Operational Aspects of the ITS System User Manual Version 12
Contents
1. 5 1 5 3 SHORTCUT KEYS 5 1 6 NAVIGATION 2 n nonane nn nnn nnn nn nnn nnn nnn nn ncn nnn enn nnn 6 1 6 1 MENU NAVIGATION 6 1 6 1 1 Via the Numeric Codes on the Menus 6 1 6 1 2 Directly via Menu codes 6 1 6 1 3 Via the tree structure 6 1 6 2 OPTION NAVIGATION 6 1 6 2 1 Fields 6 1 6 2 2 Pages 6 2 623 Blocks eaea a ea e e aa e nnn 6 3 6 2 4 Buttons 6 3 6 3 MOUSE NAV2. 12 3 12 2 IMMEDIATE OR DEFERRED BATCH 12 3 12 3 PREVIOUS R EQUEST 12 3 12 4 LIST FUNCTION AVAILABLE ON SELECTION CRITERIA 124 Copyright ITS Version 12 2000 OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems INTRODUCTION The ITS systems are on line systems i e users interact directly with the database Information is input and updated directly into the database by authorised users via the keyboard and mouse and may be viewed queried at any time by authorised users on the terminal screens Much of the paper flow and procedures which were essential in the past to ensure control and correctness of batch processing has now become unnecessary since information can often be captured at the point of origin and immediately verified on the screen by the person who entered it into the system It is therefore essential that every user is thoroughly familiar and at ease with the use of his her PC which is the primary interface to the information in the database The systems are menu driven and user friendly i e after a user has logged into the system she he will navigate through the system by selecting menu options and will be guided continuous
3. 11 1 11 3 ON LINE HELP 11 1 11 4 LIST OF VALUES 11 2 11 5 DRILL DOWN 11 2 12 REPORTS 7 7 2 2 22MM 12 1 12 1 TYPES OF REPORTS 12 1 1 RDF Reports 12 1 1 1 How to run a RDF report 12 1 1 2 How to print a RDF report 12 1 2 C SQL Reports 12 1 2 1 How to run a C SQL report 12 1 2 2 How to print aC SQL report 12 1 2 2 1 Print to system defined printer 12 2 Copyright ITS iss Version 12 2000 il OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems Table of Contents 12 1 2 2 2 Print to a PC printer
4. to return to the menu 11 2 TOOLTIP When the mouse is moved over the field a small window is displayed underneath the field with a condensed help for the field This tip will also indicate to the user the length of the field and its type i e numeric N or alpha numeric A will also appear in the format e g N30 Shortcut key move mouse over field 11 3 ON LINE HELP The ITS manuals are available as online help The online help can be selected and displayed per option The option for which help is required should be highlighted The user can then lt CLICK gt on the HELP button next to the Menu Option field or on the question mark icon in the icon bar A new window will be opened with help on the selected option Please note that on line help on a menu option is available even though you may not have access to that menu option To obtain the help the user can also type in the Command Input field an h and the number of the option that help is required on To do this the user must be on the relevant menu where help is required E g on the menu SREGB the user can see biographical information help by typing lt h1 gt in the Command Input field Copyright ITS Version 12 2000 11 1 OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems Shortcut key lt CLICK gt on or the button or lt CTRL H or H option number 11 4 LIST OF VALUES The lt LIST OF VALUES ILOV gt command can be used to di
5. PBOP 1 6 2 4 Buttons The ITS system makes use of the following buttons Type of button What does it look like Where Radio buttons Used where one of two options If the field selection can be one have to be selected of two options e g male or female Combo box A square button with a down A fixed list of values as arrow in the button The user predefined e g CESM must lt TAB gt past a combo categories box the lt ENTER gt key will not be functional List of values A square blank button To select from a list of codes values as defined in the institutions structure e g departmental codes Copyright ITS Version 12 2000 6 3 OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems See for yourself in SREGB 1 The Gender field is a radio button The Preferred language field is a drop down list The Student type field is a list of values 6 3 MOUSE NAVIGATION The user can move in the option by using the mouse the lt TAB gt key or the lt ENTER gt key However there are fields where mouse navigation is not allowed because of the sequence in which fields must be entered If the mouse cannot be used in a specific option this is indicated by a red line on the left hand side of the screen The user can see this when in the option In an option like this the user must use the lt TAB gt or lt ENTER gt key to navigate to the next fields See for yourself in FPMO 1 Copyright ITS Version 12 2000 6 4 OPS Operati
6. cence 4 1 4 1 3 Access tO Options 4 2 4 2 USER AND MENU DETAIL 4 2 4 3 USER BUTTONS 4 2 4 3 1 How to add buttons 4 3 2 How to change or delete user buttons 4 3 4 4 SHORT CUTS 4 4 1 Query Batch 4 4 1 1 General 4 4 1 2 Monitoring Printing and Cancelling Batch Jobs 442 Query Routing 4 5 4 4 3 Query Out Routes 4 5 5 BUTTONS AND BARS n 2 n nonane nnn nnn nnn nnn nnn nn nnn nnn rnc nnn 5 1 5 1 MENU BAR 5 1 5 2 TOOLBAR
