CEDEN Data Submission

Any party collecting water quality-related data in California can submit data to CEDEN by following the steps outlined below:

1. Review the Guidance
   Each template for submitting data to CEDEN is accompanied by a guidance document. These are important to read at the beginning of preparing data for CEDEN submission so you know what fields CEDEN collects. CEDEN Data Templates and Guidance Documents
2. Register Project & Request Vocabulary
   Request to add your new Project and any other controlled vocabulary needed to describe your data by filling out a CEDEN Vocabulary Request Template. Review CEDEN controlled vocabulary. Email your request to ceden@waterboards.ca.gov. CEDEN Vocabulary Request Template
3. Populate Templates
   Use CEDEN controlled vocabulary and your data to complete the templates, following the template guidance document. If the data are intended for use in the Integrated Report, confirm that the templates have been populated to meet the Integrated Report submission requirements.
4. Use the CEDEN Data Checker
   The CEDEN Data Checker confirms that CEDEN controlled vocabulary is used and that the data follow certain business rules.
5. Resolve Errors and Check Warnings
   The CEDEN Data Checker returns errors, which must be fixed, and warnings, which should be confirmed. Contact the CEDEN Help Desk if you have questions on how to resolve errors.
6. Confirm Data are Ready to Submit to CEDEN
   Once the errors have been resolved and the warnings checked, click the "Submit Data To CEDEN" button. This will send the data file to the data center via email. Staff from the data center will load the data into the database.