Testing Your Extract Sets

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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
Utilizing Meeting Patterns and Standard Schedules
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


Making extract sets in LYNX is an iterative process. It often takes a few tries to get things just right. Before you're ready to move on with the academic cycle, you'll want to make a few tests to ensure everything is done right.

Use the following steps to verify everything is right with your extract sets.

Count the Results

The quickest, roughest check you can make is to ensure that your extract set has the right number of classes in it. You can check this in several ways:

  1. Look at the total number of sections returned by the extract set. When you click Review and Import, LYNX displays the total number of items matching the extract set criteria. Does this roughly match what you expect?
    Reviewing an extract set's results
     
  2. The extract set might not be fully imported. Look at the Import? column in the far right of the results for anything other than a green Yes. (You can also get count these sections by looking at the numbers in the import confirmation pop-up.) These represent sections whose meeting patterns are not complete in the SIS and cannot be created as events in 25Live. You may want to fix these sections in the SIS or change your extract set to exclude them.
    Confirming the number of imported sections
     
  3. Once an import is complete, run a search in 25Live (based on event type, date range, or however else you plan to identify your sections) that should capture the entire term. How many events are returned? Does it match the number of sections from the previous two steps? If not, look at LYNX's import logs to find the errors. See below for common errors which can affect imported classes.
    25Live search results display the total number of imported events
     

Address Import Errors

Review the import log in LYNX to find sections that had difficulty importing. Problems come in two types:

  • Errors mean something prevented the section from importing at all. You won't find it in 25Live.
  • Warnings mean was able to partially import the event, but some data is missing.

It's very common for a single section to have multiple errors and/or warnings. Sometimes fixing the problem behind one will automatically address the causes of another. (For example, it's just a warning if 25Live can't find a matching organization for an event, but this can also trigger an error if the organization is required for successful event routing.)

Here are some common import errors/warnings and tips for dealing with each of them:

Problem

Notes

Cannot route, no matching rule

There is no folder in 25Live where the event can be saved. Ensure that you are following best practices for calendars, folders, and event types.

Also check that there are no warnings for an unknown event type.

Cannot route, no unique rule

There are too many possible folders in 25Live where the event can be saved. See the best practices link above.

Also check that there are no warnings for an unknown organization or category.

Location not available

If the conflict is with a non-academic event, consider implementing the Academic Priority setting.

If the conflict is with another section and is approved (the classes are supposed to meet together), ensure that bindings are set up correctly.

If the conflict is on a holiday, double-check your date exceptions.

Unknown organization, location, event type, category, requirement, instructor

Check to ensure that the spelling of all items match between the SIS and 25Live.

Also ensure that translation tables are set up correctly and that instructor emails are being pulled from the correct source.


Verify Event Data

Errors (and warnings) will show you when 25Live is failing to match items that are being sent from the SIS, but they won't tell you if something's missing because LYNX never attempted to import it in the first place.

Pick a few events in 25Live to spot-check and ensure that everything is in place. Here are some things to look for:

  • Is the event name constructed with everything you expect to see?
  • Are all the right event categories in place?
  • Does it have custom attributes with data from the SIS?
  • Have holidays and other date exceptions been applied correctly?
  • Do the section's facility requirements appear as location preferences?
  • Are instructors added as text in the event description and/or contact records?
  • Do the headcounts look correct on cross-listed classes?