7. BERG 10 4 QUERY USING VARIABLES All the students with student numbers between 20021000 and 20022000 can be selected as follows 1 Press lt ENTER QUERY gt 2 Move the cursor to the student number field 3 Type amp in the field 4 Press or click lt EXECUTE QUERY gt or lt COUNT QUERY HITS gt if you wish to count the number of students in the range whereupon the message Query Where Criteria will appear in a pop up query window in the centre of the screen with a blinking cursor in a highlighted block 5 Type amp between 20021000 and 20022000 6 Press lt COMMIT gt to view the first record which satisfies the criteria or to get the count 7 Use lt NEXT RECORD gt to reach any other records in the range Queries using the SQL operators like lt gt is is not in not in etc can also be executed readily The queries amp is null and amp is not null are extremely powerful and can be used very effectively in counting and or retrieving those records in a block where information is missing in a particular field or combination of fields To execute a query using multiple variables a colon followed by one or more characters specifies each variable The variables must be entered in each relevant field E g suppose that we enter the variables pn s t and jd in a person s biographical record as follows Copyright ITS Version
8. Copyright ITS Version 12 2000 12 2 OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems A list of the valid printers as available on the system for this user will display This is the list of printers which are linked to the user in USERS 5b2 or type in the printer name in the Printer Code field e Step 3 select the Print button to sent the output to the printer 12 1 2 2 2 Print to a PC printer When a C SQL report is run the report will open in an application like Internet Explorer or Netscape From the application the user can do a standard Windows print by choosing File and then Print The output can then be sent to any printer that is linked to the PC It is however important to remember that if the report is printed via the browser s print function all page break formatting is lost 12 2 IMMEDIATE OR DEFERRED BATCH A report can also be run in immediate or deferred batch directly while requesting a report For more information on the functionality of batch refer to the ITS General Systems Manual If a user wants to run a report in batch the BATCH button can be selected after the report s input criteria has been entered The following steps must be followed e Select Immediate or Deferred and then select lt NEXT gt e Ifa printer is required select Yes and lt CLICK gt on Select a printer e The user s list of allowed system linked printers will display and can be selected from e If
9. the run button will reflect the format chosen e g Run Delimited 12 1 1 2 How to print an RDF report When an RDF is run depending on the chosen format the report will open in an application like Adobe Reader Excel etc From the application the user can do a standard Windows print by choosing File and then Print The output can then be sent to any printer that is linked to the PC 12 1 2 C SQL Reports Acrobat Reader is not needed to view these reports The content can be copied cut etc directly from the report 12 1 2 1 How to runa C SQL report e After the selection criteria have been completed the user will be taken to the screen with the run batch and exit options e To run the report the user can lt click gt on the run button Once the report has completed the view and print button will also be displayed on the same screen The user can now view the report that will be displayed in a ne w Window 12 1 2 2 How to printa C SQL report Reports can be printed either to a PC linked to the user s PC or to a system printer Both options are discussed in detail below 12 1 2 2 1 Print to system defined printer After the report has been run the Print button is added to the selection This button enables the user to print to a system printer The following steps must be followed Step 1 lt click gt on select PRINT e Step 2 select a printer with the Choose One button
10. 12 2000 10 2 OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems pn in the Personnel Number field s in the Surname field t in the Title field jd in the Job Designation field The query pn between 0 and 1000 and t PROF and jd like RES order by s will retrieve the records for all Professors with personnel numbers smaller than 1000 with a Job Designation starting with RES in alphabetical sequence by surname The query pn gt 1000 or s like BERG will retrieve in numerical sequence all records with personnel number gt 1000 and surnames containing the character string BERG The query pn lt 10000 will display all records with personnel number lt 10000 The query jd4 not like LEC will display all records for people where the Job Designation does not start with LEC 10 5 THE ORDER BY QUERY When a query is executed and no ordering sequence is explic itly specified the records will be displayed sequentially by the so called primary key of the record which would typically be a personnel number student number etc It is sometimes useful to sort a series of records into a different sequence e g we wish to display all personnel records of a given Appointment Type say 21 in alphabetical sequence by surname This query would be executed as follows Press lt ENTER QUERY gt Move the cursor to the Surname field and enter amp or a variable e g s Move cursor to Ap
11. 12 4 LIST FUNCTION AVAILABLE ON SELECTION CRITERIA In reports all fields that are coloured in blue have a list available for selecting the input criteria This list will display all the allowed values for this field either as entered by the institution or as fixed in the system The lt list of values gt can be reached by using the shortcut key or the menu bar If the user knows the value it can be typed in directly Copyright ITS Version 12 2000 124
