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CDD-801A File Format Instructions

Purpose

This document provides instructions for technical staff, working in cooperation with program staff, to prepare the electronic files used by their agency (or sub-agency) to submit monthly CDD-801A data to the Child Development Management Information System (CDMIS) secure Web site via electronic file transfer. Agencies must submit their monthly reports electronically by using the CDMIS secure Web site.

Agencies can submit their reports at the CDMIS secure Web site in two ways:

This document describes the process for transferring electronic files. Agencies that submit CDD-801A data via electronic file transfer will typically have:

PLEASE NOTE: Creating a file for electronic file transfer is complex. Agencies that do not have the above characteristics should not submit their reports by transferring electronic files. Small and medium-sized agencies, in particular, should not use the instructions in this document. Instead, they should submit their CDD-801A data by using the data entry screens at the CDMIS secure Web site.

Electronic File Format Specifications
How to read the samples and examples
Technical description of an electronic file
Structuring the contents of the file
Structuring the rows of the file
Overview: Creating an electronic file from an existing computerized system, spreadsheet, or database application
Frequently Asked Questions

Sub-agencies

Agencies can submit their reports in smaller, more manageable groups called sub-agencies. Large agencies or agencies with many sites, programs, or contract types may find it convenient to create sub-agencies for reporting purposes, and then to designate users at each sub-agency who will submit monthly CDD-801A data.

An agency is responsible for ensuring that all its designated sub-agencies submit complete, correct, and timely reports.

All of the information in this document is applicable to agencies and sub-agencies.

Electronic file content requirements

Warning: Transferred files overwrite existing information

CDMIS allows multiple electronic file transfers for the same report month; however, every successful electronic file transfer completely overwrites all existing family, child and type of child care information for the specified agency (or sub-agency) for that report month.

Reminder: Check the status report

CDMIS processes electronic files each day at 2:45 A.M. After that time, status reports are available for files submitted the previous day.

The status report:

A status report is created every time a user attempts to transfer a file to CDMIS. All status reports are saved in the CDMIS database.

CDD-801A Electronic File Specifications

Note: For lists of valid entries, refer to the CDD-801A Data Definitions page. For those who wish to print the entire list, all the information fields are available in the Data Definitions (Revised 18-Jul-2011; DOC; 636KB; 113pp) document. These documents are being revised to include the new data elements being added with the July 2009 report period and will be available soon. Agencies will be notified by e-mail when they are available. You must use the Data Definitions document to ensure that the correct information is entered in each field.

Field #

Data element description

Data type [1]

Data size

Entry required?

Comments

1

Report month and year

C

7

yes

Required format is mm/yyyy. Example: January 2010 must be entered as 01/2010.

2

Vendor number/submission code [2]

C

7

yes

Example: Vendor number Z987 and submission code 000 is entered as Z987000.

3

Family Identification/Case Number (FICN)

C

Max. 15

yes

Every family must have a FICN or SSN. Only letters A-Z (both upper and lower case are acceptable) and numbers 0-9 are allowed.

4

Head-of-Household Social Security Number

N

9

yes

Numbers only; do not include dashes (-). Every family must have a FICN or SSN.

5

Head-of-Household Last Name

C

Max. 50; min. 2

yes

Only letters, hyphens, spaces, and apostrophes are allowed.

6

Head-of-Household First Name

C

Max. 50; min. 2

yes

Only letters, hyphens, spaces, and apostrophes are allowed.

7

Head-of-Household Middle Initial

C

1

no

This field must be included in the file, even if it is blank.

8

Head-of-Household Zip Code

N

5 or 9

yes

Numbers only; do not include dash.

9

TANF/CalWORKs Cash Aid Recipient?

C

1

yes

3 valid entries are: Y (yes), N (no), or U (unknown).

10

Family Income Greater Than 75 Percent of the State Median Income Level?

C

1

yes

3 valid entries are: Y (yes), N (no), or U (unknown).
11
 Family Size N 2 Yes Numbers only; 0-9
12
 Family Income N 4 Yes Numbers only; 0-9; no decimals.

13

Reason for Receiving Services

C

1

yes

Only 9 valid entries: A, B, D, E, F, G, H, J, Q.

