25Live URLs

Prod: 25live.collegenet.com/blueridge
Test: 25live.collegenet.com/blueridget

Remember, you can always access LYNX or X25 Analytics by logging into 25Live Pro, clicking on the more menu, and selecting the application under the go to tools menu. I recommend accessing the tools this way because your LDAP authentication token will be passed from 25Live into the other tools so you don’t have to log in multiple times.

Academic Cycle Documentation: https://knowledge25.knowledgeowl.com/help/academic-cycle

Username: series25customer@collegenet.com
Password: solveinfotreasure25 (This password changes periodically so if it doesn’t work please contact support@collegenet.com for the current credentials)

The article above is the one we worked with during our service. As promised, here are the steps in the article that you’ll need to follow every time you want to run through the academic cycle. Please note that these steps differ slightly from the documentation because it’s much easier to create your import extract set then deal with all the binding before you import.

Lynx Steps to Import Data From Colleague

  1. Verify your data is ready in Colleague
    1. Verify your meeting patterns have been built
    2. Create your crosslisted sections (you don’t currently use this functionality but had mentioned potentially trying to use it in the future)
    3. Add in preassigned locations (once your import extract set is turned on then any updates you make to sections will automatically be sent to 25Live).
  2. Create the import extract set. This will start the communication between Colleague and 25Live for a given term.
    1. In LYNX under the “Import to 25Live” menu and “Section Import” you will see that we’ve already created an extract for 2023SP and 2023CE1 in your Production environment.

    2. Under the “more actions” button you can choose to copy existing sets to create new sets. I recommend doing this for each term because your extract set is made up of not only term but campus code and section type.
    3. Once you’ve copied your extract set, click on the pencil to rename, and change the term code to match what you are trying to process. Don’t forget to turn your new extract set on as it will default to off.
  3. Create date exceptions.
    1. This will release the spaces on all sections in your extract set for non-academic use on any dates specified. (These can also be used to create make-up or conversion dates)
    2. In LYNX under the “import to 25Live” menu and extract sets, highlight the extract set created in step 2. Click the date exceptions button and add a new exclude date exception (make up and conversion are explained further in the documentation). Enter a name and any exception dates you need. I like to create one exception for all the holidays in a term, but you can break them out as well.

  4. Create overlapping groups 
    1. In LYNX under configuration > data binding > overlapping groups you can run a process to show you overlapping sections (sections with the same meeting pattern dates/times and instructors). Start by selecting overlapping sections from the type drop down, entering your term code, and selecting search. 
    2. The search will be blank if you’ve never run the process before or will show you the current overlapping groups that have been created.
    3. Click the “bind overlapping sections” button to start the process.
    4. Choose your extract set and click the “run” button to identify the sections that need relationships created.
    5. Review the list and delete any bindings you don’t want created in 25Live. (Step 5 will import these relationships when you import the term.)



    6. Optional: Create bound groups - In LYNX under configuration > data binding > bound group - sections you can add any sections that need to meet in the same space at the same time but ARE NOT cross-listed. This will ensure they are placed in the same room without generating errors. NOTE: I find this functionality works best as you’re evaluating your location conflicts. Simply create the binding relationship in LYNX and either click the import button on the individual group OR re-import the whole term if there are a lot of relationships. We also used this functionality when sections didn’t have the exact same end time so it wasn’t captured by overlapping groups.


  5. Import your term
    1. In LYNX under the “Import to 25Live” menu and “Section Import”, highlight the extract set created in step 2. 
    2. Click “Review and Import” to see a list of all sections that LYNX will attempt to import.
    3. Click “Import to 25Live” to start the process. 
  6. Review import error messages (This can be done in several different ways)
    1. Review the import messages in LYNX. When your sections finish processing, you’ll see an option to review error messages in LYNX. I like to use the settings listed to view just errors and warnings so that I’m not trying to flip through messages as well.


      Clicking on the down arrow icon will download either the import messages or the summary into an excel spreadsheet which is a great way to work through any problems with your import. (this can also be accessed under utilities > import/export messages.)
    2. Review the import messages via email. The users that get this email are configured under configuration > settings > general settings. If you don’t get an email that means everything imported successfully. Simply click the link in the email to view any errors and warnings for that data chunk. NOTE: This requires the password on the 25Live database which might not match the password you use to log into 25Live. Amy can help you reset your password for use with the emails if needed.
    3. Use the “SIS import messages – excel” report in 25Live. If you go to the more menu > go to tool > reports tool and search for “SIS Import messages – excel” you’ll be able to navigate to that report. I usually set “show errors/warnings only” to yes so I’m not seeing all of the sections that imported successfully as well then email the report to myself so I’m not worried about leaving an extra tab open.
       
  7. Fix import errors
    1. Fix any errors you encounter and reprocess your term at the bottom of the LYNX error messages screen or by doing step 5 again. Most of the warnings we’ve seen have been due to classroom conflicts in Colleague or locations and organizations that didn’t exist, but if you see a message that’s confusing simply type it into our knowledgebase for more information or contact support@collegenet.com for help.
  8. Optional:Create your export extract set. This will start the communication from 25Live back to Colleague. It sounded like this was something you weren’t going to do in the beginning, but I want to make sure you have the information if you need it.)
    1. In the LYNX interface under “Export to SIS” and extract sets create an extract set that uses your term code. 

    2. Click the “Review and Export” button to view all sections that will be sent back to Colleague. 
    3. Click “Export to SIS” to begin the communication from 25Live to Colleague. (This communication can be controlled using the active switch in the extract set if needed.) 

All changes from this point on made in Colleague will be sent to 25Live and all changes to classroom assignments will be sent from 25Live back to Colleague. 

Additional Notes:

  • We’ve enabled priority override in your environment. This means that sections from Colleague will take priority over non-academic events in 25Live. If a section in Colleague imports and encounters a location conflict with a non-academic event, the section will keep the space and the non-academic event will lose it. We’ve got it set up so that if that happens, an email is sent mj_tweed, a_cohn, and jl_johnson (this can be changed in LYNX > more menu > configuration > settings > general settings). 

    If a non-academic event needs to keep its space, you can set the event custom attribute of “priority override” to true. In that case, the section would import, encounter the conflict, and lose its space. 
  • We’ve updated the number of terms you can auto-initialize from three to four so you can have the current term and CE terms auto-initializing. If you have a different term and you want to process changes, you’ll want to manually initialize by going to more > utilities > SIS Data Initialization and initializing the term.