12. Explorer Step 2 Using your browser go to the IP address as relevant for your institution Step 3 You will be prompted for an user identification and password The user ID and password are set up in USERS 5 and maintained by the institution It is important to remember that you can only be logged in once simultaneously with the same user ID If you need to have more than one active session at once more that one user ID must be used Copyright ITS Version 12 2000 3 1 OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems 4 MENU STRUCTURE Below is an example of an ITS menu For information on the display and usage of the menu refer to the following points Contre 23At 2012 1111 10 1 gt Sadom Glmaniswenive Seton Hoste Spergentery 2 gt Resource Systems Keeaitipenn IFPNOPD2 Pamanciet Manegerrmnt gt Connter System 2 gt Mall leceniieg Syston Shortcuts gt ACD System Owy Derm gt vasna Recending Systm Comune Saut Eluctrenkc Bonk Conversion l a i gt Pronmemem Management MIS Dery Ont Routes 1 gt Operaens tenu gt Maleanin Reg amp Ovders 2 gt Maiste GRV amp Sapp Retare gt Rocaid tel Mote gt Maatin WWC Nowe gt Inter et Creditor Correctons gt Resewve Far Fete Dewelopenent St fee i 4 1 TREE STRUCTURE The display of the menu is in a tree structure The user can navigate with the mouse by lt clicking gt on the menu name and options The structure can be expanded to option lev
13. Next to the field for Creditor Type a small red button represents the drill down facility If the user lt CLICK gt on this button the option to create creditor types is displayed The creditor type can be created and on exit the user is back in the original option The new creditor type can now be linked to the creditor and the user can continue to create the record Shortcut key lt CLICK gt on red button next to field Copyright ITS Version 12 2000 11 2 OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems 12 REPORTS All reports run through the ITS system will be one of the following two types e RDF reports C SQL reports The user can see the type of report in the heading when the report is run The program name display with an indication of the type of report in the suffix of the program name E g Report parameters for disk1 its fin f7accc pe All reports are generated on line through batch processing This must not be confused with the running of the reports in immediate or deferred batch Reports can be re generated using different selection criteria without having to revert back to the report menu After the reports have teen run the user can tab to go to the selection criteria again change on the criteria and run the report again Using the tabs at the top of the screen can access the different pages of the report Reports can be saved directly on the PC after it has been run through the normal Windows functionality
14. T wi Qualification Information Cecalificaiinn Besiiticstion type i Dilming Fypn ll Peilod at sesi Fine Entry Rngistation fipplecativn i Pergistrniin Appteation Date Cancasttartion Ove 4 Apka 6 2 2 Pages Multiple pages per block can be seen as tabs at the top of the screen Additional pages can be reached by using the arrow button on the right hand side of the bar See for yourself in SREGB 1 Copyright ITS 6 2 Version 12 2000 OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems Blegraphical lfacmation Page 1 Blogeaphicel Intermetion Pagn 2 Sinamo Suaiit Biographical Information Page 3 Veuif Biographical Inieemetion Pagu 4 Dio graphic Information 5 a Civiyeing Manes Biographical Information Hon sumase e opp Intormstion Pane Bia Indewmation 8 Dats Copton EE Last chaeqad ME Information Qualification Ous cnivs f Osail caSen tel wm T Parad ad Study Fee Eney BeginranesAyiicaisa 7 Segtetraliow lgplicates Dae I Lancetetan Dare 6 2 3 Blocks Each block can be seen as a separate tab at the top of the page When on the first block the user can not see the tabs for the following blocks The lt NEXT BLOCK gt key will take the user to the next block The user can also see a list of the blocks applicable to the present option by pressing lt CTRL B The user can then move directly to the relevant block from this facility See for yourself in
15. The user can also print the report to any printer linked to the PC or to a system printer as defined in Unix 12 1 TYPES OF REPORTS 12 1 1 RDF Reports RDF reports can be generated in different formats and can be selected by the user e PDF Portable Document Format is default format PDFs require Acrobat Reader to be displayed Acrobat Reader resides on the client s PC and is subject to licence fees This application will open automatically when the report is displayed PDF is an image and cannot be changed which implies that sections cannot be copied or cut from the report However the full PDF can be copied to another application Other Formats Comma Delimited HTML HTML style Sheet RTF and XML The other formats can be selected as desired by the user The most commonly used are comma delimited reports that can be converted to Excel Word etc 12 1 1 1 How to run an RDF report After the selection criteria has been completed the user will be taken to the screen with the run batch and exit options as can be seen in the screen print above Copyright ITS Version 12 2000 12 1 OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems e If the run button is selected now the report will be run as a pdf file and displayed in Adobe Reader e Alternatively the user can lt click gt on the red button next to the run button This will take the user to the choose screen for the different formats After a format has been chosen
