LYNX Database Integration - Colleague (MSS)

The Series25 LYNX Interface uses a database integration to connect to any student information system which is hosted locally on an institution's servers.

The integration has two parts:

1. A series of custom tables that track historical changes to SIS data
2. The LYNX-APP, a lightweight Java application that exchanges data between those tables and the hosted Series25 database

This article explains how to deploy the LYNX Interface scripts necessary for database integration with Colleague. After the scripts are in place, you will be ready to install the LYNX-APP.

System Requirements

Your SIS environment must meet the following requirements:

• MS SQL Server 2012 or later

If you have a UniData database, please see our installation instructions.

If your SIS database is of another type, you will need to set up a new SQL Server database that can exchange data with your SIS database. Contact your Account Manager for further details on proceeding with the LYNX integration.

Download the SQL Scripts Package

Download the LYNX-Colleague-MSS-SQL.zip package of scripts from: https://collegenet.exavault.com/share/view/1q87x-k734qcu. (Contact Series25 Support at support@collegenet.com for credentials.)

The script package contains the following files:

Deploy the SQL Scripts

Follow this procedure to properly deploy the scripts in your MSS database.

Prepare the LYNX Username and Password

These scripts create and reference a user which provides access for the LYNX application. This is a new user. (Do not re-use credentials for an existing user.)

Before running any scripts, choose a username and password for this new user. You will use these values to update the scripts.

Update the Creation Scripts

Certain lines within the scripts need to be customized to reflect your individual environment.

1. Open the A script (a_col_sis_mssql_security.sql).
   • Search for 'DB_USERNAME'.
   • Update LYNX_USER to your chosen username.
   • Update LYNX_USER_PASS to your chosen password.

   • Save changes to the A script after making these updates.

2. Open the B script (b_col_sis_mssql_schema.sql).
   • Update LYNX_USER to the chosen username.
   • Save changes to the B script.
3. Open the C script (c_col_sis_mssql_routines.sql).
   • Update LYNX_USER to the chosen username.
   • Save changes to the C script.

Run the Creation Scripts

You are now ready to run the A, B, and C scripts which create objects in your SIS database.

1. Log in to your SIS database as an administrator.
2. Run the updated A script within the SQL Server DB to create the LYNX user and establish rights.
3. Log in to your SIS database as the newly created LYNX user from step 2.
4. Run the B script within the SQL Server DB.
5. Run the C script within the SQL Server DB.

Run the Quality Control Script

CollegeNET provides a D script that performs a quick check to see if the LYNX database is deployed properly.

After running the creation scripts, run the D script and resolve any reported errors. If you encounter anything you're not sure how to fix, e-mail your assigned CollegeNET Technical Analyst for assistance.

Restrict LYNX Service Account Permissions (Optional)

Some customers prefer to remove permission grants for the LYNX service account that were only necessary to provision the LYNX schema objects

1. Open the E script (e_col_sis_mssql_security_revoke.sql).
2. Search for 'DB_USERNAME'.
3. Update LYNX_USER to the username of the LYNX service account.
4. Save changes to the E script.
5. Run the updated version of the E script as an administrative database user to revoke permissions on your Colleague database.

Install the LYNX-APP

Once you have completed the steps to deploy the LYNX database objects into your SIS database, you are ready to install the LYNX-APP.