14

Head-of-Household FIPS Code

N

5

yes

This field must contain five digits. Example: 06001, 06003. Leading zero must be included.

15

Family Start Date

Date

10

yes

Required format is mm/dd/yyyy (include the slashes). Example: September 2, 2009, must be entered as 09/02/2009.

16

Child's Last Name

C

Max. 50; min. 2

yes

Only letters, hyphens, spaces, and apostrophes are allowed.

17

Child's First Name

C

Max. 50; min. 2

yes

Only letters, hyphens, spaces, and apostrophes are allowed.

18

Child's Middle Initial

C

1

no

This field must be included in the file, even if it is blank.

19
 Child's Ethnicity C 1 Yes 2 valid entries; Y (yes) or N (no).
20
 Child's Race: American Indian or Alaskan Native C 1 Yes 2 valid entries; Y (yes) or N (no).
21
 Child's Race: Asian C 1 Yes 2 valid entries; Y (yes) or N (no).
22
 Child's Race: Black or African American C 1 Yes 2 valid entries; Y (yes) or N (no).
23
 Child's Race: Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander C 1 Yes 2 valid entries; Y (yes) or N (no).
24
 Child's Race: White C 1 Yes 2 valid entries; Y (yes) or N (no).
25
 Child's Gender C 1 Yes 2 valid entries; M (male) or F (female).

26

Child's Date of Birth

Date

10

yes

Required format is mm/dd/yyyy (include the slashes). Example: September 2, 2009, must be entered as 09/02/2009.

27

Exceeds Age for Program Type - Has IEP

C

1

yes

3 valid entries: Y (yes), N (no), or null/blank.
28

Child Start Date

Date

10

yes

Required format is mm/dd/yyyy (include the slashes). Example: September 2, 2009, must be entered as 09/02/2009.
29
 Child Receives Part-Time Care? C 1 yes 2 valid entries; Y (yes) or N (no).

30

Provider FEIN/SSN

N

9

yes

Numbers only; do not include dashes (-).

31
 Provider FIPS Code N 5 yes This field must contain five digits. Example: 06001, 06003. Leading zero must be included.
32
 Provider Zip Code N 5 or 9 yes Numbers only; do not include dash.

33

Type of Child Care

N

2

yes

This field must contain 2 digits. Example: 02, 04, etc. Leading zero must be included.

34

Program Code 1

C

4

yes

Program Code 1 is required.

35

Program Code 2

C

4

no

This field should only contain data if the child receives services from more than one program code. This field must be included in the file, even if it is blank.

36

Program Code 3

C

4

no

This field should only contain data if the child receives services from more than two program codes. This field must be included in the file, even if it is blank.

37

Services Date

Date

10

yes

Required format is mm/dd/yyyy (include the slashes). Example: September 2, 2009, must be entered as 09/02/2009.

1 C = character (upper- and lower- case letters, numbers, dashes, etc.); N = numbers only.
2   The default submission code for agencies that do not report by sub-agency is "000". If an agency has created sub-agencies for reporting purposes, then each sub-agency has its own submission code. The list of submission codes for each agency is available within the CDMIS Web site on the Sub-agency/No Services page.

How to read the sample and examples

This section includes several examples.

Two symbols are used in the examples below to represent required formatting:
> is the symbol for tab
@ is the symbol for CR/LF

Note: all data format examples below have each row broken into sections representing the agency and report period, family, child, and provider. The actual file would have all four sections together on the same row.

Sample:

The Sample Row below displays the information about a family who will be included in the August 2009 CDD-801A report:

Sample Row:

08/2009>Z987000
>A9910>123456789>Adams>Alice>A>958141292>N>N>3>1500>D>06067>08/14/2009>
Adams>Ann>B>N>Y>N>N>N>N>F>04/06/1999>>08/14/2009>N>
234567890>06067>95814>07>CAPP>>>08/14/2009@

Example 1

Betty Boop has three children (Milly, Barry, and Donny). She began receiving services for all three of her children from agency Z987 on January 14, 2009. The CD-9600A (Child Care Data Collection Privacy Notice and Consent Form) signed by Betty indicates she does not want her Social Security Number submitted for data collection purposes, so that field must be blank. All three children receive services from the same provider. Barry and Donny started receiving services on January 14, 2008, but Milly only began receiving services on September 5, 2008 (when she was about six months old). Milly received full time care in July 2009. The other two children, Barry and Donny, only received 2 to 3 hours of care each day in July.

