About This Course
DHIS2 (District Health Information Software 2) is the world's largest health management information system platform, deployed in more than 100 countries and used by millions of health workers to collect, analyse, and act on health data. Its flexibility, open-source architecture, and powerful analytics capabilities make it the backbone of national and sub-national health information systems across Africa, Asia, and beyond.
Despite its widespread adoption, many organisations struggle to unlock the full potential of DHIS2 due to gaps in technical capacity. Staff often lack the skills to correctly install and configure the system, design meaningful data collection forms, build insightful dashboards, or troubleshoot common system issues. These gaps lead to poor data quality, underutilised platforms, and missed opportunities for evidence-based decision-making.
TrainingComplex's Installation, Use and Maintenance of DHIS2 Training is a comprehensive 10-day programme designed to build end-to-end technical competency across the DHIS2 ecosystem. Participants progress from foundational concepts and server installation through to metadata configuration, data collection and validation, analytics, user management, and ongoing system maintenance. Each day combines structured instruction with intensive hands-on lab sessions, ensuring that skills are immediately applicable in participants' own organisations.
This course is suitable for professionals at the intersection of health and technology — including health information officers, M&E specialists, database administrators, and Ministry of Health ICT staff — who are responsible for deploying, managing, or using DHIS2 in national, district, or facility-level contexts. Whether you are setting up a new instance or seeking to better administer an existing deployment, this programme provides the structured, expert-led foundation you need.
Who Should Attend
- Health Information Officers and Health Data Managers
- Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Officers working in health programmes
- Ministry of Health ICT and Database Administrators
- NGO and implementing partner staff responsible for DHIS2 deployments
- Public health programme managers who oversee data-driven reporting
- District and facility-level health records officers
- Researchers and epidemiologists using routine health data
- Global health consultants supporting HMIS strengthening projects
Learning Objectives
- Understand the architecture, components, and use cases of the DHIS2 platform
- Install and configure DHIS2 on both local servers and cloud-based environments
- Design and manage the organisational unit hierarchy and metadata structures
- Create and customise data entry forms, datasets, and data elements
- Configure validation rules and data quality checks to ensure data integrity
- Perform data entry, import, and export operations efficiently
- Build pivot tables, charts, maps, and dashboards for health data visualisation
- Manage users, user roles, and access control in a multi-level system
- Configure and use DHIS2 Tracker for individual-level and event-based data
- Apply routine maintenance procedures including backups, upgrades, and log monitoring
- Troubleshoot common DHIS2 installation, performance, and data issues
- Integrate DHIS2 with external systems and mobile data collection tools
- Develop an institutional maintenance plan tailored to participants' own deployments
Course Modules
Module 1: Introduction to DHIS2 and Health Information Systems
- Overview of Health Management Information Systems (HMIS) and their role in public health
- Evolution and global adoption of DHIS2 across low- and middle-income countries
- DHIS2 architecture: server, database, application layers and their interdependencies
- Key DHIS2 modules: Aggregate, Tracker, Event, and Maps
- Navigating the DHIS2 user interface and understanding core terminology
- Overview of the DHIS2 community, documentation resources, and support ecosystem
Module 2: Server Environment Preparation and DHIS2 Installation
- Linux server fundamentals for DHIS2 deployment (Ubuntu/Debian focus)
- Installing and configuring Java, PostgreSQL, and Nginx as DHIS2 dependencies
- Downloading and deploying the DHIS2 WAR file using Tomcat
- Configuring the dhis.conf file and setting system environment variables
- Installing DHIS2 on cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or local virtual machines)
- Verifying a successful installation and accessing the DHIS2 web interface for the first time
Module 3: Organisational Unit Hierarchy and System Configuration
- Understanding organisational unit (OU) hierarchies and their role in health reporting
- Creating and managing national, regional, district, and facility-level organisation units
- Assigning organisation units to datasets and programmes
- Configuring system settings: locale, calendar, application title, and email notifications
- Setting up organisation unit groups and group sets for disaggregated analysis
- Importing organisation unit data using CSV and XML templates
Module 4: Metadata Design: Data Elements, Categories, and Datasets
- Defining data elements, data element groups, and disaggregations
- Configuring category combinations, categories, and category options for data breakdowns
- Creating datasets and associating data elements with reporting periods and organisation units
