Timetabling Service Annual rebuild and Roll-Forward to 16/17
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Overview

Background

 

The Scientia Enterprise applications (Enterprise) are the University's chosen application suite for providing a centralised Timetabling service.

Technical Background

 

These applications interface with an application database known as the Scientia Database (SDB).  Each SDB relates to a single academic year.  In order for Timetabling planning to be undertaken for next year, an existing copy of the SDB must be "rolled-forward" to the next academic year (16/17 in this case). .

Following the roll-forward of the SDB, the associated Timetabling web applications must be configured for this new SDB.  This year, this part of the process  has been carried out under TTU010

In March the last week of teaching occurs, after which Timetabling focuses on the upcoming year, hence the switchover of the incoming interfaces.

The project will agree with the timetabling unit the dates at which  date from 15/16 is no longer required in CTB, Reporting, Bookable Rooms and Learn, triggering their rollforward. 

The project will also develop the BI universe allowing all timetabling reporting requirements to be delivered via BI

In August 2016,  what was the next academic year becomes the current academic year, so the Timetabling web applications and outgoing interfaces must by default, relate to the 2016/17 SDB.

 

A new deliverable this year will be the  addition of the Calsync process (see COM022)

 

Scope 

 

The following objectives and deliverables are in the scope of this project. The aim of the project is to repoint the items listed in the table below.

 

 

O1Deliver incoming interfaces 
 
  • Incoming interfaces and Syllabus Plus Data Adaptor (SPDA) (inc. Rollforward package for Academic rollover and initial loads)
  • SPDA (to replace formed academic and non-acacemic SPDA to be delivered under TTU011)
O2Deliver Course Timetable Browser 
 
  • Course timetable browser repointed to 16/17
O3Bookable Rooms Website
 
  • Feed to the Bookable Rooms Website repointed to 16/17.
O4Learn Feed
 
  • Outgoing Learn feed re-directed to 16/17 database
O5Reporting
 
  • Business requirements for reporting ( to be delivered by TTU business analyst)
 
  • Enhanced BI universe enabling delivery of reporting requirements via BI
 
  • BI reports (effort to be capped)
 
  • Repoint BI universe to 16/17 RDB
 
  • Remove SSRS reports
O6Switchover academic year in August and service wrap
 
  • Repointable URL changed to re-direct Web Applications to 16/17
  • 16/17 OneLan, PADS, Student WRB
O7Calsync 
 
  • Office 365 calendars integration (to be delivered under COM022) to be reporinted to 16/17
O8Decommissioning
 
  • Remove the 13/14 roles from Authorisation Manager - TTU

 

 The following objectives and deliverables are  not in the scope of this project:

 

RefDescription
 Core timetabling applications  - delivered by TTU010
 
  • Syllabus Plus Database (SDB) including Authorisation Manager database
  • Reporting Database (RDB) connected to 16/17 SDB
  • Enterprise Portal and Applications (inc. Script for populating UTF5 and Roles enabled for 16/17)
 Deliver web applications  - delivered by TTU010
 
  • Staff Web Room Booking (WRB)
  • Student WRB (inc. Script for releasing the next available week for student bookings)
  • WRB Notifier
  • Web Timetables (inc. connector to RDB for reference data)
  • Onelan
  • PADS
  • RDB preparation for producing CTB, Bookable Rooms and Learn Feeds
 Decomission 14/15 database - delivered by TTU010
 
  • Decomission 14/15 database - not carred over to new servers under TTU010
 MyEd Portal
 
  • To be decomissioned by service owner
 Remedial or Enhancement work to resolve existing issues unrelated to the roll-forward project
 
  • LEARN building block, Course Timetable Browser, OneLan, PADS, Bookable rooms website, Calsync, MyEd portal
 Investigation or resolution of existing infrastructure issues
 
  • Any investigation of existing issues such as the postulated network issue raised in TTU010

Benefits

This is a compliance project, and  will allow 2016/17 Timetabling planning to occur from March 2016, and allow the Timetabling service to continue into the new academic year, 2016/17.

Replacing the SSRS reports with BI reports will ensure better support, a greater level of user access and enable the business to create reports as required.

Success Criteria

The following criteria will confirm the project has been successful in each of its objectives:

  • All 2016/17 Web Applications must be available by 8th August 2016.
  • In March 2016, incoming interfaces will start to populate 16/17 with data from IDM and EUGEX
  •  Course Timetable Browser, Bookable rooms, Calsync process, Learn outgoing interface and the BI Suite will be switched to point at 16/17 RDB at dates to be agreed with the business.
  • In August 2016, all Web Applications will, by default, display/refer to the 2016/17 academic year when accessed by any user in the University.

 

 

 

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