TDCJ-CJAD Data Manual - Texas Department of Criminal Justice

CSTS / ISYSFrequently Asked QuestionsWhat is the CSTS Intermediate System?The CSTS Intermediate System is a system that collects, processes, and reports all offenderinformation submitted electronically by a local CSCD. It was developed to take the place of thedata being collected, processed and reported by the CSTS mainframe system.Will the CSTS mainframe system continue to exist?Yes. The CSTS mainframe system is the official repository for the Criminal Justice InformationSystem (CJIS). Therefore, it must still need to collect and store offender data for that purpose.How will data exist on the mainframe system, if it no longer collects the data?Data will be made available to the CSTS mainframe system by the Intermediate System. Datawill be copied nightly from the Intermediate System to the CSTS mainframe system.How do the Intermediate System and mainframe systems differ?There are several differences between the two systems. However, the main difference betweenthe two systems includes the data requirements, namely the State Identification Number (SID)and Tracking Incident Number (TRN). Because the mainframe system is the official repositoryof CJIS, it must include the SID and TRN. The Intermediate System does not require the SID orTRN and therefore, has the ability to collect and store 100% of a local department’s offenderdata.Where is the CSTS Intermediate System website?The CSTS Intermediate System is located at http://csts.tdcj.state.tx.us. However, in order toaccess the site, you must first be logged into the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s VirtualPrivate Network (VPN).- 85 ­