16. a subject code is entered that has not yet been defined in the database the system will provide an error message to that effect and will not allow this code to be used In this instance the subject must first be defined in the appropriate part of the system before the code may be used The system will not allow the creation of duplicate records providing messages such as Row has already been inserted Duplicate value in index or Unique key constraint violated if it detects such an error 9 1 Version 12 2000 OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems 9 1 1 Creating Records That Are Nearly Similar It often happens that several records have to be created which are similar in most respects Typical examples are timetable records where the timetable information for a particular lecturer is being entered for an entire week subject records for different offering types etc Whenever this situation arises the following procedure should be used 1 Create the first record 2 Create a new blank record using the lt INSERT RECORD gt command 3 Use the lt DUPLICATE RECORD gt command to copy the previous record into the blank record 4 Make the desired changes 5 Repeat steps 2 to 4 as often as necessary not forgetting to lt COMMIT gt at regular intervals 9 2 UPDATING AN EXISTING RECORD Before an existing record can be changed the record must first be retrieved from the database by Executing a Specific Quer
17. no printer is required at this stage select No and then select lt NEXT gt e If this request is dependent on another request the number can be entered in Dependant Request Number A list function is also available in the Check it button and then select lt NEXT gt e The selection criteria for the batch job will display and the user can select Proceed e A pop up screen will display the request number This number can be used for query purposes The batch jobs can now be monitored with the batch functionality available on the menu For more information on this refer to Query Batch in this manual 12 3 PREVIOUS REQUEST Copyright ITS Version 12 2000 12 3 OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems Each generated report is automatically allocated a unique request number If this request number is used again the selection criteria for the report as it was when allocated will be recalled This enables the user to store frequently used input criteria and takes away the need to type it in every time the report is run For consecutive runs the input criteria can be used as is as recalled when the request number is entered or changed for the new run of the report The request number can be entered in the first prompt of the report in the field Previous Request A lt list of values gt is available on this field and will display the previous requests when the same user that is logged in ran this report
18. top of the screen which contains menus such as File Edit and View A menu displays a list of Oracle and Windows commands such as needed to operate the ITS system 5 2 TOOLBAR The toolbars consist of icons representing the actions on the menu bar The toolbar is an easy way to find and use the Oracle and Windows command when operating the system Unlike a standard Windows environment the toolbar cannot be customised 5 3 SHORTCUT KEYS The user can use shortcut keys via keyboard action as an alternative to the menu bar or toolbar The shortcut keys can be obtained by pressing lt ctrl k refer to the example below Copyright ITS Version 12 2000 5 1 INTEGRATED Tene ee Following is a list of the standard shortcut keys that can be used KEY AR ole J Duplicate Field Shift F6 Wn hift hi N gal oo il gs w Copyright ITS Version 12 2000 5 2 OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems 6 NAVIGATION Navigation in the system can be done with the mouse or the keyboard Navigation is relevant in two ways Menu navigation Option navigation 6 1 MENU NAVIGATION To move between menu options the user has three options 6 1 1 Via the Numeric Codes on the Menus Select the appropriate number from the menu enter it either via the numeric keyboard on the right hand side of the keyboard or via the numeric keys above the alpha keys Type the number of the menu you want to go to in
19. ETING A RECORD 92 10 RETRIEVING INFORMATION FROM THE DATABASE 10 1 10 1 THE GENERAL QUERY 10 1 10 2 THE SPECIFIC QUERY 10 1 10 3 THE PERCENTAGE QUERY 10 1 10 4 QUERY USING VARIABLES 10 2 10 5 THE ORDER BY QUERY 10 3 10 6 THE _ UNDERSCORE QUERY 104 10 7 DATE QUERIES 104 11 HELP FACILITIES 0 00 000 0nsennse nee nnnennse nec nnnennneenennneenneencnnneenseeneenneenaeenees 11 1 11 1 HELP PER FIELD 11 1 11 2 TOOLTIP
20. EXT RECORD gt key e To count the number of records in the block use the lt COUNT QUERY HITS gt command If you then use the lt EXECUTE QUERY gt key it will retrieve the records that were counted with the previous action 10 2 THE SPECIFIC QUERY In most cases the need is for more specific information retrieval in which case the following procedure is followed press the lt ENTER QUERY gt key move the cursor to the field to be queried e type the desired value in the applicable field e g student number move on to any other fields that may also be required for the query and type in the desired values e when the complete query has been entered use lt COUNT QUERY HITS gt if a record count is desired else press the lt EXECUTE QUERY gt key to retrieve all the entries in this block which conform to these criteria 10 3 THE PERCENTAGE QUERY Copyright ITS Version 12 2000 10 1 OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems To find all subjects which include the characters ACCOUNT e Press lt ENTER QUERY gt Move the cursor to the subject field e Type in ZACCOUNT Press lt EXECUTE QUERY gt The first record will be displayed and the rest can be viewed one after another using lt NEXT RECORD gt The sign acts as a so called Wildcard The specification BERG will select only those surnames ending in BERG whereas BERG will select all the surnames starting with
