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Topic 8 of 18

DHIS2 Aggregate Data Entry

Step by Step Guide: Entering a Month of Aggregate Data, Running Validation and Completing the Report

Purpose of this guide

The form is built, so now it has to be used. This guide walks through one month of aggregate reporting for one facility, from opening the Data Entry app to completing the report, and ends with the problems that come up most often. Work through it on the demo before you show it to facility staff.

Step 1: Open the Data Entry App

Aggregate data, meaning the monthly totals of a facility, is entered in its own app. Open the apps menu at the top right and type a few letters of the name. Tracker and event data are entered elsewhere, in the Capture app.

Click: Apps menu → type data entry → Data Entry (Beta)
The apps menu with the Data Entry app found by search
Figure 1. Finding the app.
  1. 1Search box. Type part of the name instead of scrolling through every app.
  2. 2The app icon. Click it to open the app.
  3. 3Data Entry (Beta). The aggregate data entry app in this version. Older systems call it Data Entry.
Step 2: Look at the Top Bar First

The app opens empty. Everything starts in the bar across the top, where three choices decide which form appears.

The data entry app before anything is chosen
Figure 2. The app before a form is chosen.
  1. 1Data set. Which form you are filling in.
  2. 2Organisation unit. Which facility the numbers belong to.
  3. 3Period. Which month you are reporting.
  4. 4Clear selections. Starts again from nothing.
  5. 5Options. Display settings, such as showing only one section at a time.
  6. 6The message. It stays until all three choices are made.
Step 3: Choose the Data Set

Click Data set. A list of every form you have access to opens, with a search box above it.

The data set list open, with Monthly Malaria Service Reporting in it
Figure 3. Choosing the form.
  1. 1Search for a data set. Type malaria to shorten a long list.
  2. 2The list. Every data set assigned to you.
  3. 3Monthly Malaria Service Reporting. The form built in Topic 3. Click it.
Step 4: Choose the Facility

Click Organisation unit. The hierarchy opens, from the country down to the facilities. Use the small arrows to open a district and then a chiefdom.

The organisation unit tree open, with facilities under a chiefdom
Figure 4. Choosing the facility.
  1. 1Search org units. Type the facility name if you know it.
  2. 2Sierra Leone. The top of the hierarchy.
  3. 3The arrows. Click one to open a district, then a chiefdom.
  4. 4A facility. Click the facility you are reporting for. Only facilities the data set was assigned to will open a form.
Step 5: Choose the Period and Read the Form

Click Period and choose the reporting month. The form opens as soon as all three choices are made.

The data entry form open, with the malaria sections, the Male and Female columns and the malaria data elements
Figure 5. The form, ready for numbers. The data set, sections and field names in this picture were changed to the ones you created, so the guide stays consistent.
  1. 1Period. The month you are reporting, for example 2026 January.
  2. 2Section. All sections, or one section at a time for a long form.
  3. 3Filter data elements. Type part of a field name to find it in a long form.
  4. 4Section heading. The sections built in Topic 3, with their description underneath.
  5. 5Column headings. The categories of the data elements, which is why each field has more than one box.
  6. 6Rows. One row per data element, using the form names from Topic 4.
  7. 7The bottom bar. Run validation and the completion button live here.
Step 6: Enter the Values

Click the first box, type the number and press Tab to move to the next one. Each value is saved on its own as soon as you leave the box, so there is no submit button for the numbers themselves.

What you seeWhat it meansWhat to do
The box turns green for a momentThe value is savedCarry on
A small spinner in the boxThe value is being savedWait a moment
A red box or a messageThe value was refused, often the wrong typeCheck the number and type it again
A grey box you cannot type inThe field is switched off for this facility or the period is closedLeave it, and ask the data manager if you think it is wrong
A small star in the corner of a boxThe field is compulsoryIt has to be filled before the report can be completed
A note on a single value: click a box and open its details to add a comment, mark it for follow up and see who entered it before. Use a comment when a number looks odd but is correct, so the next person does not query it.
Step 7: Zeros and Blanks

A zero and an empty box do not mean the same thing, and the difference matters when the data is analysed.

SituationWhat to enter
The service was offered and nothing happened0
The service was not offered at allLeave the box empty
The register is missing or unreadableLeave it empty and follow it up, do not guess
Step 8: Run Validation and Complete the Report

When every box is filled, use the bar at the bottom of the form. Run validation first, correct anything it finds, then mark the report complete.

The bottom bar of the form, with run validation and the completion button
Figure 6. The bottom bar. Same screen as Figure 5, with the names changed to yours.
  1. 1Run validation. Checks the values against the rules made in Topic 3, and lists anything that breaks one.
  2. 2The completion button. It reads Mark complete while the report is open, and Mark incomplete once it has been completed.
  3. 3Last completed by. Who closed this month last time, and when.
Click: Run validation → fix anything it finds → Mark complete
Expected result: Validation passes, and the month is marked complete for that facility, which is what completeness reports count.
If a rule fires and the data is right: leave a comment on the value and tell the data manager. The rule may need to change, but the number stays as the register says.
Step 9: When Something Does Not Work
What you seeWhyWhat to do
The data set is not in the listIt was not assigned to that facility, or not shared with youAssign the facility in the data set, as in Topic 3
The month is not in the listThe period type is different, or the year is wrongCheck the period type of the data set and change the year
The boxes are grey and cannot be typed inThe period is locked, by expiry days or by an approvalAsk the data manager to reopen it
A value is refusedThe value type does not match, for example text in a number fieldEnter a whole number with no spaces
Online turns to offline in the headerThe connection droppedKeep the tab open. Values sync when the connection returns, then check the form again
Practice first: on the demo, enter a full month for one facility, break a rule on purpose, correct it and complete the report. Doing it once removes most of the questions that come up in the field.

Final Checklist

DHIS2 Hackathon, Topic 5: Aggregate Data Entry