- Understanding compulsory vs. optional data elements and completeness reporting
- Designing sections-based and custom HTML data entry forms
- Best practices for metadata naming conventions and metadata governance
Module 5: Data Entry, Import, and Export Operations
- Performing manual data entry using the DHIS2 Data Entry app
- Using offline data entry and the DHIS2 Android Capture app for field-level collection
- Configuring and using the Import/Export app for bulk data loading
- Working with ADX, JSON, XML, and CSV data exchange formats
- Scheduling and automating data exchange with external systems via the DHIS2 API
- Managing data entry locking, approval workflows, and period closure settings
Module 6: Data Quality, Validation, and Completeness
- Principles of health data quality: completeness, timeliness, consistency, and accuracy
- Creating and configuring validation rules and validation rule groups
- Running validation rule analysis and interpreting violation reports
- Using the Min-Max Analysis tool to detect outliers in aggregate data
- Configuring and reviewing the Data Quality app dashboard
- Developing standard operating procedures for routine data quality review cycles
Module 7: Analytics, Pivot Tables, Charts, and Maps
- Understanding DHIS2 analytics architecture and data dimension concepts
- Building pivot tables using the Data Visualizer app with multiple disaggregations
- Creating bar, line, and pie charts for programme performance monitoring
- Using the Maps app to visualise health data geographically with thematic layers
- Applying relative periods, organisation unit levels, and comparison groups in analytics
- Saving, sharing, and embedding analytics objects in DHIS2 dashboards
Module 8: Dashboard Design and Interpretations
- Designing structured dashboards aligned to programme reporting needs
- Adding and arranging visualisations, maps, reports, and text items on dashboards
- Sharing dashboards with specific user groups and configuring access permissions
- Using the Interpretation feature to annotate and discuss data findings within DHIS2
- Configuring push analytics to automatically email dashboards to stakeholders
- Best practices for dashboard layout, indicator selection, and audience-specific design
Module 9: DHIS2 Tracker and Event Programme Configuration
- Understanding the difference between aggregate, event, and tracker programme types
- Creating tracked entity types, attributes, and enrolment settings
- Designing tracker programme stages, data elements, and scheduled intervals
- Configuring program rules and program indicators for automated logic and calculations
- Using the Tracker Capture and Capture apps for individual-level data entry
- Generating tracker-based analytics and visualising patient or beneficiary-level data
Module 10: User Management, Roles, and Access Control
- Creating and managing DHIS2 user accounts and user groups
- Defining user roles and assigning granular authorities to control system access
- Configuring organisation unit scopes for data capture and data analytics separately
- Implementing two-factor authentication and password policies for system security
- Auditing user activity and reviewing the DHIS2 system audit log
- Best practices for user onboarding, offboarding, and access review cycles
Module 11: System Integration and Interoperability
- Introduction to the DHIS2 Web API and RESTful integration principles
- Connecting DHIS2 with mobile data collection tools such as ODK and KoBoToolbox
- Integrating DHIS2 with laboratory, facility management, and supply chain systems
- Using the DHIS2 Data Exchange app and metadata synchronisation for multi-instance environments
- Overview of HL7 FHIR and OpenHIE interoperability frameworks in relation to DHIS2
- Documenting integration architecture and data flow diagrams for institutional records
Module 12: System Maintenance, Backups, and Upgrades
- Developing a routine system maintenance schedule for a DHIS2 production instance
- Performing PostgreSQL database backups and testing restoration procedures
- Monitoring server performance using system logs, Tomcat logs, and Munin or Prometheus
- Applying DHIS2 patch updates and major version upgrades safely in a staging environment
- Optimising database performance through analytics table generation and resource table updates
- Configuring automated maintenance tasks using cron jobs and DHIS2 scheduled jobs
Module 13: Troubleshooting, Capstone Project, and Deployment Planning
- Systematic approach to diagnosing DHIS2 installation, login, and performance issues
- Interpreting common error messages in Tomcat, PostgreSQL, and DHIS2 application logs
- Capstone project presentation: participants demonstrate their configured DHIS2 prototype
- Peer and facilitator review of metadata design, dashboard quality, and system configuration
- Developing an institutional DHIS2 deployment and maintenance plan for participants' organisations
- Post-training resource guide: DHIS2 Academy pathways, community of practice, and certification options
Requirements & Prerequisites
Participants should have a working knowledge of basic computer operations and be comfortable using web-based applications. Some familiarity with health data systems, databases, or information management concepts is recommended, though formal ICT qualifications are not required. Prior experience with DHIS2 at any level — even as a data entry user — is helpful but not a prerequisite for enrolment.