21. IGATION 64 Copyright ITS 7 Version 12 2000 OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems Table of Contents 7 BASIC TERMINOLOGY 0 0 200nennnennenne nnn nne me nncenn ence nnennaensceneennennmnscennes 7 1 8 NOTATIONAL CONVENTIONS nnn nnn nn nn nnn nn nnn nnn nnn nnn nnn nnn 8 1 8 1 DATA FIELD 8 1 8 2 MENU AND OPTION REFERENCE 8 1 8 3 DATE FORMAT 8 2 8 4 LETTER CASE 8 2 9 ENTERING INFORMATION INTO THE DA ABASE 9 1 9 1 CREATING A NEW RECORD 9 1 9 1 1 Creating Records That Are Nearly Similar 9 2 9 2 UPDATING AN EXISTING RECORD 9 2 9 3 DEL
22. S TERTIARY SOFTWARE Operational Aspects of the ITS System OPS User Manual Version 12 2002 Edition Copyright ITS OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems Table of Contents 1 INTRODUCTION 2 02 22 n nnn nn nn nnn nnn nnn nner nnn nn enn nnn nn nance nnn nneennennenns 1 1 2 FUNCTIONALITY 2 2 0 ne nnn nnn n nen nn nnn nnn nne nn enn ene neem nee ne nme nnennne ence nnen 2 1 2 1 BROWSER 2 1 2 2 WINDOWS FUNCTIONALITY 2 1 2 3 SYSTEM SETTINGS 2 1 3 LOGGING ON n2 nnnn nnn 2220an 3 1 4 MENUSTRUCTURE n nnnnnnnnnn nn nnnn nnn nnn nnn nnn nn nnn nnn 4 1 4 1 TREE STRUCTURE 4 1 4 1 1 Menu signS 4 1 4 1 2 Option Signs
23. by a page number e g SREGB 1b1p2 would indicate the second screen of block SREGB 1b1 Copyright ITS Version 12 2000 8 1 OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems 8 3 8 4 DATE FORMAT The standard date format used in all input screens is DD MON YYYY e g 12 MAY 2003 The month is always entered as the first three letters of the English month name In the rare instances where a nonstandard date format is used this will be clearly indicated LETTER CASE In some data fields in the systems lower case alphabetic characters are automatically converted to upper case In other cases like surnames first names and titles however the systems will accept lower case characters as well This allows class lists and personnel lists to be printed in both upper and lower case characters It is essential however that such information should be entered in a consistent manner to ensure a consistent look on reports A decision in this regard should be made before take on of biographical information commences Copyright ITS 8 2 Version 12 2000 OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems 9 1 Copyright ITS ENTERING INFORMATION INTO THE DATABASE Information is entered into the database for three reasons anew record must be created inserted an existing record must be changed updated or anexisting record must be removed entirely deleted CREATING A NEW RECORD Via the a
24. el and collapsed back to menu level 4 1 1 Menu signs In front of the name of each option different signs can be seen The following signs in front of the option number are relevant to menus and indicate the following Signs Meaning Expanded menu One level menu 4 1 2 Option signs Copyright ITS 4 1 Version 12 2000 OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems In front of the name of each option different signs can be seen The following signs in front of the option number are relevant to options and indicates the following Meaning a user can insert and update the data in that option if that particular program allows updates a user has select only access i e data may be queried but not updated indicates a sub menu When access is given the user only needs access to options and not menus Therefore access to a reports menu from a main menu e g SREG 80 is not necessary a user has no access to the option If a user selects an option fr which s he has no access the system will display the message INSUFFICIENT PRIVILEGES and re display the menu 4 1 3 Access to options Should a user select a menu to which s he has no access the menu will be displayed but every option will be barred with signs The access for each user is institution defined and maintained in the menu USERS and discussed in detail in the manual General System 4 2 USER AND MENU DETAIL In the top right hand corne
25. ery user of the ITS systems be familiar with the conventions used to describe data fields screen locations etc 8 1 DATA FIELD Whenever a particular data field on one of the screens is discussed in any manual the following convention is used The type of field is indicated as either e numeric N or e alpha numeric A e followed by the length of the field Example The student number field will be N7 indicating that it consists of a seven digit number and the surname field will be A30 indicating that it is a 30 character alpha numeric field Where decimal numbers are allowed this is indicated by a full stop in the number and the length of the decimal indicated after the full stop Example e g as N15 2 which allows numbers up to 999999999999999 99 to be entered 8 2 MENU AND OPTION REFERENCE The menu code and an option number in braces identify any particular screen in the system For instance SREGAR 1 refers to option 1 on the Academic Registration Menu of the Student System This option allows access to the Oracle screen for normal registrations Some menu options provide access to more than one block of information If this is the case a particular block is indicated by a b followed by a block number e g SREGB 1b2 would indicate the second block under menu option SREGB 1 Some blocks extend over more than one screen If this is the case a particular screen or page is indicated by a p followed
