OIT Administrative Computing

Datatel Users Group (DUG) Conference First Day Preview

dsullivan — Sun, 19 Mar 2006 01:06:00 GMT

Hello From Washington D.C.!

I just arrived a few hours ago here in Washington and I'm preparing for the first day of the DUG conference tomorrow morning.

I'm planning to submit a post each day on what I've learned at the conference for the benefit of those of you who are interested. I hope be able to share some insightful information regarding the future direction of Colleague.

Tommorow's sessions are focused on the technical aspects of Datatel's latest release of Colleague (R18), systems administration, and technical tools. Its a full day sessions starting at 8:30am.

I'll be posting my findings from the first day tomorrow. Please feel free to post any comments or questions.

As always, I'm proud to represent Seattle University here at DUG. I look forward to sharing my experiences with you.

Thanks,

Don

Datatel Users Group (DUG) Conference

dsullivan — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 09:21:00 GMT

Every year in March, Datatel hosts its annual users group meeting at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, DC. The conference is place to learn how other Colleges and Universities are using Datatel, receive product update information, and demo third party products. This year the conference will be held on 19 - 22 March. More than 2,000 users will be in attendance.

I will be attending with a few other representatives from Seattle U and my Administrative Computing department. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to speak directly with our vendor about the future of the product and attend some valuable sessions.

If you can think of anything specific you would like me to find out about at the conference please let me know and I'll make sure to add it to my list.

You can learn more about DUG here.

As always, please feel free to post questions and comments.

Thanks,

Don

Colleague UI Frequently Ask Questions (FAQs)

dsullivan — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 05:18:00 GMT

Hello All,

As most of you know from the email I sent out to all users today, we are deploying the Colleague graphical user interface tomorrow (March 9th) at 12pm. I'm anticipating several questions regarding this deployment so I've compiled a list of FAQs. If you can think of any other questions that you feel need to be addressed please post a comment to the blog.

Thanks,

Don Sullivan

Director, Administrative Computing and Web Services

Questions About the Deployment

Q. What is the reason for the Colleague UI deployment?

A.   There are several reasons for the deployment of the updated UI software. First and foremost, the UI software now lives on new faster server. Second, the new terminal mode UI contains significant improvements to security and reliability. Most of all the previous version of the Colleague UI is no longer supported by Datatel. Also, we want to get the Colleague GUI interface deployed so users can have a preview of this interface and begin to get familar with it. Datatel will require us to use the GUI interfaces in the next release of Colleague.

Q. What do I have to do to receive the software on my PC?

A.   Just logout and log back in as you usually would. You will receive the software automatically.

Q.   Will my login or password change?

A.    No, your login ID and password that you currently use to access Colleague will not change.

Q.   Will Macs also receive the update?

A.   No, Macs are not included in this deployment. We are working with Datatel to deploy a web based user interface that Mac and PC users will be able to use.

Q. When do I have to stop using the terminal mode UI?

A.   You will be required to use the new Colleague GUI in the coming months. This date has not yet been determined. Once this is decided all Colleague users will be informed.

Q. How will I know that I received the

Q. Something in the deployment of the software to my PC went wrong. Who do I call?

A. Please contact the help desk at x5571.

Questions About the New Terminal UI

Q.  After the deployment all my custom color settings are gone. How do I get these back?

A. Unforunately, you will have to change your colors again since the old version of the terminal UI has been overwritten.  There was no possible way to migrate the old settings. Please see chapter 4 of the pdf at http://publibfi.boulder.ibm.com/epubs/pdf/25126550.pdf for instructions.

Q. What are the major differences between the new and older versions of the terminal UI?

A. The new terminal UI is more stable and provides better network security. It looks a little different however, you will find it very familiar.

Questions About the Colleague GUI

Q. Do the function keys work the same way in the Colleague GUI as they do in the terminal UI?

A. No, most function keys do not work. F10 still saves but field jumps and other keys are not available in this interface. Please see the attached document Guide to Colleague UIs for more information.

