Guide / File preparation

Prepare your survey CSV for validation

Match the check template, protect your source values and check the exported text before uploading.

TMH18 Validator • 3 min read • Reviewed

Watch the overview

About 3 minutes. A narrated explainer; the same words are below.

Read the video text
  1. 0:00Two survey files can both end in dot C S V, and still be completely different things.
  2. 0:06A file that opens neatly is not necessarily ready to be checked.
  3. 0:11Think of the upload as handing over a form. Make sure it still says what you meant.
  4. 0:16Spreadsheet software can quietly change data when it opens or saves a C S V file.
  5. 0:24TMH18 Validator uses a check template. It sets how your file is read and which rules run.
  6. 0:31You choose it yourself. Nothing picks it for you, so go by the survey contents, not the file name.
  7. 0:41TMH 18, headed Draft Version 4, expects every field to be present, in a set order.
  8. 0:50A header row is not required, but not forbidden either. Follow your template.
  9. 0:56This guide covers the workflow. It does not replace the standard.
  10. 1:02Step one. Keep an untouched copy of the survey export.
  11. 1:05Work on a separate copy, and note what you changed and why.
  12. 1:10Step two. After saving, check your identifiers, your dates, and your measured values.
  13. 1:17Leading zeroes should survive. Numbers should not be rounded, or turned into scientific notation.
  14. 1:25Step three. Look at the saved file in a text editor, not only the spreadsheet.
  15. 1:30Use UTF-8 text. The platform refuses UTF-16. Check the first records and a few near the end.
  16. 1:40Step four. Choose Upload a file, pick your file, and choose its check template.
  17. 1:45Select Upload and validate, and keep the tab open until receipt is confirmed. Then review the results.
  18. 1:53Here is an illustration. A road identifier starts with zeros.
  19. 1:58The spreadsheet drops them on save. The file still opens, but the identifier no longer matches the road.
  20. 2:06A successful transfer confirms receipt. It does not mean the survey data was accepted.
  21. 2:12A readable file can still hold wrong data. The upload screen, not this guide, shows the size limit.
  22. 2:20So: keep the original, match the template, check the saved text, then upload.
  23. 2:26The full guide is at TMH18 dot com, slash articles.

Choose the check template first

A check template tells TMH18 Validator how to interpret a file and which rules to run. Choose it for the survey contents, not just the filename. Two files ending in .csv can represent different survey types and need different fields or checks.

Before exporting, open the relevant template under Check templates. Compare its field definitions, expected units and delimiter with your survey export. Where your contract refers to COTO TMH-18, use the applicable published specification alongside the selected template. This guide explains the platform workflow; it does not define the full standard.

Preserve the source values

Keep an untouched copy of the survey export. Work on a separate preparation copy so that any correction can be traced back to its source. Record what changed and why, especially when converting units or correcting identifiers.

Spreadsheet software can change data while opening or saving a CSV. Check that road and section identifiers still retain any leading zeroes, dates remain in the required format, and numeric fields have not been rounded or converted to scientific notation. Confirm the values in a text editor as well as the spreadsheet view.

  • Retain the original export and its survey context.
  • Use the field order and delimiter expected by the template.
  • Check units before changing any measured value.
  • Check identifiers and dates after saving.

Inspect the file you will actually upload

For CSV and TMH-18 uploads, use UTF-8 text. Inspect the first records and a few records near the end of the saved file. Confirm that the delimiter separates fields consistently and that a quoted value containing a delimiter remains a single field.

Do not add a generic header row from another survey type. Follow the selected template and the format of your export. TMH-14 record files have a different structure and encoding requirement; do not apply this CSV checklist to those files without checking their format.

The upload screen shows the currently supported file types and size limit. Use that displayed limit when preparing a large export. Renaming a spreadsheet workbook to .csv does not convert it to text.

Upload, then check the findings

In Survey files, choose Upload, select the prepared file and choose its check template. Keep the upload page open until the server confirms receipt. Some files open their results directly; others show a processing state while analysis completes.

Open the file record and review the results before requesting approval. If the source needs correction, fix the preparation copy and use the available replacement workflow. Keep the original and your correction notes together. Successful transfer confirms receipt, not acceptance of the survey data.

Put it into practice

Upload a survey file

Sign-in and the relevant account permissions are required.

Validation

What errors, warnings and skipped checks mean

Read a validation result in context and decide whether to correct the source, investigate further or record an allowed exception.

Certification

From reviewed survey file to certificate

Understand the co-sign and final certification steps, who can act, and what to include in the handover.

Validation

Choosing the check template for a TMH 18 survey file

You pick the check template on the upload form. Learn what it controls, what a file type warning means, and how to check a file against the right template.

Standard

TMH 18 data validation: from survey file to certificate

TMH 18 data validation explained: what version 4 of the standard defines, what TMH18 Validator accepts and checks, and what a certificate does and does not tell you.

File preparation

TMH 18 file format: semicolons, UTF-8 and empty fields

The TMH 18 file format has three record rules: UTF-8 text, a semicolon between fields and no missing fields. See how to follow them and what the check menu offers.

Standard

Why every TMH 18 record must fit inside the network kilometres

The TMH 18 network file sets each road's km range. See what the standard says about data outside it, and what TMH18 Validator does not confirm.

Certification

What a TMH18 Validator certificate tells the client

Road survey data certification here is a review decision plus a SHA-256 fingerprint of one file. See what it proves, what it does not, and how to check it.

Certification

When nobody in your team can issue the final certificate

Separation of duties for survey files: who may certify, the warnings TMH18 Validator shows early, and how to invite a second certifier.

Validation

When to record an exception on a finding, and what to write

Record exception clears a finding so a file can move on, but you cannot undo it. See who can use it, what reason to write, and why a Reupload or a new run of the checks drops every exception.

File preparation

Why an upload is refused before any checks run

A wrong file type, UTF-16 text, an empty file or a file over the size limit is refused before any checks run. Here is how to fix each.