ctcLink Learning Opportunities & Support Roundup: Oct. 30, 2024

To plan further ahead or find the latest learning opportunities, as well as notices of cancellation or schedule changes, see the complete calendar at the ctcLink Training & Learning Opportunities Registration page or on the SBCTC meetings and events calendar (apply filters). 

Date	Time	Event
Oct 31	10am	ctcLink Accounting Team: Recon Session on Student-related Liabilities
Oct 31	2pm	FIN Training: *DATE CHANGE* Intermediate General Ledger - Importing Journals (Part 2of2)
Nov 5	9am	*NEW SESSION* Advanced Fin Aid Training: Pell & Loan Message Log Review
Nov 5	2pm	FIN Work Session: FSCM Prod Support Meeting (DYK on AM, AR, BI, GL)
Nov 7	9am	SF Training: Intermediate Third-Party Contracts
Nov 7	10am	ctcLink Accounting Team: Recon Session on Student-related Liabilities (continued)
Nov 7	1pm	CS Core Work Session: [Students] Got Bills; They’re Multiplying!
Nov 12	9am	PS Query Training 201 Intermediate - Part 1Sign Up
Nov 12	2pm	FIN Work Session: FSCM Prod Support Meeting *CANCELED*
Nov 13	9am	CS Core AAR Workshop 9 AM - 12 PM & 1 - 4 PM
Nov 13	9am	PS Query Training 201 Intermediate - Part 2Sign Up
Nov 13	1pm	HCM Work Session: End of Year W-2 Preparation - Part 2
Nov 13	2pm	ctcLink Accounting Team: SF/GL Open Forum Meeting
Nov 14	9am	CS Core AAR Workshop 9 AM - 12 PM & 1 - 4 PM
Nov 14	10am	ctcLink Accounting Team: Recon Session on Accounts Payable Control
Nov 14	1pm	SF Work Session: SF Communications
Nov 18	11am	FIN Work Session: Grants/Projects Q&A Drop-In *DATE CHANGE*
Nov 18	1pm	SF Work Session: 2024 1098-T Processing
Nov 19	9am	Fin Aid Training: Intermediate Pell - Multiple Pell Record Reporting (MRR) Process Refresher
Nov 19	11am	FIN Work Session: Asset Mgmt Q&A Drop-In
Nov 19	2pm	FIN Work Session: FSCM Prod Support Meeting
Nov 20	8:30am	CS Core Training: Grading
Nov 21	9am	SF/FIN BAR Follow-Up: SMARTER Reports Q&A
Nov 21	10am	ctcLink Accounting Team: Recon Session on Accounts Payable Control (continued)
Nov 21	1pm	CS Core Work Session: Open Q&A Session
Nov 21	2pm	FIN Training: AM Back to Basics
Nov 26	2pm	FIN Work Session: FSCM Prod Support Meeting *CANCELED*
Nov 28	10am	ctcLink Accounting Team Recon Session *CANCELED*
Dec 3	9am	Fin Aid Training: PLUS Loan Processing Refresher
Dec 3	9am	PS Query Training 301 Advanced - Part 1Sign Up
Dec 3	2pm	FIN Work Session: FSCM Prod Support Meeting (DYK on GL)
Dec 4	9am	PS Query Training 301 Advanced - Part 2Sign Up
Dec 5	9am	SF Training: TBA
Dec 5	10am	ctcLink Accounting Team: Recon Session on DOR Sales & Use Tax
Dec 5	1pm	CS Core Work Session: Get on the sCOREboard
Dec 9	11am	FIN Work Session: Grants/Projects Q&A Drop-In
Dec 9	1pm	SF Work Session: 2024 1098-T Processing
Dec 10	9am	*NEW SESSION* Advanced Fin Aid Training: Processing Negative Disbursement Files
Dec 10	9am	PS Query Training 401 Expert- Part 1Sign Up
Dec 10	2pm	FIN Work Session: FSCM Prod Support Meeting
Dec 11	9am	PS Query Training 401 Expert- Part 2Sign Up
Dec 11	2pm	ctcLink Accounting Team: SF/GL Open Forum Meeting
Dec 12	10am	ctcLink Accounting Team: Recon Session on DOR Sales & Use Tax (continued)
Dec 17	11am	FIN Work Session: Asset Mgmt Q&A Drop-In
Dec 17	2pm	FIN Work Session: FSCM Prod Support Meeting *CANCELED*
Dec 18	8:30am	CS Core Training: Set up Enrolled from Waitlist Message Center Recurrence
Dec 19	10am	ctcLink Accounting Team: Recon Session on COP, Leases, SBITA, Deferred Inflows
Dec 24	2pm	FIN Work Session: FSCM Prod Support Meeting *CANCELED*
Dec 26	10am	ctcLink Accounting Team: Recon Session *CANCELED*
Dec 31	2pm	FIN Work Session: FSCM Prod Support Meeting *CANCELED*

Resource	Description
ctcLink Training Quick Reference Guides	The ctcLink Training Quick Reference Guides (QRGs) in the ctcLink Reference Center lists and links to recordings of sessions delivered by the Training Team.
Work Sessions in Canvas	The Work Session Canvas Course lists and links to recordings of sessions, including CS Core-offered Work Sessions. Register for the course(s) at ctcLink Training & Learning Opportunities Registration.
ctcLink Security Documentation & Training	Find ctcLink Security-related training materials, documentation, Quick Reference Guides (QRGs), useful queries, and more on the ctcLink Security Documentation & Training page.
Accessibility and ctcLink Open Forums	SBCTC hosts monthly Accessibility and ctcLink Open Forums to engage Washington's community and technical college system in discussions around ctcLink accessibility and technology. Find materials and recordings from past ctcLink Accessibility Forums on the website.

 

Learn about how to register, badging opportunities, and more at the Professional & Personal Development Workshops page.

Registering for the workshops is easy!