Note: Three rows must be included - one for each child. All children are from the same family, so the family information (fields 1-15) is exactly the same in all 3 rows. Even through all the children received child care from the same provider in the same type of care (setting), they were in different programs represented by different program does. This means the provider information (fields 30-37) is the same except for the code displayed in program code 1 field (field 34).

Data format:

07/2009>Z987000>
S1832>>Boop>Betty>>95814>Y>N>4>3000>D>06067>01/14/2008>
Boop>Milly>>N>Y>N>Y>N>N>F>03/10/2008>>09/05/2008>Y>
987987987>06067>95828>04>CCTR>>>09/05/2008@

07/2009>Z987000>
S1832>>Boop>Betty>>95814>Y>N>4>3000>D>06067>01/14/2008>
Boop>Barry>>N>Y>N>Y>N>N>M>06/14/1998>>01/14/2008>N>
987987987>06067>95828>04>CLTK>>>01/14/2008@

07/2009>Z987000>
S1832>>Boop>Betty>>95814>Y>N>4>3000>D>06067>01/14/2008>
Boop>Donny>>N>Y>N>Y>N>N>M>05/30/2000>>01/14/2008>N>
987987987>06067>95828>04>CLTK>>>01/14/2008@

Example 2

Melissa C Merk has one eight-year-old child (Cindy Sanders). The agency has determined this family’s size is two (2) the monthly income is $2,200. On Tuesdays, Cindy received license-exempt in child's home child care from a relative (Provider = "987654321", Type of Child Care = "05") for three hours on Tuesdays. On Mondays and Wednesdays, Cindy received license-exempt outside child's home care from her grandmother (Provider = "876543210", Type of Child Care = "07"), who lives in the same county, but her home is in a different zip code. She receives three and one-half hours of care on Mondays and Wednesdays at her grandmother’s house. All of Cindy’s care is part-time.

Data format:

07/2009>Z987000>
>101234567>Merk>Melissa>C>952372564>Y>N>2>2200>D>06045>12/04/2005>
Sanders>Cindy>C>Y>N>Y>Y>N>N>F>09/20/1998>>12/04/2005>Y>
987654321>952372564>06045>05>CAPP>>>12/04/2005@

07/2009>Z987000>
>101234567>Merk>Melissa>C>952372564>Y>N>2>2200>D>06045>12/04/2005>
Sanders>Cindy>C>Y>N>Y>Y>N>N>F>09/20/1998>>12/04/2005>Y>
876543210>95232>06045>07>CAPP>>>12/20/2005@

Example 3

Halle Hooper has one child (Hilda). Hilda received center-based child care from Provider 345345345. Hilda meets the need and eligibility criteria for receiving services under the CCTR program. In addition, her age exceeds the age limit for this program but she has an active IEP in her family file and, therefore, she can receive services to 21 years of age. The file contains a "Y" in field 27 to indicate that the documentation of an active IEP is in the family file. She receives seven hours of care before and after school each day.

Note: This file contains one row for the Halle Hooper family. The only child received the same type of child care in the same setting, funded by one program.

Data format:

07/2009>Z987000>
DD9918>210123456>Hooper>Halle>>94653>Y>N>2>2500>D>06079>01/01/2005>
Hooper>Hilda>>N>N>N>N>Y>Y>F>10/22/1994>Y>01/01/2005>N>
345345345>06079>94653>04>CCTR>>>01/01/2005@

Example 4

Emmalina E. Eastwick has two children (Efram E. and Edna E.) who began receiving child care services on the same date. Efram has always received child care from Provider 443412444. Efram receives 2 hours of care after school from this provider. During the month, Efram’s mother selected a different provider where her son would receive services. At his new provider, Provider 456789012, he receives 3 hours of care after school each day. Ella began receiving subsidized child care services on a different date than her brother from Provider 678901234. She receives 7 hours of care each day from her provider.

