FIS BULLETIN Number 6

Announcements | Calendar | Status | T&T-Q&A | Training | Inside Peek | Odds & Ends

March 3, 1997

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS

GENERAL:

LIMITED BANNER AVAILABILITY ON SATURDAY, MARCH 8: Banner will not be available after 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 8. Availability will resume as usual on Sunday morning. On Saturday, a technical database feature, referential integrity (RI), is being installed in the Banner production database (BPRD). In addition, we will be implementing some new Banner security features that will enable us to implement Distributed TOE’s/TOF’s. In order to do all this, no one can access the production database. After all this is done, users should notice no difference in Banner performance or functionality. Over the past month, RI has been installed and tested in two different Banner test databases with no adverse consequences. RI is being installed in order to prepare us for the future. All future upgrades of the Banner software require that referential integrity be installed in Banner databases.

ACQUISITIONS: None

BANNER REPORTS:

STATUS OF NEW REPORT: FZRINOF - ORGANIZATION/FUND EXPENDITURES WITH NO BUDGET": Last month we reported that the FZRINOF report would be ready for distribution beginning with the February 28, 1997 monthly reports. As of today, we are still attempting to resolve one final "bug." We are hoping to have the problem resolved by the time monthly reports are produced. Service Center managers will be notified when the FZRINOF reports will be produced.

OTHER FIS / BANNER ITEMS: None

CALENDAR OF FIS / BANNER EVENTS

Please note that period close-related dates are estimated.

PROJECT STATUS

REPORT PRODUCTION COORDINATION: Work continues on this project. This effort involves the work of not only FIS, but CATS-Applications Development Support and CATS-Computing Systems Operations. The results of the work should better systematize the process and reduce the occurrence of problems related to interfaces (i.e. feeds to Banner from other systems like PPS), daily Banner maintenance processes, and report production (including microfiche and monthly electronic data feeds of financial data to UC Office of the President).

DISTRIBUTED TRANSFER OF EXPENDITURES/TRANSFER OF FUNDS: The Distributed TOE/TOF project is on schedule to being fully implemented by early April. User testing took place in late February and resulted in many useful comments and suggestions that have been incorporated in the user training and documentation. Based on the responses of the testers and test drivers, no changes will be made to the Banner TOE/TOF input screen. Our thanks to the volunteer testers from the Service Centers.

A large number of User Training classes will be offered during the weeks of March 17 and March 24, including some geared towards users wanting only TOE/TOF approval capabilities who have previously completed Banner approval training. You will be receiving separate notification of class schedules.

Detailed user documentation is currently being compiled and edited by a contracted technical writer and will be available by the time training starts. Additionally, TOE/TOF documentation will also be placed on the Web.

Like any project of this kind, although we strive for perfection, we anticipate that there is likely to be some minor problems with the implementation. We are in the process of identifying areas where problems might arise and will provide you with more information about things to be aware of and how to deal with them. This information will be provided to you later this month.

STUDENT WORKER ACCESS TO BANNER: We still have not yet received approval for funding to complete the development of the student worker Banner training.

TIPS & TRICKS / QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

TIPS & TRICKS: None submitted over the past month

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS: None submitted over the past month

________________________
Questions or problems regarding the Banner system can be directed to:
Acquisitions, Accounts Payable - Karsen Jones kjones@cats
Ledger Reports, Fiscal Closing - Vicki Gutzwiller vickig@cats
Banner Security, Access - Monique Leduc mleduc@cats
Other questions - Kirk Lew kllew@cats

INSIDER’S PEEK AT FIS

A candid interview with BannerSlug, the official mascot of Bannerland.

I: Interviewer
B: BannerSlug

I: How are you doing these days?
B: I’m doing a lot better than I was a couple of years ago. Don’t have too look over my back as much. Some of those customers back then, they were one disgruntled bunch. They all said Bannerland wasn’t much fun back then. I was too busy to know back then.

I: Is it more fun now?
B: Well, there’s more things coming out to make it more fun. The Distributed TOE/TOF process should make it a lot a easier for Service Centers to move around funds and make corrections and reallocations of expenditures. Hopefully before the end of the calendar year, Distributed Encumbrances can be rolled out. That’ll give the Service Centers a lot of the things they’ll need in order to have more fun.