1. Visit the SBCTC meetings and events calendar
2. Filter by "CTC Professional Development » Personal & Professional Development Suite"
3. Click "Sign up" button to enroll

Date	Time	Event
Nov 5	1pm	Psychological Safety in the Workplace Professional Development Workshop
Nov 13	1pm	Managing Stress Part 1 Professional Development Workshop
Nov 14	1pm	Managing Stress Part 2 Professional Development Workshop
Nov 19	1pm	Time Management Professional Development Workshop
Dec 4	1pm	Time Management Professional Development Workshop
Dec 9	10am	Top Tier Customer Experience Professional Development Workshop
Dec 12	1pm	Psychological Safety in the Workplace Professional Development Workshop
Jan 8	1pm	Effective Communication Strategies Professional Development Workshop
Jan 21	1pm	Managing Stress Part 1 Professional Development Workshop
Jan 23	1pm	Managing Stress Part 2 Professional Development Workshop

System Environment Updates & Outages

Stay up to date on planned maintenance and service outages for ctcLink and related systems: ctcLink Support Page (includes Planned Service Outages)

PCD Refresh and Your Queries: Get Ready!

The PCD (Production College Development) environment will be refreshed from PRD on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. Beginning Friday, Nov. 1, at noon, PCD will not be available for query development until after the PCD is refreshed.

What you need to do

Make sure any PCD queries you want to keep begin with the prefix DEV_ unless you have submitted a ticket requesting backup of queries that will be used for BI Publisher, Pivot Grid, or nVision reports.

Standard Queries

Any queries in PCD that do not begin with DEV_ will be deleted.

• This applies to all standard Public and Private queries. SBCTC will perform a query backup for in-progress queries (private and public) that meet the DEV_ naming convention.
• This backup will NOT be done by folder. This means if a query is in the DEVELOPMENT folder but doesn’t begin with DEV_ it will be overwritten and lost.

BI Publisher, Pivot Grid, and nVision Queries

Any query used in a BI Publisher, Pivot Grid, or nVision report DOES NOT have to follow the DEV_ protocol as it is very time-consuming to change them back when they are ready to migrate.

Instead, please submit a Service Desk ticket under Data Services – Reporting – Other with the title “PCD Refresh Backup Request.”  Provide the name of the query being developed for use in one of the advanced reporting tools in the request.  These queries will be individually backed up on an as-needed basis.

What to expect

• The queries in the backup will be imported back to PCD after the refresh is complete and a notice is received from Application Services.
• Data Services will send a message to you once our work is complete.
• Please do not log back into PCD after Friday, Nov. 1, at noon but wait until you receive a notification from Data Services.
• Queries that do not follow these naming conventions will be lost

Remember! Naming convention for queries

• Being developed in PCD: MUST begin with the prefix DEV_
• Used for training in PCD: MUST begin with QXX_TRAIN
• Being developed for use in BI Publisher, Pivot Grid, or nVision reports in PCD: MUST begin with the appropriate convention based on the reporting tool being used. Do not follow the DEV_ convention. Request must be sent to Data Services via Service Desk ticket.

Why you need to do it

Queries that do not follow this convention will not be backed up and will be lost.

Contact Emily Mullins, Reporting and BI Solutions Analyst for ctcLink, if you have any questions.

ctcLink Production Environment – CS Image 32

This notice is for all users of the ctcLink production environment.

Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, 6:00 am – 1:00 pm

SBCTC will be performing maintenance on ctcLink to deploy CS Image 32.

• The Campus Solutions (CS) pillar will be unavailable during the maintenance period.
• Admissions (OAAP), HighPoint HCX mobile pages, and Campus CE integration will be unavailable during the maintenance period.
• The Portal, Finance (FSCM), and Human Capital Management (HCM) pillars will remain online during the maintenance period.
• Canvas will not be impacted.

Are You Receiving ctcLinkAlerts?

SBCTC uses the ctcLinkAlerts eList to send notices about planned downtime for system updates, production alerts, urgent issues, and any unplanned downtime.

Each college maintains a local ctcLinkAlerts email distribution list (e.g., ctclinkalerts@columbiabasin.edu, ctcLinkAlerts@spscc.edu) which your ctcLink College Leader maintains as needed.

These college lists, not individuals, are subscribed to ctcLinkAlerts@lists.ctc.edu.

It’s each college’s choice who to include, but typically colleges include their local ctcLink leadership, local ctcLink committee or taskforce members, key subject matter experts, IT, Help Desk, and PIO.

How to Check the Status of an Enhancement Request

The ctcLink Customer Services Teams have documented all Enhancement Request (ER) forms submitted.

The ctcLink Enhancement Request Status lists are updated the first and third Wednesday of each month to align with the ctcLink Working Group calendar.

You can see where each Enhancement Request is in the governance review process, approval status, and/or any other actions taken in a couple of different views.

High-Level Summary At-a-Glance

The Full Enhancement Request List is sorted by status:

• In Flight Enhancement Requests

• Next Up Enhancement Requests

• Future Enhancement Requests

• Deployed Enhancement Requests

• No Action Taken - Canceled or Denied Enhancement Requests

Campus Solutions Image 32 & HighPoint Mobile HCX 24.2.1 Functional Overview

The Campus Solutions Image 32 and HighPoint Mobile HCX 24.2.1 upgrade will be implemented in production on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024.

If you are interested in learning more about these changes, SBCTC will host two Q&A sessions to answer any questions users might have.

• CS Image 32 and HCX Upgrade Q & A Session 2: Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024 1 to 3 p.m., Join Session

The Q&A sessions are optional; however, we encourage users who are affected by these changes to attend.

Supporting documents

SBCTC has created supporting documents that include changes the user will experience once implemented. These documents contain links to related quick reference guides (QRGs), some of which are still being updated with changes from this upgrade. We anticipate all QRGs to be updated prior to launch.

