NICAS Climbing and NICAS Bouldering Accredited Centre) you are simply removed as staff with them and your new employer will be added. All emails relating to a provider you work for are sent to the provider, excluding your personal details, although certain work you do (such as completing course reports) are sent to the email address held on your personal account. We do plan to add a new feature in the near future to allow you to decide which email address will receive certain types of email."

What if I do not want to use my existing account?

You are able to request a new login and password in order to create a brand new account on tahdah if you wish. When you receive an invitation to join the new system, if it has not been sent to the email address you wish to use then you can request a new login is set up. When contacting us please provide the email address that should be associated with this account so that an invite can be sent to this new email address.

What about data access: who can see my account details?

tahdah state that "If you are already using tahdah, you will have noticed that it is available in a number of 'themes' which you can switch between. When you view your account on the Mountain Training theme you can only see information relating to Mountain Training, and if you view using the Water Skills Academy theme you can only see information relating to Water Skills Academy.

You can also view using the tahdah theme which allows you to see everything about you in one place. Administrators on the system cannot use the tahdah theme, they can only use the theme relating to their organisation, and they can only see you if you have given them permission by interacting with them.

This happens when you register on an award, become a member, book on a course, purchase an item from their shop, book on a workshop, if you are added as staff of a provider who delivers awards for that organisation or are given a Directorship.

We use this segregation to prevent administrators from one organisation seeing information about you relating to another organisation, and to prevent administrators from organisations you have not interacted with from seeing you at all. Your personal details, address, first aid and insurance are held centrally, so the same information can be seen by administrators in all organisations with permission to view your details, but award registrations, training, DLOG, workshop bookings, directorships, agreements, membership history, payment history and completed forms can only be seen by the relevant organisation and only to individuals within the organisation with the correct permissions."

Candidate data. What considerations have been given to Data Protection?

We provide a database tool that allows our NICAS Climbing and NICAS Bouldering providers to manage the record of those participating in our schemes, and to ensure that when an award is given to a candidate, that this is accurately recorded. We require first name, surname, date of birth and gender data to be recorded on candidate records.

Additional data recorded on our database is the level of NICAS Climbing and NICAS Bouldering, any award given, and location of the centre (but not the candidate's address or contact data). We have always collected this data in order to run our schemes.

In moving to a new database system, we will set up accounts for wall staff who are already our key contacts (Course Directors and Course Administrators) for NICAS Climbing and NICAS Bouldering delivery. These contacts will then manage the candidate records within the system, and the management of any additional staff accounts. A data sharing agreement has been created for the usage of the new database. This will require acceptance by staff on first login to the new system.

Our providers must currently advise their customers that when they sign up to NICAS Climbing and NICAS Bouldering courses that they are allowing the Accredited Centre to share data with us at NICAS. This is in order for NICAS to manage the schemes and (through showing aggregated participation numbers, gender split, and so on) ensure the sport of climbing, and our NICAS Climbing and NICAS Bouldering schemes, are recognised as valuable and investable.

We also provide an administrative service to our Accredited Centres. By having access to the information held within the candidate database, we are able to assist our providers with the management of their candidate records, for example in order to be able to action requests to transfer a candidate's record from one centre to another.

IMPORTANT NOTE:The tahdah database provides some additional data fields that an authorised user will see on the system as being optional fields. NICAS does NOT require any of these optional data fields to be completed about candidates, and if walls choose to add this information to the system they would need to ensure data processing notices are provided accordingly to customers, including confirming that this data will be shared onto a third party. As we move towards May 2018 and GDPR becoming mandatory, we will provide guidance on our requirements and policies for data collection, making it clear for candidates and their parents/guardians about the data we collect and how we use it. We will point our walls towards templates that they can use in providing processing notices to their clients. In the meantime please refer to our existing .

Is there an audit trail of who has awarded a level of NICAS Climbing and NICAS Bouldering to a candidate?

The tahdah system requires the allocation of a Course Director in order to generate a “pass” for a NICAS Climbing and NICAS Bouldering award. This aligns our awards further with Mountain Training awards. Using this system we will have access to a clear audit trail of who has awarded certification to a candidate and to be able to demonstrate that the person is authorised to do so through the privileges they’ve been given on the system.

Who will have access to the aggregated data of all providers?

In terms of overall statistics, NICAS Administration Officers will be able to see aggregated data, and tahdah as the processors have access to this data. This would not be shared other than (from an NICAS perspective) to provide aggregated statistics for reporting purposes.

