LYNX Data Binding Overview

Binding is a way of telling 25Live that two or more sections must take place in the same location. They can be automatically applied or manually defined in LYNX, and they can apply to the meeting patterns of sections imported into 25Live. Examples include: 

  • Crosslisted/Combined Sections that take place in the same room (automatic)
  • Back-to-back sections taught by the same instructor immediately following each other
  • Sections that overlap in the same room
  • Any other section that doesn’t meet the criteria above but needs the same location assignment

Data binding refers to any of several methods LYNX can use to generate bound events in 25Live. Bindings allow (and in fact require) two or more events to have the same location assignment, even if they meet at the same time. This is useful to ensure that many kinds of classes get the correct placement in 25Live and the Schedule25 Optimizer.

Bindings have the following effects in 25Live:

  • All occurrences in bound meeting patterns have the same location assignment
  • Bound meeting patterns do not generate location conflicts with each other
  • Unassigning a location from one event will also unassign it from everywhere it is bound
Sections or meeting patterns?

Technically, all bindings in 25Live are between meeting patterns (also known as "segments") and not events. An event could have multiple meeting patterns with different times–which means some are back-to-back with other meeting patterns and some are not.

Since most sections in a term have a single meeting pattern, we use terms like "back-to-back section" or "bound event" for convenience, but remember that it's actually the meeting patterns that count!

Primary Reservations

In every group of bindings in 25Live, one is designated as the primary reservation. This is used to determine organization preferences for the Schedule25 Optimizer.

You can manually select the primary reservation in any bound group using the manage event bindings menu option in 25Live, and this selection will be preserved in future updates. By default, LYNX arbitrarily determines a primary reservation by itself unless you specify otherwise. Read the pages on individual binding types (linked on the right) to see how each one sets its primary reservation.

Types of Bindings

LYNX can generate bindings in 25Live based on the following relationships:

  • Cross-listed or combined sections or exams in the SIS
  • Manually grouped sections or exams
  • Sections taught by the same instructor immediately following each other, aka "back-to-back"
  • Overlapping sections that meet at the same time

Depending on the type, some events are subject to smart binding eligibility checks to see if a binding will result in 25Live. (Smart binding is LYNX's way of ensuring that bound sections are truly overlapping.)

Cross-Listed or Combined Classes

All SIS types have the ability to designate sections as cross-listed (or "combined" in some systems). Campus Solutions and schools using the Universal LYNX version can also combine exams this way.

Cross-listed classes require no additional configuration in LYNX to be bound in 25Live. LYNX automatically detects this relationship and applies the smart binding process to create bindings between the appropriate meeting patterns.

Co-Located Sections in Workday

The Workday equivalent of this functionality is called "co-location section relationships". Due to the nature of the connection between LYNX and Workday, these relationships are overwritten and lost when data is exported back into Workday.

To ensure bindings are preserved in 25Live, CollegeNET recommends that Workday users create and maintain bound groups of sections as described below.

Bound Groups - Sections and Exams

Bound Groups refers to a group of two or more section/exam meeting patterns that have been designated as requiring assignment to the same location, even if meeting at the same dates/times. LYNX allows you to manually add or do a file upload of such groups so they will be properly imported into 25Live with binding location assignment relationships and permits you to bind sections from cross-listed or combined section groups with manually bound section groups as needed.

If you need to enter a large number of bound groups with predictable qualities, you may save some time by having LYNX search for overlapping sections.

Image: Bound Groups - Sections list. 

Back-to-Back Sections

Back-to-Back Sections refers to two or more sections that have the same instructor in the SIS and are close in start date, time, and expected headcount that have been designated as requiring assignment to the same location to facilitate ease of scheduling for instructors and/or students, or for some other reason. You might use this functionality, for example, to ensure that instructors don’t have to change rooms when they have back-to-back classes. LYNX allows you to define what you mean by "back-to-back" sections in terms of date, time, and headcount.

Image: Back-to-Back Sections list. 

Overlapping Sections

LYNX has the ability to automatically detect when sections happen at the same time and recommend that they should be bound together. It is similar to the back-to-back detection process but with different criteria. These criteria are adjustable so you can configure just what is considered an overlap.

This functionality is useful when you plan to manually add a large number of bound groups and are seeking to automate the process.

Image: Options for binding overlapping sections.