These overview documents are now available on the SBCTC website and can be reached at the following links:

Campus Solutions Image 32 Overview

Includes functional changes for the following modules:

Core

• Campus Community – Manage Service Indicators Page
• GRADE Service Impact Now Prevents Students from Viewing Grades through Student Homepage
• Records and Enrollment – Copy Milestone, Transcript Type Error Message, Grade Functions via Block Enroll
• Self Service Bug fix
• Set up SACR – New Academic Program Option Checkbox

Student Financials

• Unable to Close Fluid Payment History Modal Window (SSF_PMT_CHGPD_SCF)

Financial Aid

• Bug Fix: Update Need Summary on Maintain Term Budgets
• Bug Fix: When Importing the FWS Response File from COD, the Process Runs to Success but Does Not Load the Data to SFA_FWS_STG nor SFA_FWS_DOCUMENT

Campus Solutions Image 32 Accessibility Overview - Staff/Admin

Includes functional changes for the following modules:

Accessibility

• Student Services Center
• Service Indicator
• Student Financial Account Charges Due
• Financial Aid Accept/Decline Award

Campus Solutions Image 32 Accessibility Overview - Student Self-Service

Includes functional changes for the following modules:

Accessibility – Student Homepage

• Tasks and Admissions To-do list
• Student Financial Account
• View Grades, View my Classes, Manage Classes, Class Enroll
• Payment Plan, Financial Account Tile
• My Planner
• Application for Graduation

HighPoint Mobile HCX 24.2.1 Upgrade Overview

Includes functional changes for the following modules:

• Dashboard
• Schedule
• Class Information
• Enrollment
• Academics
• Student Financials
• Financial Aid

HighPoint Mobile HCX 24.2.1 Accessibility Overview

Includes functional changes for the following modules:

• Dashboard
• Navigation
• Calendar – Month View
• Enrollment – Tab Order and Buttons

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

CS Updates

Secure SACR Security

Query QCS_SEC_OPR_ROLES_SACR_NO_JOB is intended to help colleges identify individuals who have CS SACR Security at your institution but who are not currently employed at your institution. Run it! And then take. The. Security. AWAY.

HCX Configuration Freeze

We are placing a temporary freeze on Highpoint Campus Experience (HCX) configuration changes. This freeze is to support the upcoming HCX 24.2.1 upgrade as well as to ensure the accuracy of college setups during those upgrade activities.

The freeze will end after the upgrade is complete on Saturday, Nov. 2. If you have a priority request, submit a ticket with these details for consideration. This freeze only impacts HCX configuration requests. This HCX freeze does not impact Canvas, CampusCE or OAAP.

CS Core Learning Opportunities

CS Core Training

CS Core Trainings, a valuable learning opportunity, are held on the third Wednesday of every month from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. The dates may change, and notifications will be sent in advance. The CS Core training alternates between refreshers and different process approaches. We highly value your participation and welcome all end-users to attend these training courses. You can find details about upcoming meetings on the SBCTC Calendar, CS Core Weeklyish CORErespondence, and CS Core listserv. Please visit the QRG Campus Solutions Learning OpportunitiesRecordings for a list of previous recordings.

CS Core Academic Advisement Report (AAR) Workshop

The CS Core Support team is offering a two-day Academic Advisement Report (AAR) Workshop.

Schedule:

• Day 1: Wednesday, Nov. 13, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (one hour break at noon), Join the session
  • Day 1 content will be based solely on your questions and issues. To make Day 1 productive and valuable for all attendees, please submit issues (big or small). Add your questions to the AAR google sheet by Friday, Oct. 25.
• Day 2: Thursday, Nov. 14, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (one hour break at noon), Join the session
  • Day 2 will be an open work session. Come prepared with an AAR to build or update. Karen Erickson will be available to answer questions and provide support as needed.

NEW! CS Core Training: Grading Refresher

Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, 8:30 to 11 a.m., Learn more and join the session

Join our grading refresher session to prepare for the end of the fall term. We'll guide you through generating grade rosters, entering grades, approving the grade roster, posting grades, managing grade changes after posting, and the grade lapse process. We hope to see you there!

Module(s): Records and Enrollment

Primary Audience: Student Records Staff and Faculty

Related QRGs: Grading chapter, Faculty Center - Entering Grades

Prerequisite Course(s): SR104 Student Records: End of Term Processes

NEW! CS Core Training: Set Up Enrolled from Waitlist Message Center Recurrence

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, 8:30 to 10 a.m., Learn more and join the session

Students are responsible for staying informed about their schedules, as PeopleSoft does not provide automatic notifications for waitlisted classes. Students can easily track their waitlist position by checking the "Show Waitlisted Classes" box. Furthermore, faculty and staff can access student information through the Student Services Center, Faculty Center, Advisor Center, or the Class Roster. Crafting a waitlist notification message to update students about their enrollment status from the waitlist promptly is helpful.

CS Core Work Sessions

Campus Solutions (CS) Core Work Sessions, open to ALL end users, are held the first Thursday of each month, from 1 to 3 p.m. The CS Functional Support team facilitates, alternating between functional team delivered content and college user delivered content with functional team support. Each meeting includes time for colleges to ask questions about other topics or service tickets.

Find details on the SBCTC Calendar and in the CS Core Weeklyish COREspondence (sent on Fridays to the CSSupport listserv).

Core Sessions: College System & SBCTC Calendar

CS COREterly Open Q&A Sessions

CS Core invites you to attend its quarterly Open Q&A sessions! While these sessions are for learning and problem-solving, and community building.

• Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, 1-3 p.m., Learn more and join the session

We want these sessions to provide an opportunity for college users to:

• Get assistance with any functionality they want to better understand or situation they are struggling to make work.
• Seek advice on anything they are trying to solve.
• Share best practices and lessons learned.
• Develop networks and build community.

To support the varied work areas of our users, each session includes breakout room for each of the following modules:

• Records & Enrollment, which includes Student Program/Plan, Term Activation, Enrollment Appointments, Enrollment, Transfer-In Credit, Transcripts, Graduation and so on.
• Campus Community, which includes 3Cs, BioDemo, Service Indicators and so on.
• Curriculum Management, which includes class building, course catalog management, enrollment requirements and so on

We encourage you to submit your questions before the session (but doing so isn’t required). Enter your questions on the CS COREterly Question Submissions tab. Knowing your questions ahead of time just helps us to be prepared and allows us to help as many people as possible.

We hope you’ll join us even if you don’t have specific questions! We look forward to connecting with you and for you to connect with each other.

Questions? Contact CS Core Support.

CS Core Work Session: [Students] Got Bills; They’re Multiplying!

Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, 1-3 p.m., Read more and join the session

Does looking at the student account make you feel like you’re loooooosing control? Well, you better shape up, to help you better understand (la la la), that this session is for you. This is the-one-you-want (do-do-do). This session is for those of you who work outside of Student Financials who may need to view the student account and understand what you are seeing. Today we’ll get you a few key words and concepts that will help you better navigate, translate and make sense of Student Financials.

