ELF Imports into Custom Files

1. ELF Imports into Custom Files Katie Morgan Datatel Programmer/Analyst

2. About Linfield • Four year, co-ed, comprehensive, undergraduate, private • Enrollment: ~2600 • 3 “campuses” • Traditional 4 year liberal arts & sciences plus business and education in McMinnville • Nursing (transfer-only) in Portland • Adult Degree/Continuing Education in McMinnville, Portland, and online

3. About Our ELF Imports • Approximately 20 ELF specs in regular use • ACT (highly customized) • SAT (highly customized) • CommonApp • NursingCAS • NRCCUA • Peterson’s • And a bunch of others

4. About Our Custom Files • Currently using APP.USER fields in the APPLICANTS file. • Many are customized to multi-value and some to linked entities (aka associations aka sub-files). • Migrating to SQL Server • For metadata customizations that will impact table structures in SQL Server, we were encouraged to migrate data to custom entities.

5. The Import Challenge • We import to these fields on a regular basis. • Options: • Create a custom batch process to run after import to populate just these fields. • Find a way to make ELF talk to our custom entity.

6. Disclaimer This is a work in progress for us, and so is not yet in production at Linfield!

7. Create Custom Import • Create your custom Colleague file (if it doesn’t already exist) • Create a custom intermediate file • Create custom ELF spec mapping the custom intermediate file to the custom Colleague file

8. Create Custom Intermediate File • See Answernet Doc 6678 – however • I don’t know why it says to put the intermediate file in CORE • It says to put the release status to developing, but doesn’t tell you to change it to releasable when you’re done

9. Intermediate File Attributes • Attributes (aka fields aka columns) must be in a particular order: • prefix.BATCH • prefix.TRANSXN • filename.ADDOPR(create under Attributes) • filename.ADDDATE(create under Attributes) • filename.CHGOPR(create under Attributes) • filename.CHGDATE(create under Attributes) • prefix.RESULTS

10. prefix.BATCH • Create under Attributes • Type = Foreign Key (1-1) • Internal Size = 20 • Points to Attribute (under Linkages) = ELF.BATCH.CONTROL.ID

11. prefix.TRANSXN • Create under Attributes • Type = Data • Internal Size = 10

12. Record “Add” Fields • filename.ADDOPR • Create under Attributes • Type = Data • Internal Size = 20 • filename.ADDDATE • Create under Attributes • Type = Data • Internal Size = 10 • Conversion = D4/

13. Record “Change” Fields • filename.CHGOPR • Create under Attributes • Type = Data • Internal Size = 20 • filename.CHGDATE • Create under Attributes • Type = Data • Internal Size = 10 • Conversion = D4/

14. prefix.RESULTS • Create under Lists • Type = Foreign Key (M-M) • Internal Size = 10 • Points to Attribute (under Linkages) = ELF.TGT.RESULTS.ID

15. Your Fields • Add your fields in locations 8 and higher

16. Define as Intermediate File • Use RKEY in UI • Set Intermediate File to Yes • Enter your prefix (optional) • Reimport your entity into Colleague Studio • Close the entity from your editor (if it’s open) • Right-click the entity in the process explorer and choose Import from the context menu • If you do not do this, your RKEY settings will be lost when you package this up!

17. Set up Dependencies • File = ELF.INTER.FILE.DEPS • Record = your custom intermediate file name • Attribute 1 (ELFINTER.FIELDS) = field name(s) for your foreign key pointer(s) to its related file(s) • Attribute 2 (ELFINTER.RELATED.FIELDS) = field name(s) for the related file field(s) to which your foreign key(s) point(s) • Attribute 3 (ELFINTER.CARDINALITIES) = relationship between the foreign key in your custom intermediate file and the field to which it points in the related file • 1 – one and only one • A – at least one • M – zero, one, or many • Z – zero or one • Special Note: You will need to create a declaration on CDEC to include this item in your package. • Alternative is to create this manually in each environment after installing the rest

18. Sample Intermediate File:INTER.L25.APPLICANT

19. Create Custom ELF Spec • Create it on ELFS • Name it the same name as your intermediate file. • Now add your target file • If you enter your custom file, you will get an error message

20. The Troll on the Bridge

21. What the elf? • See Answernet Doc 31796.22 • The error message popped by the UI form has never been delivered by Ellucian. • This message pops when you add a target file that is not defined as an intermediate file.

22. How to Get Past the Error:Change the Question • Enter an intermediate file as target, instead • Choose one with as few required fields as possible • Map the minimum number of fields possible • Save the spec

23. Clean up the Target File Records • File = ELF.SPEC.TGT • Record = [your ELF spec name]*[your fake target file name] • Copy this into a new record = [your ELF spec name]*[your real target file name] • Delete the fake

24. Edit the ELF Spec • File = ELF.SPECS • Record = Your ELF spec name • Edit the following attributes: • Attribute 4 (ELFSPEC.MAPS) – Clear the field completely • Attribute 5 (ELFSPEC.TGT.FILES) – Change the field to [your ELF spec name]*[your real target file name]

25. Now Edit the Field Mappings • Now clean up your fake field mappings • File = ELF.MAPS • Records = any records with your spec in ELFMAP.SPEC • Delete them all

26. Cross that Troll Bridge • Now you can return to ELFS and finish building your ELF spec. • Build your field maps to the target fields in your custom Colleague file. • Add any other edits you need. • Generate it. • Test it. • And test it some more.

27. Some Final Details • Don’t forget to create duplicate criteria, if applicable • Don’t forget to create merge criteria

28. Questions? Katie Morgan Datatel Programmer/Analyst Linfield College kmorgan@linfield.edu