Running Schedule25 and Reading the Optimization Results

Click here to view related articles.
Setup
25Live Fields vs SIS Data
Key LYNX Settings
Setting Up Translation Tables
Mapping Event Names, Categories, and Attributes
Best Practices for Optimizer Partitions and Preferences
Standard Meeting Patterns
At the Start of Each Term
Roll courses/exams over from previous term
Initialize reference data in LYNX
Using and Understanding Extract Sets
Tips for Import Extract Sets
Tips for Export Extract Sets
Create date exceptions
Test extract sets and import data into 25Live
Review errors and conflicts
Placing Classes Using Optimizer
Finalize bindings between sections
Review Best Practices for Optimizer Runs
Run the Optimizer to find placements
Tweak settings to improve your Optimizer results
Ongoing Throughout Term
Updates Throughout the Term
Ongoing Maintenance for LYNX
Finishing a Term
Final Exams
Tips For Final Exams in LYNX


Once you have prepared for a Schedule25 run, you are ready to move on to the next step and run it to place sections. 

The data preparation step creates a snapshot of 25Live data, so if anything has changed in 25Live since you last ran Schedule25, you should re-prepare the data. If you don't the snapshot could be out of sync with what's actually present in 25Live and an error might occur, such as Schedule25 double-booking a section in a location that it erroneously thought was available.

Optimize Your Results

Click the Optimize button.

It will take some time for the run to complete. When it's done, a summary of the term you just processed is displayed. The results at this point are just a suggestion. No locations have been assigned to events yet.

Review the Optimize Results

An example of Optimization Results.Image: An example of Optimization Results.

  • The Optimize button on the right allows you to run/re-run the Optimize step.
  • The bolded date indicates the last time you ran the optimize step for this run.
  • Optimization Results:
    • Placed Classes shows the number of classes that were successfully placed in this run.
    • Average Utilization computes the utilization for each placed class and then calculates the average of all of them. 
      • Smaller events and rooms typically impact average utilization more than the overall utilization.
    • Overall Utilization divides the sum of the enrollments by the sum of the capacities. 
      • Larger events and rooms typically impact overall utilization more than the average utilization.
    • Not Placed shows the number of classes that were not placed in this run.
    • Impossible to Place shows the number of classes whose preferences or requirements made it unsuitable to be placed in this run. 
  • The View Report button will generate the Availability Report.

Need to make adjustments? See Getting Better Run Results for advice on adjusting your run settings.

Note: Discrepancies Between the Total Number of Classes on the Optimize and Assign Pages

When two events are bound together (as is the case for cross-listed or back-to-back sections) they count as a single "request for placement" for purposes of the Optimizer algorithm. This is because the Optimizer treats them as a single unit.

On the Assign page, each event is listed separately regardless of whether it is bound to another event. Therefore, the number of events listed in those results is greater than the "placed classes" displayed in the summary after clicking the Optimize button.

Click Assign to Proceed to the Next Step

At this point, you can move on to the Assign step to perform the actual location assignments.