We’ll start with a high-level overview of different tuition groups and tuition calculation. Then, a basic understanding of how to read the student account and where to find information about payments, refunds and more. We will also review the account from the student’s perspective so you can help your students navigate what they see in Self-Service. GREASE up those minds, this session will be ELECTRIFYING.

Module: Student Financials

Primary Audience: Student Financials-Adjacent staff

Facilitator: Jill Hammitt, Highline College

Reference materials

• What I Owe (HCX) QRG
• Highline Canvas: Tuition/Fees Account Balances (Student Homepage)
• Highline Canvas: Tuition/Fees and Account Balances (Mobile)

NEW! CS Core Work Session: Get on the sCOREboard

Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, 1-3 p.m., Read more and join the session

As the year ends, it’s once again time to celebrate the progress we've made as a system in ctcLink! All that hard work deserves a break so let’s take some time for some fun and games! Your CS Core team will host this light-hearted trivia-esque experience. The winning college not only gets bragging rights but ALSO gets to work with us to ensure that one of their most desired topics is addressed in a 2025 work session. This is your opportunity for you to show off that you’ve been scouring your bulletins, attending our work sessions, and bookmarking your QRGs/Canvas courses.

We may even throw in some random college and Washington state facts just to keep everyone on their toes and even the playing field!

Finance Image 50 Upgrade

The Finance Image 50 upgrade was implemented in production on Saturday, Oct. 26.

SBCTC has created supporting documents which include the changes the user will experience:

• Financials Image 50 Overview – October 2024
• Financials Image 50 Accessibility Supplemental – October 2024

Please feel free to reach out to Joey Froehlich, Test Coordinator, if you have any questions.

FIN Learning Opportunities

FIN Training: Intermediate General Ledger - Importing Journals (Part 2 of 2)

Thursday, Oct. 31, 2 p.m., Read more and join the session

Ready for a deeper dive into the GL Import Journal Processes? Join us for Part 2 of 2 sessions on GL Journals.

This intermediate training will cover more complex journal processes such as the processes of importing and uploading Excel journal spreadsheets into the General Ledger. Spreadsheet Journal Import uses a front-end interface that provides you with an easy-to-follow menu for entering data, specifying defaults, and importing journals. All end users are welcome to join in and gain perspective. Some of the topics that will be covered are:

• Excel Spreadsheet Import Process: JRNL1_WS
• Customizing a Journal Spreadsheet Template
• Import a Journal Spreadsheet (Import Now) Process
• Uploading a Journal Spreadsheet as a Text File (Write to File) Process.

Module(s): General Ledger

Primary Audience: Finance/Admin/Staff Managers

Related QRGs: Journals: Create & Import

Prerequisite Course(s)  GL100 General Ledger Basics, GL200 Intermediate General Ledger

Presenters: Karen Ebert, SBCTC Functional Finance Trainer, and Brandy Eismon, SBCTC Functional Analyst

Contact: Karen Ebert - SBCTC Functional Finance Trainer

FIN Training: Asset Management (AM) Back to Basics

Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, 2 p.m., Read more and join the session

Brand new to Asset Management (AM) or need a refresher on the basics?

Join us for an overview and live demos of the basic concepts and processes within Asset Management. This basic level training aims to provide some of the foundational knowledge of the AM Module within ctcLink PeopleSoft. All end users are welcome to join in and gain perspective. Some of the topics that will be covered:

• Common Asset Management Functions
• Search for An Asset
• Adding Assets and Locations
• How to Process AM Transactions
• How Depreciation Works

Module(s): Asset Management

Primary Audience: Financial Asset Staff/Manager or Facilities Asset Manager

Related QRGs: Adding Assets section of the ctcLink Reference Center and QRG Asset Management Checklist & Process Steps Guide

Prerequisite Course(s): AM100 Asset Management

Presenter/Facilitator: Karen Ebert, SBCTC Functional Finance Trainer, and Jane Wiseman, SBCTC Functional Analyst

Contact: Karen Ebert - SBCTC Functional Finance Trainer

FIN Work Session: Grants/Projects Q&A Drop-In Sessions

Every second Monday of the month at 11 a.m. join the ctcLink Finance Customer Support team for a collaborative, interactive and troubleshooting drop-in session on everything Grants/Projects.

Questions? See the contact information listed in the event calendar listings below.

Need help with setting up FY25 grants? Feel free to reach out to Michele Rockwell, MSML, ctcLink Finance Functional Analyst.

You are invited to drop in with any questions related to grants and projects at the open Q&A sessions.

DATE/TIME	EVENT/TOPIC
Monday, Nov. 18, 11 a.m.	FIN Work Session: Grants/Projects Q&A Drop-In *DATE CHANGE due to Veterans Day holiday*
Monday, Dec. 9, 11 a.m.	FIN Work Session: Grants/Projects Q&A Drop-In

FIN Work Session: Asset Management Q&A

Every third Tuesday from 11 a.m. to noon, join the ctcLink Finance Customer Support team for a collaborative, interactive and troubleshooting drop-in session on all things Asset Management.

• 11 – 11:30 a.m., Training: Come learn or share something new.
• 11:30 a.m. - 12 p.m., Q&A: Please come with your questions or issues and be ready to share your screen.

Some examples of topics:

• Tagging Active Assets
• Excel to CI Asset Upload
• Processing issues
• General questions

DATE/TIME	EVENT/TOPIC
Tuesday, Nov. 19, 11 a.m.	FIN Work Session: Asset Management Q&A Drop-In
Tuesday, Dec. 17, 11 a.m.	FIN Work Session: Asset Management Q&A Drop-In

Finance (FSCM) College Users Production Support Meetings

Meetings are held every Tuesday, from 2 to 3 p.m.

These sessions are open to ALL Finance (FSCM) end users. The ctcLink Finance Customer Support team provides updates on Service Tickets, PeopleSoft enhancements, and open forum time to ask questions or request future topics.