Note: This file for November 2009 must contain three rows for the family - one row for each provider of child care during the month (in the December 2009 file, the old provider record would not be included because that provider did not provide services to Efram in December 2009). For the first child, the family (fields 1-15) and child (fields 16-29) information is exactly the same in both rows. The Provider information is different because there were two different providers for Efram in November 2009. For the second child, the family (fields 1-15) information is exactly the same.

Data format:

11/2009>Z987000>
210123456>Eastwick>Emmalina>E>96127>Y>N>4>3000>D>06035>10/01/2007>
Ewing>Efram>E> N>N>N>N>Y>Y>M>07/23/2001>>10/01/2007>Y>
443412444>06035>96127>04>CAPP>>>10/01/2007@

11/2009>Z987000>
210123456>Eastwick>Emmalina>E>96127>Y>N>4>3000>D>06035>10/01/2007>
Ewing>Efram>E> N>N>N>N>Y>Y>M>07/23/2001>>10/01/2007>Y>
456789012>06035>96127>02>CAPP>>>11/16/2009@

11/2009>Z987000>
210123456>Eastwick>Emmalina>E>96127>Y>N>4>3000>D>06035>10/01/2007>
Ewing>Edna>E>N>N>N>N>Y>Y>F>12/01/2004>>08/01/2008>N>
678901234>06035>96130>04>CAPP>>>08/01/2008@

Example 5

Agency X has correctly prepared a file with October 2009 data. The file contains information for three families.

Note:

Data format:

10/2009>YXZ7000>
Y97M08>>Fitz>Maria>E>96127>Y>N>3>2500>D>06035>08/15/2009>
Fitz>Juan>>Y>N>N>N>Y>Y>M>08/23/2005>>08/15/2009>Y>
432432432>06035>96127>04>CSPP>>>08/15/2009@

10/2009>YXZ7000>
Y97M08>>Fitz>Maria>E>96127>Y>N>3>2500>D>06035>08/15/2009>
Fitz-Morris>Alicia>>Y>N>N>N>Y>Y>F>10/12/2002>>08/15/2009>N>
432432432>06035>96127>04>CCTR>>>08/15/2009@

10/2009>YXZ7000>
Y97M08>>Fitz>Maria>E>96127>Y>N>3>2500>D>06035>08/15/2009>
Fitz-Morris>Alicia>>Y>N>N>N>Y>Y>F>10/12/2002>>08/15/2009>N>
234105678>06049>96101>02>CCTR>>>08/15/2009@

10/2009>YXZ7000>
F82H93>>Khan>Mustafa>M>96130>Y>N>5>3500>D>06035>08/23/2007>
Khan>Ali>M>N>N>N>N>Y>Y>M>07/19/2002>>08/23/2007>N>
777666555>06035>96137>04>CCTR>>>08/23/2007@

10/2009>YXZ7000>
F82H93>>Khan>Mustafa>M>96130>Y>N>5>3500>D>06035>08/23/2007>
Khan>Reza>M>N>N>N>N>Y>Y>F>11/10/2008>>10/23/2007>Y>
432432432>06035>96137>04>CCTR>>>10/23/2007@

10/2009>YXZ7000>
J33U94>>Chung>Kim>D>96137>Y>N>4>2500>D>06035>11/01/2008>
Chung>Sam>D>N>N>N>N>Y>Y>M>03/01/1998>>11/01/2008>N>
432432432>06035>96130>03>C2AP>>>11/01/2008@

10/2009>YXZ7000>
J33U94>>Chung>Kim>D>96137>Y>N>4>2500>D>06035>11/01/2008>
Chung>Sam>D>N>N>N>N>Y>Y>M>03/01/1998>>11/01/2008>N>
777666555>06035>96130>04>C2AP>>>11/01/2008@

10/2009>YXZ7000>
J33U94>>Chung>Kim>D>96137>Y>N>4>2500>D>06035>11/01/2008>
Chung>Ann>>N>N>N>N>Y>Y>F>09/15/1999>>11/01/2008>N>
432432432>06035>96130>03>C2AP>>>11/01/2008@

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Technical description of an electronic file

File name:
File format:
Row (record) format:
Field format:
Data formats:

Structuring the contents of a file

The format for an electronic file consists of rows of information about all of the CDD subsidized services provided by one agency (or sub-agency) for one month.