26. gistes Additions Sshjacts gt Validate Moil Set joc For Regis Aradeo Nogistaten Moevernents Linttations On Stedoet Mowe Format Stats CalculadossValdaten 4 3 2 How to change or delete user buttons e lt Click gt on the red button 2 in the User Buttons frame see above e a new option will be displayed with the heading Custom Buttons if you want to change the description of your button change the Button Label in this screen e if you want to delete the button use Remove Record either from your toolbar from the icon or use a shortcut key The sequence of the buttons can be changed by updating the Button Number field e Updating the Tooltip field can also change the tooltip that is displayed when you move your mouse over a button Copyright ITS 4 3 Version 12 2000 OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems 4 4 SHORT CUTS The following shortcuts are system defined on this menu 4 4 1 Query Batch 4 4 1 1 General All jobs that were run in immediate or deferred batch when the report was run online can be queried with this button If you lt click gt on this button you will be taken to a screen where all your valid batch jobs are displayed In this screen you can see whether the job has been successfully completed or if it failed batch jobs can also be printed and cancelled via this screen Below is a short discussion on the functionality of batch The technical functioning
27. ingle quotes 5 Press lt COMMIT gt to view the first record and lt NEXT RECORD gt repeatedly to view the rest To see the oldest appointment first add a space and order by amp after the date to see the latest appointment first add order by amp desc Furthermore we could select all appointments between say Ist January 1980 and 31st December 1982 by typing amp between to_date 01 JAN 1980 DD MON YYYY and to_date 31 DEC 1982 DD MON YYYY again ordering them from old to new or vice versa if we wished Note the two sets of single quotes Copyright ITS Version 12 2000 104 OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems 11 HELP FACILITIES Help is provided in the ITS system in various formats These are discussed below 11 1 HELP PER FIELD A single line of detail on each field in the systems is available to the user by simply pressing the lt HELP gt key when the cursor is at the particular field in the input screen The message will appear at the bottom of the screen and will provide more detail on the particular field and its permissible values The length of the field and its type i e numeric N or alpha numeric A will also appear in the format eg N30 Shortcut key lt Ctrl H gt By pressing the lt HELP gt key a second time the user sees a full screen of technical detail on the field The user can easily see whether the field is mandatory i e must be entered etc lt CLICK gt on OK
28. ly by instructions and help messages on the screen In this document important information is provided concerning basic keyboard handling and terminology notational conventions used in ITS User Manuals and the retrieval of information from the database Copyright ITS Version 12 2000 1 1 OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems 2 1 2 2 2 3 Copyright ITS FUNCTIONALITY In this section the general functionality of the web based version of the ITS systems are discussed BROWSER Access to the ITS system can be with any browser through the Intranet or Internet Examples of well known browsers are Internet Explorer Netscape etc WINDOWS FUNCTIONALITY Full Windows functionalities are available such as cut and paste drop and drag etc The keyboard and the mouse can be used for navigation when working in the menus and options SYSTEM SETTINGS The system is made available to clients with standard settings An example of how this can be used effectively is by assigning different background colours to the production and test machine at an institution It is however important to remember that the settings are global per Oracle instance which implies that the different users cannot set their own colour schemes this will be done globally 2 1 Version 12 2000 3 LOGGING ON When logging onto the ITS system the following steps must be followed Step 1 You must have access to a browser e g Netscape or Internet
29. of this facility is discussed in more detail in the General System Manual This section merely deals with those aspects that are of concern to users of the facility The ITS System allows the running of reports online or in immediate deferred batch Immediate batch means that the program is immediately started and run directly in background the user s session is freed Deferred Batch means that the program will be started at a later stage probably overnight as determined by the data processing section The user s terminal will be freed to continue with other work Furthermore the running of complex reports in deferred batch overnight has the benefit of not affecting the response times of other users of the system during daytime Some reports on the systems such as most of the SAPSE report programs can only be run in batch When they are requested the user will not have the RUN option when the report is executed The user only has a Batch button to run the report This will give the user the option to run the report in batch Any user will however only be able to see or print reports that were requested under his or her login id 4 4 1 2 Monitoring Printing and Cancelling Batch Jobs To establish if a request has been processed or to re print a copy of a report that has been processed the user can lt click gt on the Query Batch button The system will do an automatic query on all existing batch jobs of this user and
