Queries that must be be run before importing the courses, they can be run by anyone with query access. The queries can be run throughout the entering of prior term copies to save you from having to a monster clean up, but they all must be run after the prior term copies have been entered and checked.
Adding the Courses to the Data Base
Quest Clean-up for importing Courses
Log into Quest as SCHDPROC
Run scheduling queries related to course cleanup:
UW_RS_SOC_ORGS_GROUPS_NP – If you get results you must do a course roll (Curriculum Management -> Roll Curriculum Data Forward -> Course Roll) that should fix them!
Run query to look for missing RC weights (UW_RS_MISS_RC_IN_RCWGHT_TBL_NP) if there were some that needed to be added re-run: UW_RS_RESERVE_CAP_ORDER_NP to catch any changes.
Ensure Scheduling has updated all course changes
Quest work:
Waterloo Student Admin > CEM > Process > Course Scheduling Anomaly Report
Enter in the term you about to run – run it twice once for GRD and once for UG, and the server name is SISP1
Once it’s finished running and the status is “Success” and “Posted” in the Process monitor click “Details” then “View/Log Trace” then the “.out” file
fix in Timetabler if required (most fixes will be within Quest as there’s no courses imported yet in Timetabler)
Navigate to:
Waterloo Student Admin > Scheduling >Processes > Timetabler Extract
run control: timetabler_extract
Upcoming term gets entered and previous like term
Evening start time is 4:00PM (16:00)
filepath: /software/sa.sisp-1.0_prod/spool/outgoing/DCU/
When running in a test environment “/software/sa.sisp-1.0_dev/spool/outgoing/DCU/”
Run the PS Job (UWTPINTT)
The order the processes run are:
UWTPINEX = Timetabler Course Extract
UWTPINSE = timetabler extract setup - set up files
UWTPINST = Timetabler Extract Student - we don't use students - but it might contain programs
UWTPINCP - Timetabler extract conversion
When the Timetabler Extract process has completed, navigate to
Q: > k2 > PROD > outgoing
Test would be “Q:\ozark\dev\outgoing”
Should save a copy of the DCU folder on the O drive "O:\Timetabler\Import" (it should have todays date and replace the last DCU folder)
Timetabler work:
In Infosilem Timetabler navigate to Import. File -> Import on the database that you are creating. Make sure the "Select File Type(s) are Space-delimited (TXT)
The Delete records from Academic Suite if they are not found in the source file should be Checked (differential). Select Next
Select Clear and then select the following file: Courses
Select Next
Click “Browse” and point to DCU folder on the local machine drive. Then click “Next”
Check the Report for any problems.
If everything is ok, select Next, check the rejected records on this next report.
If everything is ok, click Next.
Keep the Backup option selected (because why not) and select Import
In the Course characteristics file (crschar.txt) in the DCU folder remove all the reserves that are brought in and DE, DIST, EVE, NEVE, OC, RESALL, SPACE , UAE – this will save you from manually removing them within Timetabler later
In Infosilem Timetabler navigate to Import. File -> Import. Make sure the "Select File Type(s)” are Space-delimited (TXT).
The Keep in EnCampus Suite records that do not exist in the source files (Do not delete) is checked. Then click “Next”
Select Clear and select the following files: 18 of them
Component Types
Components
Components - Course Characteristics
Course Characteristics
Course Sections
Deliveries
Delivery Times
Group Constraints
Groups
Groups - Components
Location Specs
Pattern Requests
Professors
Professors Deliveries
Sectioning Combinations
Sectioning Combinations-Components
Subjects
Terms
Infosilem advised us to not download room types, pavilions, campus so if there are any new rooms etc we know we need to add alternates etc because it will come out as an error.
Click on Next and Browse and point to DCU folder on desktop. Click on Set All and Same Folder as Selected then select Next.
The “open Rejected Records Report” will have some errors these are courses with time/days on their deliveries and it’s telling you the “dates” are incorrect – but we delete anything in the database with days/times/rooms on it. We clean it up later and is okay to ignore.
You will get rejects here. Open up the “source”.txt file on the O drive and see if you can plainly see what's missing (say a start date) if it's a forced pattern move on. otherwise dig further and check that the files were pointing to the correct ones. Timereq was pointing to Delivtimes - but I think I clicked it incorrectly - so pay attention and don't do that!
Timereq errors - these are forced times and dates that no longer are in the system
Forced pattern times don't come in - you could enter the dates - but also just not do that no big deal.
LocSpec errors - the building either has changed or didn’t get attached correctly - this is again fine as we delete everything with a room attached anyways
CompChar - these are the course characteristics - we deleted them above, so it makes sense that we have errors for it!
delivtimes = delivery times that are forced
Timereq = delivery pattern requests
those two combined make the timetable
In the Timetabler database use “Tools” then “RollOver” then “Delete…” and “Advanced” to “Select a data element:” then select “Deliveries”:
any deliveries associated with a TST slot
any deliveries with no time or no room request (Status red top/bottom)
Getting rid of any deliveries that have forced times and/or rooms.
any deliveries with a forced time (Status has a green bottom)
any deliveries with forced room and no time (green top red bottom)
any deliveries with forced room and time request (green top white bottom)
any deliveries with forced room and time (complete green)
Run the Data Consistency Check of “Deliveries having room requests without specified Pavilion“ and batch edit all deliveries to remove the room requests that are blank (these are mostly WLU room requests)
In the new term (Secondary Files → Terms) change the start and end dates to the actual first and last day of the term.
Must change blockoff dates and remove all instructors from any blockoffs that aren't their names only
Make sure Instructors do not have any constraints overridden (checkbox)
Deactivate all the held withs, then re-activate them all to catch any that aren’t aligned with the same delivery information. Tools → Scheduling Groups Deactivation→ Component Groups
Tools → Scheduling Groups Activation → Component Groups
After activating you will likely get this error message:
To fix them open the component group, select the components tab, select all courses and open them.
Select their Deliveries tabs. Sometimes one has a delivery and other other is missing the delivery. Since the DCU is still closed, you can either copy over the one delivery to the other course, or delete the one delivery. As long as they match. Once they do, head back to the Scheduling Groups Activation tool, and save that component group:
DCU Admin Setup
The procedure is called Academic Suite - Opening DCU and Message Board Examples
https://isacadweb.nexus.uwaterloo.ca/DCU/Admin/
Navigating to Text File locations in Quest:
Waterloo Student Admin → CEM → Setup → Text File Columns
This is important during an upgrade and there’s been a change to the text files, other changes need to be made to the setup tables by IST and the Quest team as well.