I: Why so long to get out Distributed Encumbrances?
B: It’s funny, but most of the time spent on the TOE/TOF project has been in developing a strategy for handling approvals and in developing user training and documentation. Actually, the hardest part of it all has probably been in figuring out approval routing. In fact, Banner has exactly the approvals routing capabilities we need, which, as many will say, is unusual for Banner. It’s very powerful functionality, but not easy to master. Developing training and documentation has been just plain time-consuming. A lot of folks are involved in it. As to the overall project, not much time has been spent on technical stuff like modifying the input form, though some time has been spent on developing some reports. Based on our TOE experience which is not complete, yet, we figure it will take at least a few months to successfully roll out any Distributed Process. We don’t like to rush anything. It’s consistent with my nature not to rush.

I: Any exciting things going on behind the scenes?
B: I probably shouldn’t say anything, but there are other projects in the works. Referential integrity is one. You say that word to one of the database administrators, and they get all excited and go all goo-goo eyed. Personally, it doesn’t do much for me.

I: What is referential integrity?
B: You really need to talk to a database administrator because it’s pretty technical. I’m a functional slug. But what they tell me is that Banner is made up of a bunch of tables all containing different types of data. In each of the tables are data elements that relate to other data elements in other tables. For instance, vendor numbers are in a vendor table that contains all the basic vendor setup data - name, address...you know, all the pertinents. The purchase order table has all the purchase order transaction data in it. All these PO transactions also include a vendor number, which makes sense. You can’t buy something from nobody. Now, you wouldn’t want a transaction in the purchase order table to have a vendor number that’s not in the vendor table. It would be like trying to buy something from nobody, you’d get nothing because nobody doesn’t sell anything. Hope I’m not confusing you? Anyways, in the case of the PO’s, referential integrity is a process in the Oracle databases that won’t allow a transaction to exist in the purchase order table with a vendor number that’s not in the vendor table. In other words, it tries to make sure you always buy something from somebody or at least tells you something’s wrong with the data. Database administrators love it. They say its helps improve the integrity of the data in the tables. Though, I’ve never met any data that’s disreputable.

I: So why is referential integrity so important?
B: SCT-Banner has decreed that all upgrades after 2.0.7, which is where we’re at, will require referential integrity to be installed in the tables.

I: Why wasn’t referential integrity required before?
B: Nobody knows. If you think I’ve got SCT-Banner figured out, I’ve got an old copy of Banner I can sell you.

I: So how’s that project going?
B: It’s gone well from what I’ve heard. It’s been installed in a couple of test databases without problem and it’s about to be installed in the Banner production database.

I: Should Bannerlanders be scared?
B: No, we don’t expect any problems. Bannerlanders won’t notice any difference.

I: So what else is going on behind the scenes?
B: Well, we’re also working on the equipment inventory data conversion. I think some folks already heard about this one, although nothing much has been said about it lately.

I: What’s that all about?
B: The old equipment tracking system is on its last legs - it’s old and rickety and about to collapse. So we’re converting the data from it to Banner format and storing it on DINKY. It will be much safer there. We won’t be doing much with it just yet because Banner 2.0.7 doesn’t offer much functionality when it comes to equipment tracking. The next upgrade should give us the functionality we need. In the meantime, we’ll be doing things pretty much the same way, just storing the same data in a different place for a while. Should be ready to go in June.
B: Something just came to mind. We’re in the process of updating the FIS user documentation. Last time I looked at it, there was some stuff...well, let’s just say its nostalgic. Anyway, we want to get it updated and formatted more nicely for the Web so that users can print out parts they want.

I: Does this mean that the paper documentation will go away?
B: That’s what we hope. It’ll save some trees. I’ve got family to look out for, you know. They need lots of trees. Besides, it’s too hard to print out and distribute paper. Using the Web, updates can be made quickly and users will always know that the Web version contains the official rules of Bannerland and is always up-to-date.

I: There’s more and more talk about what lies ahead for Bannerland. Any insights?
B: I’ll tell you more after I get back from the SCT-Banner User’s Conference in Philadelphia. I’ve got a long list of things to talk to the SCT-types who will be there.

In the next issue:
BannerSlug in Philadelphia: The latest scoop from SCT/Banner.

ODDS & ENDS

FIS / BANNER: None

REQUEST FOR FEEDBACK ISSUES: None

Contributors: Kirk Lew
Your comments and suggestions are always welcome. Please direct them to the editor, Kirk Lew kllew@cats .

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