30. onal Aspects of ITS Systems 7 BASIC TERMINOLOGY Three terms are used regularly throughout ITS and Oracle User Manuals and users should be familiar with their meaning These terms are FIELD RECORD and BLOCK A FIELD is a place where a single piece of information is entered into the database e g the surname of a person Navigation key lt enter gt key lt tab gt key mouse A RECORD is a group of fields that belong together and are usually entered together for example all the personal details of an individual If a record does not contain many fields for example simple code structures up to seventeen records may be displayed simultaneously on one screen Sometimes however a record contains so many fields that only one record can be shown on an input screen or it may stretch across more than one screen e g the biographical record of a person Navigation key lt down arrow gt key x A BLOCK is a portion of a screen where identical records are entered for example the personal details of a student will be entered into one block and the subjects for which he is registered into another Some screens contain several blocks and others contain one block only Some blocks are so large that they extend over several screens Navigation key lt shift page down Copyright ITS 7 1 Version 12 2000 OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems 8 NOTATIONAL CONVENTIONS It is essential that ev
31. pointment Type field and enter 21 lt EXECUTE QUERY gt whereupon the query window will pop up Type Order by amp or s if s was entered Press lt COMMIT gt to view the first record and lt NEXT RECORD gt repeatedly to view the rest DAUM AUNE Copyright ITS 10 3 Version 12 2000 OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems The command Order by amp desc will retrieve the records in descending alphabetical sequence i e Z Y X etc 10 6 THE _ UNDERSCORE QUERY To view all subjects with codes that start with M and end in 1 one would 1 Press lt ENTER QUERY gt 2 Move to the Subject Code field 3 Type in M then five underscores then 1 4 Press or click lt EXECUTE QUERY to view the records or 5 Use lt COUNT QUERY HITS gt to count the number of records Note that the underscore replaces a character and can be used whenever a query needs to be done with known values in specific positions 10 7 DATE QUERIES For example suppose we want to discover which staff members were employed since 1st January 1980 when new pension rules became mandatory i e we want to compare appointment dates to 01 JAN 1980 1 Press lt ENTER QUERY gt 2 Move the cursor to the Appointment Date field and enter amp 3 Press or click lt EXECUTE QUERY gt whereupon the query window will pop up 4 Type amp gt to_date 01 JAN 1980 DD MON YYYvY Note the s
32. ppropriate menu option the user will be presented with a blank screen containing the fields into which information must be inserted each field being preceded by a short description of its contents A cursor i e a blinking line or oblong marker will be positioned at the first field into which information may be entered The appropriate information is now typed into the first field and lt ENTER gt the mouse or lt TAB gt is used to position the cursor in the next field which is then completed This process continues until all fields for this record have been completed which could cover more than one screen depending on the record length Information on the screen as above has not yet been written into the database but exists merely in the memory of the computer To enter the record into the database the lt COMMIT gt key must be pressed after which the message Working will be displayed at the bottom of the screen for a short while followed by the message Transaction complete N records applied and saved where N is the number of records that were actually written away into the database The user is not forced to commit after each record but if a record covers an entire screen or more it is recommended that the information be written away to the database before the next record is created Throughout the process of data entry the system will check wherever possible that only valid information is entered e g if
33. r of the menu the following details are displayed e User name The description of the user name is taken from USERS 5 The detail from the Name field is displayed e Menu Option The presently selected menu name and option are displayed here e Command input The menu name or option number can be typed into this field The combination of menu name and option number cannot be used in one command 4 3 USER BUTTONS The user can set up a list of six preferred options logically options that are used often by the user The options can then be selected from the wer buttons and the user does not need to go to the tree structure on the left hand side to select the option This list is maintained by the individual user and options can be added and changed as often as required Copyright ITS Version 12 2000 4 2 OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems 4 3 1 How to add buttons Highlight the menu option in the tree structure but do not lt double click gt to go into the option e lt Click gt on the green button 1 next to the Help button see below The option will be added to the list of User Buttons ORACLE STUDENT INFORMATION SYSTEM REGISTRATION Su gt Sysem Cria Re gisiraton Slegraphical isformstios Mune Snan JERESART A 1 gt Blograpticat Information Oeranteue Sow Catton det jigin Shoncuts __Quney Bree Textwal Dona Por Stuart Sheet Siayyaphical Detat Quer Seurteg An