Training Methodology
- Guided server installation labs where participants set up a live DHIS2 instance on virtual machines or cloud servers step by step
- Hands-on metadata configuration exercises building organisational hierarchies, data elements, and datasets from scratch
- Scenario-based data entry and validation workshops using simulated district health reporting data
- Dashboard design challenges where participants create analytics visualisations to answer specific health programme questions
- User management simulations in which participants assign roles, manage access levels, and audit user activity
- Tracker configuration practicals covering enrolment, program stages, and individual-level data capture
- Group troubleshooting sessions where teams diagnose and resolve deliberately introduced system errors
- Peer review of participants' dashboard and dataset designs with structured facilitator feedback
- Live system maintenance drills including database backups, log review, and version upgrade walkthroughs
- Capstone project in which each participant or team produces a deployment plan and configured DHIS2 prototype for their own organisational context
Organisational Benefits
- Strengthened in-house technical capacity to install and manage DHIS2 without dependence on external consultants
- Improved data quality through correctly configured validation rules and data entry workflows
- Faster and more accurate health reporting at facility, district, and national levels
- Better utilisation of DHIS2 analytics tools for evidence-based programme planning
- Reduced system downtime through proactive maintenance and effective troubleshooting
- Enhanced data security and user accountability through proper access control management
- Capacity to scale DHIS2 deployments as programmes grow or new modules are introduced
- Aligned ICT practices with global health data standards and interoperability frameworks
Where Is Installation, Use and Maintenance of DHIS2 Training Offered?
This course runs in-person across: Dubai, Nakuru, Abuja, Nairobi, Zanzibar, Kigali, Riyadh, Lagos, Mombasa, Cape Town, Dar es Salaam, Addis Ababa, Johannesburg, Accra, Naivasha, Kisumu, Pretoria, Arusha, Kampala, plus Live Virtual (online) cohorts. Browse live dates for your city below.
Upcoming Schedules
| Location | Format | Dates | Price |
|---|
| Live Virtual |
Online |
24 Oct 2026 – 13 Dec 2026 |
KES 160,000 |
| Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 4 Nov 2026 |
USD 8,200 |
| Nakuru, Kenya |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 4 Nov 2026 |
KES 240,000 |
| Abuja, Nigeria |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 4 Nov 2026 |
USD 5,600 |
| Nairobi, Kenya |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 4 Nov 2026 |
KES 230,000 |
| Zanzibar, Tanzania |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 4 Nov 2026 |
USD 5,000 |
| Kigali, Rwanda |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 4 Nov 2026 |
USD 3,800 |
| Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 4 Nov 2026 |
USD 9,000 |
| Lagos, Nigeria |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 4 Nov 2026 |
USD 5,000 |
| Mombasa, Kenya |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 4 Nov 2026 |
KES 240,000 |
| Cape Town, South Africa |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 4 Nov 2026 |
USD 7,600 |
| Kigali, Rwanda |
In-Person |
2 Nov 2026 – 13 Nov 2026 |
USD 3,800 |
| Lagos, Nigeria |
In-Person |
2 Nov 2026 – 11 Nov 2026 |
USD 5,000 |
| Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
In-Person |
2 Nov 2026 – 11 Nov 2026 |
USD 9,000 |
| Nairobi, Kenya |
In-Person |
2 Nov 2026 – 13 Nov 2026 |
KES 230,000 |
+230 more dates — view live schedule →
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a Linux or server administration background to attend this course?
A basic level of computer literacy is sufficient to enrol. The course introduces all necessary Linux and server concepts from the ground up during the installation modules, and facilitators provide step-by-step guidance throughout the lab sessions. Participants with some prior Linux or database experience will progress more quickly, but it is not a hard prerequisite.
Will I receive a certificate upon completing the course?
Yes. Participants who attend the full 10-day programme and complete the capstone project will receive a TrainingComplex Certificate of Completion in DHIS2 Installation, Use and Maintenance. This certificate can be used to demonstrate practical DHIS2 competency to employers and programme partners.
What equipment do I need to bring or have access to?
Each participant should bring a laptop with at least 8 GB of RAM and administrator privileges to install software. For in-person sessions, TrainingComplex provides lab environments with pre-configured virtual machines; for the Live Virtual format, participants will be given access to a cloud-hosted lab environment prior to the course start date.
Is this course aligned with the official DHIS2 Academy curriculum?
This course covers the same core competencies as the DHIS2 Fundamentals and DHIS2 Customisation online courses offered through the DHIS2 Academy, and goes further with hands-on installation and system administration content. While TrainingComplex is an independent training institute, the curriculum is designed to complement and reinforce DHIS2 Academy learning pathways.
Can this training be customised for our organisation's specific DHIS2 instance?
Yes. TrainingComplex offers bespoke in-house delivery where facilitators can work with your organisation's existing DHIS2 configuration, datasets, and reporting structure. Contact us before enrolment to discuss tailored delivery options for teams of five or more participants.