DATE/TIME	EVENT/TOPIC
Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2 p.m.	FIN Work Session: FSCM Prod Support Meeting (DYK on AM)
Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2 p.m.	FIN Work Session: FSCM Prod Support Meeting *CANCELED*
Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2 p.m.	FIN Work Session: FSCM Prod Support Meeting
Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2 p.m.	FIN Work Session: FSCM Prod Support Meeting *CANCELED*

Monthly Student Finance/General Ledger SF/GL Open Forum

Every second Wednesday, 2 to 3 p.m., the SBCTC Business Operations Accounting team invites you to bring your questions (and solutions) to share during this open forum meeting space for all things Student Finance/General Ledger (SF/GL) related.

There is no formal agenda as we welcome all questions about everything from item types and second journal sets to waivers, queries, or internal cash reconciliation.

See the SBCTC meetings and events calendar and look for ctcLink Accounting Team: SF/GL Open Forum Meeting.

DATE/TIME	EVENT/TOPIC
Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2 p.m.	Canceled due to Veterans Day holiday
Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2 p.m.	ctcLink Accounting Team: SF/GL Open Forum Meeting

Financial Aid Award Processing Update

Overall Numbers as of Monday, Oct. 28, 2024

Hats off to our college financial aid professionals for continuing to forge ahead through the most challenging FAFSA aid year launch ever.

As of Monday, 15,074 students have been awarded for the summer term, and 55,717 students have been awarded for the fall term of the 2024-2025 academic year.

In comparison, as of this date last year, 12,649 students were awarded for the summer term (up by 2,425), and 44,585 students were awarded for the fall term of the 2023-2024 academic year (up by 9,582).

Note that numbers between summer and fall are not 100% separate counts from each other, so some students may overlap in summer/fall numbers.

Also, as of Oct. 28, colleges have loaded 6,318 WASFA applications into the system to date, compared to 5,054 last year (up by 1,264).

SBCTC FAFSA Resources Webpage

Visit the 2024-25 FAFSA Resources web page for regularly updated information for college employees and includes updated FAQ templates including a Q&A center.

FAFSA Simplification Q&A center (for colleges)

Submit questions and ideas about FAFSA simplification efforts to the SBCTC FAFSA Response Team 

FAFSA in the News

• Keep up with the latest news from the NASFAA FAFSA Simplification Web Center

FAM Data is Now in LegacyLink, FAM to shut down Oct. 31, 2024

We are pleased to announce that the read-only FAM application is now available in LegacyLink.

FAM Shutdown

FAM will shut down on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024.

Security

The new page (SM9000 – Financial Aid Inquiry) will not appear automatically as a menu item to select.

• LSAs (Local Security Administrators) will need to assign the SM9000 – Financial Aid Inquiry page to staff that need access.
• Details on Page security can be found under the LegacyLink dropdown in the Legacy Applications Security Administration QRG.

Data Snapshot

The SM9000 – Financial Aid Inquiry page is a data snapshot as of Aug. 9, 2024.

Key Features

The SM9000 – Financial Aid Inquiry page includes replication of display-only access to the FAM tabs below:

• Student
• Award
• Financial Aid
• Academic
• Tracking
• Comment
• Activity
• Loans
• Loan History
• ISIR

Pell COD Files / Message Class

The Pell files craa and crpg are two different message classes used in ctcLink/COD. Though both message classes work for the Pell program, there are differences in the files:

• The crpg file is a Program Specific, Non-Award Year Specific This means only Pell records will be in this file, and they could contain data from more than one aid year.
• The craa file is a Non-Program Specific, Award Year Specific This means that programs other than Pell can be in the file, i.e. Direct Loans, but the data is aid year specific.
• Is there a preferred file to use for the Pell program? If you can, please use crpg files for Pell outbound/inbound information. Switching to the usage of crpg files instead of craa files helps FA Support when troubleshooting file errors in the file servers. If you have been using craa files, you can just make the switch to crpg next time you outbound.

Known FAFSA Issues QRG

A reminder that SBCTC continues to update the FAFSA Simplification 2024-2025 Known Issues in ctcLink QRG.

Please check back with this document at least once a week. New bug findings are being added as we find them. This document contains the issue at hand, potential workarounds, and timelines expected to resolve the issues.

Pell Processing Business Processing Guide

Updates to the Pell Processing Business Processing Guide have been made to include a process for Pell Negative Disbursements. An overview and the steps are on or around pg. 40 – 45.

Training on this new process is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, 9 - 10:30 a.m. See the Learning Opportunities section for more information.

Financial Aid Team Updates

FA Support Team

The FA Support Team is currently preparing for the Aid Year Rollover Prep Work Session, working tickets and planning/testing for the next PUM image.

Training Team

Updates to Canvas Training courses and QRGs are ongoing and will be worked up to include screen updates from the 24/25 FAFSA Simplification. Announcements will be made in Canvas as the courses are completed. This work is expected through December. Updates to Business Processing Guides will be made as time and resources allow.

FA Learning Opportunities

Financial Aid Training

NEW! Advanced FA Training: Pell & Loan Message Log Review

Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, 9 – 10 a.m., Learn more and join the session

This session will cover:

• Understand how to download the Message Log detail
• Understand how to search in the Message Log detail
• Understand how to determine what needs further review in the MDLA and Manage Pell Payment pages

Module(s): Canvas Course: FA104 Processing Pell Payments and Direct Loans

Primary Audience: Financial Aid staff responsible for Direct Loan processing and troubleshooting

Related QRGs: Loan Processing Business Process Guide | 9.2 FA - Loans | ctcLink Reference Center (Note this guide has not been updated to 2024/2025 AY as of yet. Updates are forthcoming.)

Contact Kelly Forsberg, ctcLink Functional Trainer (Financial Aid).

Fin Aid Training: Intermediate Pell - Multiple Pell Record Reporting (MRR) Process Refresher

Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, 9 a.m., Learn more and join the session

Understand and work the steps in the Pell MRR Process:

• Upload/Download Files
• Import Federal Data Files
• Import Pell Phase-In Data
• Run Pell MRR Batch Report

ACTION REQUIRED: Prior to this session, please ensure you are receiving the PGMR message class file in your SAIG mailbox (EdConnect). You may have to contact COD to request this file type if you do not already see this file in your inbox. You should be getting these files in your SAIG mailbox as POP (Pell Over-Payment) students are identified in your Pell Processing.

