SNAP-Ed and Extension work is reported into PEARS each year. The time frame in which data can be reported each year is called the Reporting Period. Data in PEARS is organized by Reporting Periods. The Reporting Period structure affects your PEARS experience by providing organizations flexible reporting deadlines, providing Organization Administrators tools to manage reporting deadlines, and providing some automatic Reporting Period management.
1. Reporting Period Flexibility
The Reporting Period structure makes PEARS customizable to suit each organization’s needs. Each organization can select their own deadline for data to be entered into PEARS. Because some customizability differs for SNAP-Ed and Extension programs, the following list of changes is divided by program type:
SNAP-Ed – Reporting Period Customization
- Start and End Dates: Not Customizable
PEARS automatically sets up Start and End Dates to follow the federal fiscal year (October 1 – September 30). These dates cannot be changed. - Open and Close Dates: Customizable by Organization Administrator
Organization Administrators can edit the Open and Close Dates, using the Manage Reporting Periods page (located under the gear icon in PEARS).
Extension – Reporting Period Customization
- Start and End Dates: Customizable by request to PEARS Support Team
Organization Administrators may request to change Start and End Dates based on their needs by contacting PEARS Support. If no request is received, Start and End Dates will continue to follow the federal fiscal year (October 1 – September 30). - Open and Close Dates: Customizable by Organization Administrator
Organization Administrators can edit the Open and Close Dates, using the Manage Reporting Periods page (located under the gear icon in PEARS).
2. Organization Administrator Tools
Organization Administrators have access to a management page: Manage Reporting Periods. This page allows Administrators to view Reporting Periods and edit Open and Close Dates.
Organization Administrator Responsibilities:
- Manage Reporting Periods
Organization Administrators should adjust the Open and Close Dates as needed to set up the reporting deadlines for the next fiscal year. - Remind staff of upcoming deadlines
Currently, Organization Administers should manually remind staff of upcoming Close Dates to ensure data is entered before Reporting Periods become inactive.
Organization Administrators are not able to:
- Add records to inactive Reporting Periods
Previous Reporting Periods that are no longer active cannot have new data associated with them. This cutoff is necessary to ensure accurate data analysis and reporting.
3. PEARS Reporting Period Management
The PEARS system automatically completes the following management tasks:
- Create Reporting Periods
New Reporting Periods are created one year and one day before the Start Date. Once created, new Reporting Periods will appear on the Manage Reporting Periods page. - Initialize Reporting Periods
Reporting Periods are initialized one month before the Open Date listed.
A Reporting Period becomes initialized when when lists from the previous Reporting Period have been copied, and updates can now be made to those lists. For example, a few lists that are tied to Reporting Periods include: curricula, projects, and program areas.
GLOSSARY:
Start and End Dates define the time frame to be reported on in the Reporting Period. This is the time frame in which events occur that produce data (to be entered during the Open and Close Dates).
Open and Close Dates mark the time frame when the Reporting Period is active and data can be entered.
Open and Close Dates mark the time frame when the Reporting Period is active and data can be entered.
✓ TIP:
For Extension organizations, requests to change Start and End Dates can be made at any time. However, requesting changes in advance allows the Support Team to better meet your needs.
! CAUTION:
The Pears Team recommends that you avoid changing the Open and Close Dates of the currently active Reporting Period. Data that has already been entered for the active Reporting Period is not automatically recoded to represent the new Reporting Period. If previously entered records are not manually updated, changing the Open and Close Dates of an active Reporting Period can cause records to represent different time frames.
✓ TIP:
A list of Organization Administrators for your organization are listed in the PEARS Directory.
GLOSSARY:
Inactive Reporting Period
A Reporting Period becomes inactive when the Close Date has passed and data entry is no longer possible.
A Reporting Period becomes inactive when the Close Date has passed and data entry is no longer possible.
EXAMPLE:
The Reporting Period “Extension 2021” with a Start Date of 10/1/2020 will be created on 9/30/2019.