I represent a Primary Centre. Will I see the details of my Awarding Centres on the new system?

tahdah are working on a way in which we will be able to allow Primary Centres to view a high level overview of their Awarding Centres. This will not include any candidate data. More details will be added about this as soon as possible (last update April 2018).

I received an email link a while ago, but it has now expired?

The email links are valid for 60 days. If yours has expired please contact us so we can reissue it.

Why can't I see any candidate records or carry out the manager/director tasks?

This will be due to your permissions. General staff level permissions allow you access to the system but not not to the candidate records. If you require access to candidate records, please speak to your Course Director in the first instance or contact us for advice. If you believe you should have had this level of permissions at the start (because you are the Course Director for example) - then it might be that you still need to accept the invite that the system generated. This invite acceptance automatically adds the permissions to your account when accepted. To check whether you have an invite that still needs to be accepted, log into your account, and then click on this invite checking link which will take you to any outstanding system invites logged for you on the system.

I can't login but it isn't a password issue / the database doesn't load correctly/times out?

Sometimes the internet browser you are using affects the system working correctly for you. Please ensure you have the latest updates installed for your browser. If you are using Chrome, Edge, Safari, Firefox or Opera you should be able to use the system. If you still have issues and are using these please let us know. Unfortunately the database won’t work correctly if you are using Internet Explorer, as Microsoft discontinued their support for this product some time ago. Please speak to your IT provider about updating to a currently supported internet browser.

I should have had an email from the database system (e.g an email verification email) but it hasn't arrived?

Sometimes, emails that the system sends out go straight to spam, or are blocked due to the security settings on your email system. We have had this issue flagged to us from centres with strict email security in place. If you have checked your spam filter and can't track down an email, please try and add "tahdah.co" to your safe sender list. Once done, let us know and we can generate a new email from the system which should then get through. If you have a team that manages IT at your centre they should be able to assist with adding safe senders, alternatively there are some tips on how to add safe senders on this website for gmail/outlook/yahoo users. Finally, another thing to try is to log in to your Mountain Training account and visit the 'Invites' section: if no invitation is listed there for you to accept then please contact us.

Our data has imported, but some candidates seem to have duplicate records?

We have found this in a small minority of cases. We can merge these duplicate records if you email us with details of the issue and give us your permission to go ahead. We can only merge records where the candidate's name and date of birth matches on both records. if there is a reason why one of these fields does not match, but you can give us the reason plus your assurance it is the same candidate, we can merge those too.

A candidate record has disappeared?

We've found a number of instances where the original candidate record had been incorrectly set up with the forename and surnames in the wrong boxes when it was first entered by centre staff. Try a search using the other field, and if you still can't trace the candidate record then please contact us and we can check if the record has been archived or transferred, and by whom. If you can find it but the names are the wrong way around, let us know and we can make the necessary corrections.

I can see the candidate record, but it won't let me register or accredit them for another level?

Please check that their date of birth is correct, first of all. If it's a record which was imported from the old database and had an incorrect date of birth (such as 1900 or 2018) then the new system wil lock the account until it is corrected - email us with their correct details and we can make this change for you. If the DoB is correct then contact us with a screenshot of any error message you receive and we will investigate.

I've made an error (or need to make a change) on a candidate's name/date of birth details. How do I do this?

At present, amending a name or date of birth once a record has been saved on tahdah requires NICAS input. This is because tahdah has strict controls in place as an awarding/accreditation system to ensure that qualifications are awarded to the correct individuals, so records cannot be easily amended. This is an important requirement for other users of tahdah such as Mountain Training where someone's qualification is critical for their role so there are strict rules about amending records. For NICAS Climbing and NICAS Bouldering candidates, if the volume of requests for name/DOB changes proves high we will investigate this further. We have been made aware via user testing that errors do occur during initial data input and as such the option to self-amend the details on a candidate record, within a few minutes of creation, would be helpful.

I've selected Exemption instead of Pass for a candidate, in error. How can I correct this?

As long as you have Director privileges on your account, you can amend it yourself:

• From your list of candidates, select the candidate name and click on it
• On their Profile screen click on the cog wheel under under their "initials" roundel to get to their Details screen
• Select the "Training" tab
• Click on the brown "i" at the right hand side of their record
• On the next screen, select the "Results" tab
• Use the drop-down to change from Pass to Exemption, or vice versa. There is no 'save' button, the system updates immediately.

I've created a registration, and now want to pass that candidate. I'm not getting an option to do so?

Sometimes when you create a registration and immediately use that record to allocate a pass result, you need to select the "i" button to see the detail of that registration. Next select the "refresh module registrations" button. You can now select pass from the drop down menu (if you're a Course Director) or use the Course Report to add the pass information to the system if you are administering the candidate record on behalf of a Course Director.