Module(s): Financial Aid

Primary Audience: New Financial Aid Staff (and staff needing a refresher) who are responsible for managing Pell payment

Related QRGs: Pell Processing Business Process Guide | 9.2 FA - Financial Aid Business Process Guide

Prerequisite Course: FA104 Processing Pell Payments and Direct Loans

Contact Kelly Forsberg, ctcLink Functional Trainer (Financial Aid).

Work Session: PLUS Loan Processing Refresher

When: Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, 9 - 10:30 a.m., Learn more and join the session

Audience: New Financial Aid Staff (and current staff needing a refresher) who are responsible for processing PLUS loans in ctcLink

Presenters: Kelly Forsberg, FA Functional Trainer

Objectives

• Understand awarding the PLUS Loan
• performing a credit check
• brief discussion about using loan request form vs. PLUS Loan application on studentaid.gov 
• Understand how to establish the Parent Record in ctcLink
• Understand how to establish a student parent relationship
• Understand how to link the parent record to the PLUS Loan record 
• Understand how to work with PLUS-denied students by awarding addt'l unsub 

*NEW* Advanced Fin Aid Training: Processing Negative Disbursement (CRND) Files

Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, 9 - 10:30 a.m., Learn more and join the session

This Financial Aid Session is an advanced training course on resulting crnd message class files that show up in your EdConnect queue regarding Negative Disbursements.

Objectives

• Understand what crnd Negative Disbursement files are
• Understand why these files appear in your EdConnect queue
• Understand how to reduce the occurrence of these files from appearing in your EdConnect queue
• Understand how to review and read the Manage Pell Payment page when these files are loaded
• Understand how to process Negative Disbursement (crnd) files in ctcLink

Audience: Financial Aid staff responsible for Pell processing and troubleshooting

Contact Kelly Forsberg, ctcLink Functional Trainer (Financial Aid).

HCM Work Session Meetings

Human Capital Management (HCM) meetings are held every other Wednesday, from 1 to 3 p.m. The HCM Functional team along with the training team offers Work Sessions and Training Sessions around the different functionality in HCM.

For calendar details, search the ctcLink Learning Opportunities calendar at SBCTC meetings and events and apply Human Capital Management filter.

• Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, 1 to 3 p.m., Data Prep for Year-End Reporting W-2 Forms - Part 2

Student Financials Update & Reminders 

CS Image 32 will deploy Saturday, Nov. 2.

Student Financial Responsibility Agreement (SFRA) enhancement request #266 continues to be reviewed/edited in internal SBCTC meetings. The enhancement is now scheduled for deployment to production before the Summer/Fall term.

2024 1098-T Business Process Guide

If you haven’t checked it out yet, please review the 2024 1098-T Business Processing Guide.  This resource is the ultimate resource for all things ctcLink 1098-T related and will be reviewed in detail during the upcoming 1098-T trainings.

A new tracking calendar with Webex links has just been added.

Communications/Letter Code update option

New for 2024, the SF Support Team has created an institution-specific 3C Communication setup for 1098-T Electronic Consent Invites and Missing SSN Letters to prevent the prior years' issue of colleges sending out letters to students from different institutions. The previous global set-up will still be available but continues to have the risk of mistakenly including students from other colleges.  More information will be provided at the first training session.

SF Queries 

Query	Description
QCS_SF_CU_MISSING_TERM_FEE	This query prompts for two terms and will show term fees that exist for the first prompted term but do not exist for the second term.
QCS_SF_CU_FEE_AMT_CHANGED	Aims to show discrepancies between term fees from one term to another for two prompted terms.
QCS_SR_RSBILLING_HS	The new query is designed to simplify the refining of information required for the P223 Running Start invoice process.

SF Learning Opportunities

Please feel free to reach out to SFSupport@sbctc.edu if you have any questions or need further clarification.

NEW! SF Work Sessions: 2024 1098-T Processing

Please mark your calendars for the training and drop-in sessions listed below. For many of the trainings we will also offer Friday morning “follow-up” drop-in hours from 8 to 11 a.m. for 1098-T follow up questions and assistance.

Primary Audience: Student Financials staff

Related QRGs: 1098-T Guide

Contact Email: SFSupport@sbctc.edu

Date/Time	Work Session	Training Webex	Follow-Up Drop-in Session
Monday, Nov. 18, 20241 to 3 p.m.	Communications, Q&A on 10/28 topics	SF Work Session: 2024 1098-T Processing	Friday, Nov. 22, 8 to 11 a.m.Details to come
Monday, Dec. 9, 20241 to 3 p.m.	Prep: Item type, TIN table, FIRE, Comms Review	SF Work Session: 2024 1098-T Processing	Friday, Dec. 13, 8 to 11 a.m.Details to come
Jan. 6 or Jan. 7, 2025	Running 1098-Ts to Audit/Validate	SF Work Session: 2024 1098-T Processing	Friday, Jan. 10. 8 to 11 a.m.Details to come
Monday, Jan. 13, 20251 to 3 p.m.	Printing & Reconciliation (1/16 is the deadline for printed files)	SF Work Session: 2024 1098-T Processing
Monday, Feb. 10, 20251 to 3 p.m.	Corrections	SF Work Session: 2024 1098-T Processing
Monday, March 171 to 3 p.m.	FIRE account submissions	SF Work Session: 2024 1098-T Processing

SF Training: Intermediate Third-Party Contracts

Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, 9-11 a.m., Read more and join the session

In this session, we may cover:

• Reconciliation
• Payments
• Payment Reversals

Module(s): Student Financials

Primary Audience: Student Financials Third-Party Contract Processors

Related QRGs: SF - Third Party Contracts

Prerequisite Course(s)  SF101 – Cashiering, SF102 – Refunds, SF104 - Third Party Contracts

Contact Alec Risk, SBCTC Student Financials Functional Trainer, with any questions.

SF Work Session: SF Work Session: SF Communications

Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, 1 to 3 p.m., Learn more and join the session

Primary Audience: Student Financials staff

Contact Email: SFSupport@sbctc.edu

Monthly Student Finance/General Ledger SF/GL Open Forum

Every second Wednesday, 2 to 3 p.m., the SBCTC Business Operations Accounting team invites you to bring your questions (and solutions) to share during this open forum meeting space for all things Student Finance/General Ledger (SF/GL) related.