34. splay the allowed values for a field This facility is usually available on fields where there is a fixed list of codes as defined by the institution which are allowable values in the field The user would not normally know all the allowable values and can use the lt LOV gt to select the required value When the lt LIST gt key is pressed a pop up window appears on the screen with a heading explaining which information is displayed below The cursor will be positioned on the first of the values and can be moved with the lt NEXT RECORD gt lt PREVIOUS RECORD gt lt SCROLL DOWN gt and lt SCROLL UP gt commands to find the required code When the user lt ENTER gt the system will insert this value into the data field on the Oracle screen and return to the screen The above method is fine for short lists of values but can be time consuming and frustrating if the list is very long e g a list of departmental codes To assist the user in such cases the lt FIND gt facility in the list can be used to search according to codes or description displayed in the list Shortcut key lt CTRL L or lt CLICK gt on grey button next to field 11 5 DRILL DOWN The drill down facility enables the user to access other relevant options without exiting from the present option An example of this would be if the user wants to link a new creditor to a creditor type in the menu FPMM 2 A creditor type for the new creditor does not already exist
35. the Command Input field and follow it by pressing lt RETURN gt 6 1 2 Directly via Menu codes It is possible to go directly and rapidly from one menu to any other without having to go through higher level menus by typing in menu code rather than the number followed by a lt RETURN gt If for example SREG or sreg is entered the user will be taken to the registration subsystem menu in the Student System If only a 7 is entered the user will be returned to his her first menu 6 1 3 Via the tree structure The user can also use the tree structure on the left side of the screen to navigate to menus and eventually options The structure can be expanded or collapsed as required 6 2 OPTION NAVIGATION 6 2 1 Fields Copyright ITS Version 12 2000 6 1 OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems The character of the field can be seen by the colour of the field and the colour of the field name Following are guidelines on how to understand the fields you see Refer to the screen print below for example fields Type of field Field colour Field name colour Example field Mandatory Light grey Black Student number Non mandatory White Light grey Enquiry number Query only Dark grey Dark grey Date captured Display only Light grey Medium grey Qualification Biographical Information Page Personal Detal Suname Suarh ep 3 View Phone StedectttesberU ee Sename o ntas Dore Coptuiee To Leet cmenyod
36. will display the following report or job description request number and queue code date and time requested date and time completed if completed date and time cancelled if cancelled Copyright ITS Version 12 2000 4 4 OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems Success Fail If a job has been successfully completed this field will contain a 0 but if the job was terminated for some technical reason it will contain a 1 Only the following two fields can be updated by the user PRINT If a Y es is entered in this field in respect of a completed request CANCEL If a Y es is entered here in respect of a request that has not yet been started the request will be cancelled and the date and time will be recorded in the appropriate fields 4 4 2 Query Routing 4 4 3 Query Out Routes Copyright ITS Version 12 2000 4 5 OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems 5 BUTTONS AND BARS Dlogeaphioal letarmation Paget M Somane fear er Var Pree Staan Mewes 2002002 2 Ennuwy mumbar Sumare ACO ES leals Data Cape ni ESERI Last charged 20 FEB SID Um BELL Qualification Information Guetticoios PAUCO PAA EOWA Daalineotau Tpi nen aeaiee 8 Geyer la Dissing Type Bt FULL TME Perpdid idy Fia Entry is Hegisimti a Aeplicat nl HoqivvadesAoulicaiion Dare SALE 1087 Vantutadue Dare al i Reverie 5 1 MENU BAR The menu bar is a special toolbar at the
37. y For more information on this refer to the section on Retrieving information from the database in this manual Once the record is on screen the necessary change s are made in the applicable fields and the record is lt COMMIT gt ted 9 3 DELETING A RECORD The lt DELETE RECORD gt command is used for this purpose followed by a lt COMMIT gt The system will often not allow a record to be deleted unless certain preconditions have been met An example of this can be found in the Space Inventory system where a room cannot be deleted if assets are still allocated to the room Copyright ITS Version 12 2000 9 2 OPS Operational Aspects of ITS Systems 10 RETRIEVING INFORMATION FROM THE DATABASE Apart from the traditional way of retrieving information from the database by requesting every user of the ITS systems can execute queries from his her terminal which will allow many ad hoc queries to be answered promptly without requiring the involvement of the IT Department or in fact the production of printed reports Some examples of common queries are presented below Queries of a more complex nature can also be handled consult the Oracle manuals or your technical personnel for guidance in this respect 10 1 THE GENERAL QUERY e To retrieve all records in a particular block press the lt EXECUTE QUERY gt key The cursor will be positioned at the first record and the rest may be reached by using the lt N
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