General 1. What is this service? 2. Who should I approach if my company wishes to use the service? 3. What are the pre-requisites? 4. What are the operating hours for this service?   Registration 5. How does my company apply for this service? 6. Who can I contact if I need help in completing the application form? 7. How long will it take to process my company’s application form?   Uploading File(s) 8. What types of files are acceptable? 9. Is there a standard file layout? 10. Is there a limit on the file size for each upload? 11. How do I upload the file? 12. Can I upload more than one file at any time? 13. What happens if another file with the same File ID is uploaded? 14. I have already uploaded a file. Can I request to overwrite it with a new file? 15. What happens if I forget to delete the original file before uploading a new file with the same File ID? 16. When will the uploaded file be processed? 17. How do I know if the complete file has been successfully uploaded? 18. I have encountered an error "The File does not contain valid text characters" when I try to upload a file. What can I do?   Downloading File(s) 19. What type of files can be downloaded? 20. Is there a limit on the file size for each download? 21. How do I download the file? 22. Can I download the same file more than once? 23. How do I know if the complete file has been successfully downloaded?   Security 24. What is 128-Bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption? 25. What do I need to use the SSL encryption option? 26. How much would it cost me to use the SSL encryption service? 27. What happens if I forget to logout after using the GDEC service?   Troubleshooting 28. I have logged in to the GDEC Service using SingPass but it seems very slow and sometimes the service hangs. What is wrong?   If you have further queries, please email us at e-service@cpf.gov.sg.

General 1. What is this service?   The CPF Generic Data Exchange Centre (GDEC) is the central point for the Board's business partners to exchange data with the Board. Users can upload data to the Board or download data from the Board as long as they are registered users of the GDEC service.   2. Who should I approach if my company wishes to use the service?   To use the service, users must have an agreement with the counter part(s) in the Board on the file layout and the schedule in uploading and/or downloading the data file(s). This person is usually your business contact officer in the Board.   3. What are the pre-requisites?   i. A computer with Internet access. ii. Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.x, 6.0 or 7.0, or Netscape Navigator / Communicator 4.75, 4.79, 6.2 or 7.0, with Java Virtual Machine (JVM) or Java (Sun) 1.5 Plug-in. iii. A valid CPF account no. / NRIC and SingPass. iv. Successful registration. If you have not registered, you may do so here.   4. What are the operating hours for this service?   This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including public holidays.     Registration 5. How does my company apply for this service?   i. Agree on the file layout with your business contact officer in the Board. ii. Register for the service. To register online, please click here.   6. Who can I contact if I need help in completing the application form?   Please e-mail e-service@cpf.gov.sg for assistance.   7. How long will it take to process my company's application form?   It will be processed within one week. You will be notified by e-mail when your application form has been successfully processed.     Uploading File(s) 8. What types of files are acceptable?   Only text files which end with ".txt", ".dat" or ".dtl" extensions are acceptable.   9. Is there a standard file layout?   No there isn't. The file layout must be agreed between you and your business contact officer in the Board.   10. Is there a limit on the file size for each upload?   For better performance, we have limited the file size to 5 mega-bytes (5MBs). You will not be able to send the file if this file size limit is exceeded.   11. How do I upload the file?   Follow these simple steps :   i. Extract the file from the source and copy it to a diskette or your Internet PC hard disk. ii. Attach the file to the secured web page under the 'Upload File' module and click 'Send'. iii. Select the 'Enquire Status & Details of Uploaded File' module to check that the file details are correct.   12. Can I upload more than one file at any time?   Yes, you can, provided they have different File IDs. Each File ID to be uploaded must first be registered with the Board.   13. What happens if another file with the same File ID is uploaded?   If the file has been processed, you will be able to upload another file with the same File ID. If the file is still pending processing, you will be asked to delete the uploaded file before you can upload the second file.   14. I have already uploaded a file. Can I request to overwrite it with a new file?   Yes, as long as it has not been processed and both files have the same File ID. You can delete the original file and upload the new file with the same File ID.   15. What happens if I forget to delete the original file before uploading a new file with the same File ID?   You will not be able to upload a new file with the same File ID if there is already a file in the 'Uploaded' status. System will prompt you to delete the original uploaded file before you can send a new file with the same File ID.   16. When will the uploaded file be processed?   It depends on when your business contact officer schedules the processing run. Your file will be processed according to the schedule agreed between you and your business contact officer.   17. How do I know if the complete file has been successfully uploaded?   You will receive an immediate online message and an e-mail from the Board within an hour acknowledging the receipt of your file.   18. I have encountered an error "The File does not contain valid text characters" when I try to upload a file. What can I do?   You can only use the following characters in your file:   1234567890   abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz   ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ   ~`!@#$%^&*()_+-=\|:;'",./?[]{}     Please ensure your file does not include any invalid characters (e.g. ¥ Ö £ etc).     Downloading File(s) 19. What type of files can be downloaded?   Any type of file as long as the File ID has been registered with the Board and agreed with your business contact officer.   20. Is there a limit on the file size for each download?   For better performance, we have limited the file size to 6 mega-bytes (6MBs). You will not be able to download the file if this file size limit is exceeded.   21. How do I download the file?   Simply select the file from the list of downloadable files and the downloading will take place immediately.   22. Can I download the same file more than once?   Yes, you can as long as the file is still in the downloadable list. To find out when the file will be removed from the downloadable list, please check with your business contact officer.   23. How do I know if the complete file has been successfully downloaded?   You will be prompted to indicate the location you wish to save the file. It is identical to any downloads you perform over the Internet.     Security 24. What is 128-Bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption?   128-Bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption is the security standard and is used by large-scale online merchants, financial institutions, and brokerages world-wide to transmit private and confidential documents via the Internet. If you are using Netscape browser, please ensure that your browser settings are in place before proceeding with the service. Click here for the necessary SSL settings.   25. What do I need to use the SSL encryption option?   Your registered users will need to use their personal SingPass to login. Please visit www.singpass.gov.sg for more information on SingPass. To perform secure transactions over the Internet using SSL, you need to use web browsers that support the SSL protocol, for example Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.x, 6.0, or 7.0, or Netscape Navigator / Communicator 4.75, 4.79, 6.2 or 7.0. You will see a little key or padlock at the bottom left-hand corner of your browser if you are using Netscape Navigator, or a padlock at the bottom right-hand corner of your browser if you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer. Netscape also requires that you set the 'secure proxy' in your browser to your 'http proxy'. Meaning that if your ISP is Starhub, then your proxy server for both "http' and 'secure' must be set to proxy.starhub.net.sg, port no.=8080. IE does not require you to configure your browser settings.                 26. How much would it cost me to use the SSL encryption service?   The SSL encryption service is free.   27. What happens if I forget to logout after using the GDEC service?   To protect the confidentiality of the data exchanged, please remember to logout when you have completed uploading or downloading file(s). However, if you forget to do so, the service will automatically shut down after a short while.     Troubleshooting 28. I have logged in to the GDEC Service using my SingPass but it seems very slow and sometimes the service hangs. What is wrong?   If you are using a Netscape browser, please click here to see the setting requirements. You may also like to visit www.singpass.gov.sg for more information on SingPass.