I'm a Course Director, but I can't pass candidates on the system for all the levels our centre is allowed?

The Levels (Directorships) that are attached to each Course Director and Assistant Course Director are linked to their climbing qualifications. If the Course Director doesn't meet our minimum qualification or experience levels for a specific level, this will be restricted until they complete the additional courses required. We have tables explaining the minimum qualifications for each level in our , which was published in early 2016.

What should I do if I need any help with the system?

We have worked with tahdah to put together a number of help guides and videos and would ask that you refer to these as a first point of call. Within the tahdah system there is a link on every page called "contact". If you submit a contact form it will come straight to the NICAS admin team and we will get back to you as soon as we can. Include a telephone number if you wish to speak to us in person, we aim to be able to respond to enquiries within 2 days (Monday to Friday) at the most. If the issue is technical we will liaise with the tahdah team and keep you informed.

I hadn’t realised we were changing database and didn’t have time to cross check my records from old to new!

Checks were made on the data to make sure it imported correctly. We (as NICAS admin) will maintain access to the old database records for a few months in case of queries.

My candidate is not showing as registered for the correct level? On the old system, I just registered them for "Part 1" or "Part 2", and then passed them at each level?

If a candidate has physically started a level of NICAS Climbing and NICAS Bouldering but a registration doesn’t show for them on the new database, this is because the old system didn’t require a registration to be added at the start of each level.

We imported the registrations from the old system for level 1, or for level 3, due to the old database tying into the old Part 1 and Part 2 logbook registrations. Moving forwards we want to show registrations at each level 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 and to be able to report accurately on candidates achieving their awards, as well as to be able to audit who passed each candidate at each level. The new database reflects this change. It is important for us as a charitable trust to understand participation in our schemes and make adjustments to what we do, to continue to grow participation in our sport. We need to be able to report accurately about how many people are taking part, how long it takes to pass a level on average, and at a rolled up level to be able to report on trends and provide a true reflection of participation to the wider industry.

We reviewed the option for candidates to automatically get registered for the next level if they’ve passed a preceding level, however it’s not always the case that candidates do stay and carry on and the data will be skewed as a result. Our decision was that centres need to actively register someone, rather than the system automatically doing this.

If a candidate passes a level of NICAS Climbing and NICAS Bouldering and then you realise when updating their record that they weren’t already registered on the system for that level, they can be registered and passed at the same time with the option to backdate the registration date.

When I pass someone, how do I register them for the next level?

The quickest way, when you have passed them is as per this screenshot. Once you pass them and see this screen, select "registration" from the tabs available. This will take you to a registration screen where you can select the next level. We have asked whether a "add new registration?" option can be visible when you pass someone to make this an even quicker process.

Why is the candidate number in the new system different to the one from the old system?

tahdah assigns each candidate a unique reference. If a candidate's record has been transferred from the old database to the new database, the new system still generates a new unique number for the candidate. However, you are still able to use their old number in order to search for a candidate, as this number was transferred over from the old system.

Why are there optional fields: we didn't have to fill these out before?

You do not need to add any data that you haven't added previously with regards to candidate details. We only require you to add:

• name
• date of birth
• gender, and
• details of the level of NICAS Climbing and NICAS Bouldering they are registered for.

tahdah, as an overall system, gives a lot more scope to add more information but this is aimed at the user accounts that people manage themselves. Over time (and subject to further agreement and development) the idea is that a candidate or their parent/carer could choose to "adopt" their account and be able to manage all of their details, registrations and accreditations in one place - not just for NICAS Climbing and NICAS Bouldering but other climbing bodies and indeed for other sports too.

There are options to have paid features on the new system, is there a cost implication for climbing walls?

tahdah offer a paid additional set of service options when a user has an account. However this is not something we expect our users to do. Any paid extras are managed between a person and tahdah directly. To explain how accounts work in tahdah, please see our FAQs about data management and user accounts.

Are there any candidate reporting options that I can use?

If you have manager permissions on the system (e.g as you are the Course Director) then you are able to filter and download information from the system.

How do I access the inductions database?

Our previous inductions database has been archived as part of the change to the new tahdah system. In the coming weeks we will be importing induction records to the new database, so that staff members who have received an induction and are on the new system will have their induction details added to their staff account. The aim is to add an induction record to each member of staff’s record, allowing them to be findable and transferable if the member of staff moves to a different wall. We hope this will include details about the levels of the Schemes to which they've been inducted, and whether it's an induction which is valid for 3 years or a new-style NICAS 'permanent' induction.