Multiple rows must be submitted for that family when:

The rows in a file must be grouped in a very specific way:

If there are multiple rows for one family, then all the information for the family (fields 1-15) must be exactly the same in all those rows.

If there are multiple rows for one child, then all the information for the child (fields 16-29) must be exactly the same in all those rows.

If there is only one program code in the row, it must appear in field 34; fields 35 and 36 must be included, even if they are null or blank.

Structuring the rows of a file

Each row in an electronic file contains information about a family, a child in that family, and a type of subsidized services received by that child.

 

If a family has

Then the file contains

Explanation

1 child who received 1 type of child care

1 row

 

3 children who each received child care from the same provider

3 rows (one for each child)

All children are from the same family, so the family information is exactly the same in all 3 rows.
All children received child care from the same provider, so the provider information is exactly the same in all 3 rows.

1 child who received 2 types of child care from different providers

2 rows (one for each provider)

Only 1 child received child care, so the family and child information is exactly the same in both rows.

1 child who received child care from 2 providers and 1 child who received child care from 1 provider

3 rows (two rows for the first child, 1 row for the second child)

For the first child, the family and child information is exactly the same in both rows.

1 child who received 2 types of child care from 1 provider (for example, "License-exempt in child's home by a relative" and "License-exempt outside child's home by a relative")

2 rows (one row for each type of child care

Only one child received child care, so the family and child information is exactly the same in both rows.
The Provider FEIN/SSN is the same in both rows. Even though the child received care from the same provider, the type of care (setting) is different.

1 child who received child care from the same provider, in the same type of care, but under 2 program codes

1 row

The row has 3 fields for program codes. In this example, the first 2 fields would contain the program codes and the 3rd field would be blank.

Overview: Creating an electronic file from an existing computerized system

If you can format your existing data as tab-delimited text files, then the files can be transferred to CDMIS.

The flexibility of your existing system determines what you can transfer into CDMIS. PC-based databases like Microsoft Access, FileMaker, and FoxPro can easily create tab-delimited text files. Mini-computer systems and mainframes may need special programming to create PC-readable electronic files.

The only real limitation to creating electronic files is in reconciling the files and fields between your existing system and CDMIS. The electronic file structure for CDMIS is fixed. This means your existing data must conform to the fields required by the CDMIS database.

Reconciling the two systems' file formats and fields is the most difficult part of the process.

Examples:
Using a spreadsheet application to create an electronic file

Spreadsheet applications, such as Microsoft Excel or Lotus 1-2-3, naturally handle the creation of a tab-delimited text file.

You can create your own spreadsheet template to input (or format) your data and create tab-delimited files that you can transfer into the CDMIS database.

Your spreadsheet must be built to contain all the fields (columns) described in the file format specifications. The electronic file MUST be constructed with the EXACT format shown, all columns in the proper order, even if they are not populated with data. To export your data, saving your file as a "tab-delimited text file" should, in most cases, be appropriate.

Important:

Using a database application to create an electronic file

Database applications are slightly less widespread than spreadsheet applications because of their relatively higher level of complexity and (sometimes) their higher prices. It is hard to provide general instructions for exporting from one system to another.

Generally speaking, the same recommendations apply for creating an electronic file from a database as for a spreadsheet: you must base your table design on our file format specifications and respect the order of the fields when exporting.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I e-mail my agency's file to CDE?

No. CDE does not accept files via e-mail. E-mail is not secure. NEVER use e-mail to send files that contain confidential information (such as Social Security Numbers). Your agency must transfer the file by using the CDMIS secure Web site.

Can I send a diskette or CD with my agency's file to CDE?

No. CDE does not accept diskettes or CDs. Your agency must transfer the file by using the CDMIS secure Web site.

Can I download a file from CDMIS?

No. You can only transfer information to the CDMIS secure Web site; you cannot transfer a file from CDMIS to your computer.

How do I know if someone else in my agency has already transferred a file for a report month?

Each time a user attempts to submit a file using the CDD-801A Electronic File Transfer option, the system checks to see if data already exists in that month. If it does, a page is displayed asking for confirmation to accept the file and overwrite the existing data in the selected month or cancel the transfer. If there is no data in the month, the file is accepted and the user can check the status the next day.