Q. Will training be provided for this interface? If so, when?

A. Training will be provided for users on the Colleague GUI. We are working with key offices to set up training for offices and specific user groups on campus. Training dates will be announced in the coming months.

Please feel free to post questions and comments.

Thanks,

Don Sullivan

Director, Administrative Computing and Web Services

Seattle University

Colleague's Look and Feel Getting a Facelift

dsullivan — Sat, 28 Jan 2006 10:14:00 GMT

Much time has been spent over the last few months preparing for the deployment of Datatel's latest User Interfaces. As everyone knows, current Colleague is accessed via a terminal emulator. Basically, it has that old fashioned mainframe look that makes people wince at first sight. But when you talk to folks in places like Student Financial Services or the Registrar's Office you will find that over the years people have learned to get the most out of this interface.

We have been talking about the new Colleague User Interface (UI) with our customers around the University for the last six months or so. We have given previews and talked up the benefits of the new graphical style interface. Its very different and often invokes a bit of silent panic and the usual statements like "What, no more function keys!". People do love those function keys and for very good reason. It's way faster than moving and clicking a mouse.

I'll give you some very personal insight here. I've been a Colleague Developer/Analyst for about 8 years now. I've always used terminal emulation to access Colleague. When I first saw the graphical user interface (GUI) in the late 90's I laughed out loud. It was slow, horrible, and unstable. The last UI that some people here at SU (version 1.0) was somewhat of an improvement but very few Colleague users embraced it as a permanent solution. Datatel did convience the majority of its new clients to use it primarily but for systems administrators and programmers the terminal mode remained the norm for accessing Colleague. I must admit I didn't really give it a chance. I love those function keys and my bright orange screen too I guess.

One of my first official acts as the Director of Admin Computing was to stop work on a large scale deployment of the UI. We had much bigger issues to deal with at the time and I felt this was not a priority. I still think this was the correct decision at the time. Now the time has come to make the change.

So why now? Well, Colleague is being overhauled for the future and the terminal mode is going away forever. Yes, forever and never to return. Datatel release the latest version of Colleague (Release 18) in late December of last year. This release changes the way the application and the database in Colleague interact. The UI is the only way to access the screens you use to enter data or run processes in the new release.

More personal insite here. Knowing all this I've been trying to adjust to the changes. I've been using the UI much more to do things. Its a hard adjustment to make but I've realized there are several great features and I'm getting used to it. I'm going to stop using the terminal mode for good starting 1 February. I'm going to miss that orange screen but not for long. I'll adjust.

So many of you are asking, "OK so when can we have this thing so we can start getting used to it?" My answer has been its coming soon and we are working on it. The major issue has been the deployment and getting servers in place. We have to deploy the UI to over 300 pc's on campus. Anthony Chan recently completed the install packaging so we can do this without touching each pc. The initial deployment will consist of the UI GUI and an updated terminal mode. We are planning to announce this install early next week with a target for the week of February 6th. The install is automated so we don't have to bug you. The next phase will remove the terminal mode for good. This will happen in 6 to 8 months.

For our Mac users and other more casual Colleague users we will offer a web version of the Colleague UI. It's really cool. This will be deployed the week of February 6th as well.

I will be working with the Database Operations Coordinating Committee and the Admin Computing Subcommittee to plan training sessions. I will keep everyone posted on the status of this project.

I'll post some screen shots and other info about the UI this weekend.

Let me know if you have any questions. I'd love to hear some feedback on this.

Yours,

Don Sullivan, Director Admin Computing and Web Services

Hello and Welcome!

dsullivan — Sat, 21 Jan 2006 00:18:00 GMT

Hello All,

I'm looking forward to posting information and news concerning Administrative Computing and Web Services initiatives in the near future. A lot is happening so be sure to check in often for updates.