DATA Act Information Model Schema (DAIMS)

For DAIMS users: This is the current version and includes an implementation update for the Validation Rules. Submission Calendars by Fiscal Year are available on the Resources Page.

Version 2.1 of the DAIMS released June 4, 2021 with a Validation Rules implementation update on November 22, 2021. This release is necessary to support recent legislative and policy changes, such as agency tracking and reporting of COVID-19 supplemental spending as required by the CARES Act, ARP Act, and OMB implementation guidance M-20-21 and M-21-20. This release also supports Grant Reporting Efficiency and Agreement Transparency Act (GREAT Act) implementation, 2 CFR updates, an OMB Memorandum on Improvements in Federal Spending Transparency for Financial Assistance (M-21-03), and Grants Management (GRM FIBF) business standards updates. This release also includes reporting requirements for transitioning to the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) from DUNS and initial steps to help integrate Budget Object Class (BOC) reporting in the Governmentwide Treasury Account Symbol Adjusted Trial Balance System (GTAS) to reduce agency burden and improve overall BOC data quality. Changes will be implemented in phases based on the timelines from the OMB memoranda, GSA SAM, and GTAS.

Related to the COVID-19 response, this release includes tying off the M-20-21 requirements that were outside of the DAIMS v2.0 timeline, updates to the Disaster and Emergency Fund Code (DEFC), and exceptions required for the ARP Act based on M-21-20:

• Beginning in FY 2022, all agencies, including those without COVID-19 spending, must begin reporting Files A, B, and C to USASpending.gov on a monthly basis, including award outlay data in File C, for all Treasury accounts reportable under the DATA Act.
• Allowing up to a 3-character DEFC to enable future disaster/emergency spending tracking and align with GTAS. This includes the elimination of a temporary non-standard code (DEFC ‘9’) and requiring all actual DEFC (including non-COVID codes).
• Modified validations to align with SAM registration/recertification flexibilities provided for in M-21-20. This enables financial assistance records to be submitted when federal awarding agencies relax the timing of the requirement for active SAM registration at time of application (or waive it entirely in certain ARP programs) to expeditiously issue funding.

Related to the GREAT Act, 2 CFR updates, M-21-03, and GRM FIBF update, financial assistance reporting changes are:

• Enable reporting of Indirect Cost Federal Share Amount to promote transparency. This aligns with GRM FIBF standards which requires this be reported in FY22.
• Enable optional reporting of the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) to provide transparency through linkage to pre-award information. This aligns with GRM FIBF standards which requires this be reported in FY23.
• Enable the optional reporting of Funding Opportunity Goals Text for program goals at the funding opportunity level. This provides the alignment with GRM FIBF standards which requires this be reported in FY23
• Updates the Award Description and Period of Performance dates data elements to improve data quality through clearer guidance.
• Transition to Assistance Listing from CFDA.

Related to the Unique Entity Identifier and Budget Object Class, changes are:

The release also includes other minor updates to clarify documentation, update validation rules to improve data quality, address agency feedback, add domain values, address changes in source system files, and provide additional metadata for data consumers.

• Release Notes v2.1 – summary of changes for this version
• DAIMS v2.1.1 Document ZIP – zip file with DAIMS documents

On this page

• DAIMS Technical Architecture
• DAIMS Documents for Federal Agency Staff
• DAIMS Documents for Data Analysts
• DAIMS Documents for users of USAspending.gov
• History of DAIMS Releases since 2016

DAIMS Technical Architecture

The DATA Act Information Model Schema (DAIMS) is the authoritative source for the terms, definitions, formats, and structures for hundreds of distinct data elements that tell the story of how federal dollars are spent.

DAIMS gives federal agencies guidance about what data to report to Treasury, where to get that data, and how to submit it.

To learn more:

• DAIMS Overview  – What DAIMS is, its scope, value, and approach
• DAIMS Architecture  – The DAIMS conceptual model including a visual showing how domains, components, elements, and metadata go together in DAIMS
• DAIMS Information Flow  – A technical flowchart showing how data comes into, flows through, and is reported out, including how often that happens and where the data come from.

DAIMS Documents for Federal Agency Staff

Practices and Procedures

• How to submit, validate, and understand submitting to the DATA Act Broker

Reporting Submission Specification (RSS)

• An Excel spreadsheet that lists data elements, provides metadata, and gives federal agency staff instructions on how to submit content in the appropriate file format.

Interface Definition Document (IDD)

• An Excel spreadsheet that lists data elements, supporting metadata and explains what financial assistance data elements are pulled from government-wide procurement, sub-award systems, and from the DATA Act Broker (by way of FABS).

Validation Rules

• An Excel spreadsheet that documents the business rules the DATA Act Broker uses for field and cross-file validations. Implementation updated on November 22, 2021.

Examples of Submission Files - .csv files showing the format of agency submission files

• FABS: Financial Assistance data
• File A: Appropriation Account data
• File B: Object Class and Program Activity data
• File C: Award Financial data

DAIMS Documents for Data Analysts

These PDF files show the data model relationships for RSS and IDD files.

• RSS File A Diagram
• RSS File B Diagram
• RSS File C Diagram
• RSS FILE FABS Diagram
• IDD File D1 Diagram
• IDD File D2 Diagram
• IDD File E Diagram
• IDD File F Diagram

DAIMS XBRL Schema

• A machine-readable version of the data standards that includes accounting-related and award-related content.

DAIMS Documents for users of USAspending.gov

Online Data Dictionary

• A link to the USAspending.gov online data dictionary with a full list of data elements with a definition for each element and some associated metadata.

Consumption-Focused Metadata (CFM)

• An Excel file with a list of data elements, definitions, and supporting metadata showing how submission and outlay data is compiled.

Consumption Focused File Diagram

• A PDF file diagram showing the data model for data sources of the USAspending.gov website.

Table may scroll on smaller screens