There is no formal agenda as we welcome all questions about everything from item types and second journal sets to waivers, queries, or internal cash reconciliation.

See the SBCTC meetings and events calendar and look for ctcLink Accounting Team: SF/GL Open Forum Meeting.

DATE/TIME	EVENT/TOPIC
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2 p.m.	ctcLink Accounting Team: SF/GL Open Forum Meeting
Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2 p.m.	ctcLink Accounting Team: SF/GL Open Forum Meeting

PCD Refresh and Your Queries: Get Ready!

The PCD (Production College Development) environment will be refreshed from PRD on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. Beginning Friday, Nov. 1, at noon, PCD will not be available for query development until after the PCD is refreshed.

What you need to do

Make sure any PCD queries you want to keep begin with the prefix DEV_ unless you have submitted a ticket requesting backup of queries that will be used for BI Publisher, Pivot Grid, or nVision reports.

Standard Queries

Any queries in PCD that do not begin with DEV_ will be deleted.

• This applies to all standard Public and Private queries. SBCTC will perform a query backup for in-progress queries (private and public) that meet the DEV_ naming convention.
• This backup will NOT be done by folder. This means if a query is in the DEVELOPMENT folder but doesn’t begin with DEV_ it will be overwritten and lost.

BI Publisher, Pivot Grid, and nVision Queries

Any query used in a BI Publisher, Pivot Grid, or nVision report DOES NOT have to follow the DEV_ protocol as it is very time-consuming to change them back when they are ready to migrate.

Instead, please submit a Service Desk ticket under Data Services – Reporting – Other with the title “PCD Refresh Backup Request.”  Provide the name of the query being developed for use in one of the advanced reporting tools in the request.  These queries will be individually backed up on an as-needed basis.

What to expect

• The queries in the backup will be imported back to PCD after the refresh is complete and a notice is received from Application Services.
• Data Services will send a message to you once our work is complete.
• Please do not log back into PCD after Friday, Nov. 1, at noon but wait until you receive a notification from Data Services.
• Queries that do not follow these naming conventions will be lost

Remember! Naming convention for queries

• Being developed in PCD: MUST begin with the prefix DEV_
• Used for training in PCD: MUST begin with QXX_TRAIN
• Being developed for use in BI Publisher, Pivot Grid, or nVision reports in PCD: MUST begin with the appropriate convention based on the reporting tool being used. Do not follow the DEV_ convention. Request must be sent to Data Services via Service Desk ticket.

Why you need to do it

Queries that do not follow this convention will not be backed up and will be lost.

Contact Emily Mullins, Reporting and BI Solutions Analyst for ctcLink, if you have any questions.

Query Update

Some staff report seeing queries where the description has been changed to “disabled.” This is part of the query archive process that is run by the reporting team each fall.

Instead of deleting obsolete queries, we disable them and change their names to start with ZZZ. We do this to remove some of the redundancy of multiple queries which do similar things and may not be the most efficient.

If you have one of these queries marked as a favorite, please remove it from your favorites list.

Below is a summary of our ARCHIVE/DISABLE process:

The archive process consists of archiving and then disabling a query.

A query will be archived if it meets at least one of the following conditions:

• It hasn’t been run in a year or more.
• An updated version of the query has been created.
• We have been asked by the query creator to archive the query as it is no longer needed.

When a query is archived, the folder is changed to “ARCHIVE” but the query can still be run.

A query will be disabled when it meets at least one of the following conditions:

• It has been archived (folder changed to ARCHIVE) and hasn’t been run in at least 2 years.
• We have been asked by the query developer to remove access to the query.

When a query is disabled, the status is changed to disable, the description is changed to “DISABLED”, and the name is changed to start with ZZZ.

A disabled query may be deleted after at least one year with a disabled status.

Reach out to Ivy Brent, Associate Director of ctcLink Business Intelligence, if you have any questions.

Query Developer Learning Opportunities

Instructor-Led Query Development Training

The ctcLink Training Calendar has been updated with instructor-led query-related training for the remainder of 2024. To clear filter settings, select None. Then select ctcLink Learning Opportunities > Reporting Training.

Date	Time	Event
Nov 12	9am	PS Query Training 201 Intermediate - Part 1
Nov 13	9am	PS Query Training 201 Intermediate - Part 2
Dec 3	9am	PS Query Training 301 Advanced - Part 1
Dec 4	9am	PS Query Training 301 Advanced - Part 2
Dec 10	9am	PS Query Training 401 Expert- Part 1
Dec 11	9am	PS Query Training 401 Expert- Part 2)

How to for Query Developer Courses

The process to enroll in Query Developer Canvas courses has been streamlined. Now, instead of emailing Data Services, simply:

Plan Ahead

The ctcLink Training Calendar has been updated with 2024 instructor-led query-related training. To clear filter settings, select None. Then select ctcLink Learning Opportunities > Reporting Training.

How to for Query Developer Courses

The process to enroll in Query Developer Canvas courses has been streamlined. Now, instead of emailing Data Services, simply:

• Visit the ctcLink Training Registrationpage,
• Select the class(es) from the Designated Query Developer Training section,
• Follow the sign-up process.

More for PeopleSoft Query Developers

Find more ctcLink PeopleSoft Query Development resources including forms, documentation, and tools at the ctcLink PeopleSoft Reporting web page.

Security Updates

The ctcLink Security team worked with the ctcLink Customer Support team to deliver new Homepages and tiles for the latest Finance Image release.

The team continues its activities around HCM Image and CS Image support and various SASI initiatives, including, security audits, FIN masking issues, and SASI cohort session meetings.

New Security Roles in ctcLink

HCM – New ZD Tree Viewer role

Effective Oct. 29, 2024, a new HCM role has been created and placed into Production in response to a request

Request: "At present, if we need to see our department security tree, we have to submit a ticket and get a pdf sent back to us.  Would you please investigate whether we can have a functional view-only role (meaning it lets us expand and contract the nodes of the tree) in HCM that lets us look at the security tree?"