When I format the file, do I put quotation marks around the character fields?

No. Do not use quotation marks before and after character fields. The only allowed delimiters in the file are tabs (to separate fields) and CR/LF (to indicate the end of a row).

If I use the file transfer once, do I then have to use the file transfer every month after that?

No. In subsequent months, you can manually enter (type) your data into the CDMIS data entry screens at the secure Web site. For example, you can do a one-time file transfer to load all of your data into the CDMIS database. For the next report month, you can use the "Copy forward" feature on the data entry screens to copy your data to a subsequent month. After the data is copied to the new report month, you can edit it by using the CDMIS data entry screens.

Can I use the file transfer option whenever I want?

The CDMIS secure Web site is available at all times for you to submit your data. Obviously, you cannot submit data for a report month in the future (reporting rules require that you submit information based on receipt of child care).

Can I transfer a partial file now and transfer the rest later?

No. Every time you (successfully) transfer a file, all of the existing data in CDMIS for the specified report month is erased. The transfer file replaces all your existing data.

The only way for an agency to submit monthly data in multiple files is to establish sub-agencies.

How do I change the information I already transferred? I need to add, edit and delete data.

You have two options:

Help! I transferred a file with wrong information. How do I delete all of the data in the file?

You have two options:

What happens to the file I transferred?

The file is processed in three steps:

How do I know if my file transfer was successful?

Our system processes files submitted the previous day at 1:00 am each morning. A processing status report is available the morning after you transfer the file. Go to the main menu and select the function "CDD-801A Management Reports" and then select "CDD-801A Electronic File Status Report" along with the report month and year you would like to view. All files submitted for a specific report period will be displayed in the order they were received. To view the status of a file, click the link for that file to open the status report. The processing status report describes if a file was rejected or successfully processed. If a file was rejected, the report displays errors or missing information in the file that must be corrected.

If one sub-agency uses the file transfer function, does the other one have to?

No. Every sub-agency is completely independent of any other sub-agency.

Can I switch from file transfer to Web input (or vice versa) anytime?

Yes.

When I look at my transfer file, the data wraps into lots of rows. Did I do something wrong?

When printing or displaying an import file, long records may wrap around the screen or page for multiple "lines." These are still considered single rows (records) if the end-of-line characters CR/LF appears after the last field.

How can I test my file?

CDMIS has a secure Test Web site [https://www4test.cde.ca.gov/cdmis] for this purpose. It operates just like the main CDMIS Web site [https://www4.cde.ca.gov/cdmis] but the files submitted do not count as a submission for your agency. Files are processed every half-hour between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm daily. Users can log on to this test Web site to test their files and resolve errors. Once all the errors are resolved, the file can be submitted to the main CDMIS Web site.

Do I have to give my electronic file a special name before I transfer it to CDMIS?

No. The CDMIS secure Web site accepts files with any name. For your own convenience, we recommend that you give your file a name that indicates its report month and year.

My agency uses a software package to create our monthly CDD-801A reports. Can I transfer a file to the CDMIS secure Web site?

Agencies that use software created by outside vendors will be able to submit electronic files if the software has been updated with the requirements detailed in this document. For more information, consult your software vendor.

I forgot to report some families when I transferred last month's electronic file. Can I just include those families in my file for next month?

No. A file must contain information for only one month. If you try to transfer a file with information for more than one month, the entire file will be rejected. To add just a few families to a prior month, use the "CDD-801A Web Input/Edit" function.

What is a FIPS code and how do I find it?

FIPS stands for Federal Information Processing Standards. In California, FIPS codes are assigned by county. If you know the county, you can find FIPS code on the Web site maintained by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. (Outside source)

For residents of contiguous states, the FIPS code is the two-digit state code followed by 3 numbers associated with the counties in those states. We have provided a Zip/FIPS Lookup utility that can be accessed from the Main Menu of CDMIS. Just enter the Zip Code and our system will provide the correct FIPS Code to enter in your file.

I used a spreadsheet to create my electronic file. When I try to transfer it, the transfer fails. Help!

There are four common problems when a spreadsheet is used:

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Questions:  CDMIS staff | cdmis@cde.ca.gov | 916-445-1907
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