Response: Yes! The HCM role ZD Tree Viewer exists in Production and is grantable by users with either the ZZ Local Security Admin role or the ZD Local Security Admin role.  The QRG 9.2 Creating New Departments is being updated to describe this new role's functionality.

Finance – New Insights Dashboard roles

PeopleSoft delivers an analytics tool called Insights which provides visualizations in the form of charts, tables, and graphs. A demonstration of the Insights functionality was shared at the FSCM Production Support meeting on 9/24/2024.  New roles for the Insights analytics dashboards have been created and were moved to production on 10/30/2024. Data Services will be publishing an Insights training video in Canvas that will provide users with detailed instructions regarding setting up and using the new Insights dashboards.

**Implementation Pending:  There will be an announcement soon to let colleges know when the Insights dashboards are ready and can be accessed.**

Users assigned with ZD Insights roles will have view privilege to open a dashboard or visualization in PeopleSoft and view it. The user can apply the filter options and time picker options but cannot save the changes.  SBCTC is rolling out 5 Finance dashboards:  2 for Asset Management, 2 for Accounts Payable and 1 for Travel and Expense.  The corresponding ZD Insights role are available to be assigned as requested:

• ZD Insights AM View Privilege
• ZD Insights AP View Privilege
• ZD Insights EX View Privilege

Keeping the Lights On

In a ctcLink world populated with acronyms and mysterious jargon, the Application Services teams are the "pillar behind the pillars" for Washington’s community and technical colleges, supporting ctcLink pillars, systemwide IT applications, environments, accessibility improvements, testing, and managing the network data load behind-the-scenes 24/7.

While you may never meet them directly or understand what they do, they support you every day.

Completed/Wins

• Development deployed to production this week including data and bug fixes
• Data fixes in HCM, CS, and FIN/FSCM
• Saravanan Mylsamy presented high-level 2024 accessibility updates to the IT Commission
• FIN Image 50 deployed to production Oct. 26
• CS Image 32 and HCX 24.2.1 SIT & PQA Technical Validation

In Progress

• In progress development
• Analysis complete for OBIS integration. Identified a delivered API that can be leveraged for this purpose.
• Automatically Resubmit Asynchronous IB Errors. Ticket 200430. Research for best development options is in progress.
• Book to Bank enhancement discussions continue. Any requested changes will be made, but there are no development requests at this time.
• CS 32 sanity testing in PQA support
• CS Image 32 and HCX 24.2.1 Sanity Testing
• Enhancement FWL Employee Record Look Up. Ticket 148615. The engineer is going to setup an IB sync for the accounting information so that it doesn't feed across a DB link. He's thinking we're running into memory issues with the dynamic view and therefore causing the crash.
• ER 122 - Charge Benefit Expense to Primary Job development is in progress. Updates to PAYGL01 SQR. It was in SIT, but had to go back to redevelopment to include HCM image 50 changes.
• ER 203 - PTF LTD Report was updated from Low to Urgent and development is in progress. Ticket 164932.
• ER 232 - Adding Custom Self-Service Questions in Campus Solutions. Development is completed, but functional analysts need to do activity guide setup before we proceed to SIT.
• ER 232 - Adding Custom Self-Service Questions in Campus Solutions. Development was complete for the student and staff pages, but due to query tree security concerns with pivot grid on the staff fluid page, the engineer will start development over with a Classic page. Current work is completing the additional requirements changes to the student-facing page. Another engineer is reviewing that work for accessibility compliance.
• ER 242: Offboarding Automation. Back in redevelopment to include additional requirements requested during SIT.
• ER 296- Restrict bank code field to college specific accounts. Ticket 203408. In the queue, development is expected to begin soon.
• ER-171 TAM Enhancements. Ticket 163606. It was in SIT, but had to go back to redevelopment to include HCM 50 changes.
• HC Image 50 and Tax Update 24-C SIT
• HC Image 50: PSPPYRUN - Calculate Pay runs to Error. Ticket 203028. HCM PUM 50 version of cobols were not merged properly to the PDV and PTS branch. MS updated the cobols to recent versions and recompiled all of them. Issue has been fixed after performing this change. Ticket 203149 with MS>
• HCM Image 50: Preferred Name Issue in Update Dependent/Beneficiary Page. Ticket 203133. This is a delivered issue, happening because of the new code introduced for Bug 36894268 in Image 50. Peoplecode in this event defaults the Display name to Formal Name instead of Preferred Name. We have opened SR 3-38543296038 with Oracle to check this issue.
• HCX 24.2.1 SIT and sanity testing in PQA support. This had to go to redevelopment and passed SIT.
• Hide 415c limits that populate under limit types in Savings Age Catch Up Extension process. Ticket 198490. It was in SIT when the functional team requested it be canceled.
• Impact analysis of IB WADL node security and config changes.
• Investigation in progress for SDT 203027 – CampusCE production issue.
• TouchNet project
• Tax910ER - Year End Record Error - one college can run the process for another college. Ticket 201504. Priority went from Low to Urgent. Passed SIT, currently in UAT.
• Update Positive Pay file CEMLI. Ticket 196848. Development complete, currently in SIT.
• Working with Nelnet, the CS SF team, and Managed Services for the Nelnet SBCTC Campus Solution Connector Install upgrade project.

Upcoming

• Analyze CampusCE NOR issue – Coding In progress
• CS Image 32 and HCX 24.2.1 deploying to production Nov. 2
• ER 253 - Make a Payment Page Classic to Fluid. Development was going to begin on this, but the requirement changes in ER 232 have delayed progress.
• Generate URLs for OBIS API
• Nelnet connector installation on PDV
• CS Image 32 project for integrations testing
• TouchNet project
• Service desk tickets

ctcLink Accessibility Monthly Open Forum

Join us! The ctcLink Accessibility monthly forums engage Washington's community and technical college system in discussions around ctcLink accessibility and technology. We aim to improve communication and transparency while providing space for productive and solution-focused dialog. Our main objective is to deliver accessible technology for all our students, staff, and the larger community.

Meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month, 11 a.m. to noon.

Please join us for the next ctcLink Accessibility Open Forum on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 11 a.m. All are welcome to attend via Zoom.

• Zoom meeting link: ctcLink Accessibility Open Forum 2024 and beyond

In case you missed a meeting, please see materials from past Open Forums.