Running Batch Term Activation
Purpose: Use this document as a reference for running batch term activation in ctcLink.
Audience: Student Records staff
You must have at least one of these local college managed security roles:
- ZZ SR Batch Term Activation
If you need assistance with the above security roles, please contact your local college supervisor or IT Admin to request role access.
Students must be term-activated before enrolling for that term. This guide will walk you through running batch term activation.
The term activation batch job runs more efficiently with fewer active program/plan stacks, and fewer term-activated students affect tuition calculation more efficiently. This also prevents accidental term activations. You should develop criteria for when a student must reapply to your institution and submit a ticket to batch discontinue ineligible students.
Running Batch Term Activation
Navigation: Records and Enrollment > Term Processing > Term Activation > Term Activation Batch Process
- The search page displays.
- If you have run this process or report in the past, select the Find an Existing Value tab to enter an existing Run Control ID and select the Search button. If this is the first time running this process or report, select the Add a New Value tab to create a new Run Control ID and select the Add button.
- It is important to note that Run Control IDs cannot be deleted. Do not include spaces in your Run Control. We encourage the Run Control ID to have the same process naming convention but unique to the step; because of this, including your institution code and a short process description in the Run Control ID is recommended--e.g., WA220_Batch_Term_Activation.
- Use the Selection 1 page to enter the request parameters. These parameters will define the processing rules and data to be included when the process runs.
- On the Selection 1 tab, enter (at a minimum) the required fields.
- Institution: (e.g., WA171 for Spokane Community College).
- Academic Career: (e.g., UGRD for Undergraduate).
- Actvtn Term: This is the term to be activated (e.g., 2147 for Fall 2014).
- Commit Freq: Use the Commit Freq (commit frequency) field to select how many table rows of information (students) you want to process before committing changes to the database. The default is 1000. Consult your institution's database administrator for the appropriate setting for your institution. If you set the commit value to higher than the number of rows the program processes, then the program will only commit data once at the end of the run.
- Run Mode: If you select Insert, the process will only consider students not yet activated for the activation term. If eligible, the process adds a new row of term data to the student's career term record. If you select Update, the process will only consider students already activated for the activation term. If eligible, the process updates the student's existing career term data.
- Selection Criteria: Use the Selection Criteria field to indicate the criteria you want the Term Activation process to use. Select "Panel Criteria" to use the fields available in the component to specify the criteria that determine eligible students. Select "Custom Population" to activate a custom population of students for one term or across multiple terms. For example, use this option when you need criteria beyond what the component provides or when you want to perform a student records conversion.
- Student Type: Students newly admitted to your institution with the same activation term and admit term. Students with an admit term prior to the activation term are continuing students.
- Optional fields: The remaining fields on the Selection 1 tab are optional and can be used to narrow the population being activated.
- Global Exclusion Rule: Enter a Global Exclusion Rule to exclude students from term activation. Students may be excluded based on academic standing, program action, or service indicator values. Visit the QRG Term Activation Batch Setup for more information about Global Exclusion Rules.
- Select the Selection 2 tab. Use the Selection 2 page to narrow the population being activated.
- Enter any program actions, academic standings, and service indicators that the Term Activation process should consider eligible for term activation.
- If applicable, enter a Program Action (e.g., ACTV); for other program actions such as DATA, PLNC, or PRGC, the Run Mode must be changed to Update. Choose the desired Program Action from the Selection 2 tab. Before running the process, you will return to the Selection 1 tab and change the Run Mode to Insert.
Term activation fails due to an Oracle bug if a student has over 100 enrollment transactions over the terms entered on the Selection 3 tab (Term Activation Batch Process page). Use the query QCS_SR_ENRL_TRANS_COUNT to identify students whose terms should be manually activated.
- Select the Selection 3 tab. Use this page to enter required enrollment terms or lapse rules for a single run of the Term Activation process. To be eligible for term activation in the term specified on the Selection 1 page, a student must be enrolled in the term specified on this page according to the rules you define. Using the Selection 3 page, you can prevent students without enrollment records from activating for the current term.
- Select the Process Control tab. Use the Process Control page to indicate how the Term Activation process initializes or sets various values in your PeopleSoft Student Administration system.
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Tuition Calc Required:
- Business Unit: When the field is in Insert mode on the Selection 1 tab, it updates to Business Unit; however, it cannot be changed or edited.
- Yes: The field is available in Update mode on the Selection 1 tab. When the Yes option is selected, the system signals to calculate tuition when it runs for your institution.
- No: When selecting the No option, the system bypasses calculating tuition.
- No Change: This is the default value if you run the process in Update mode on the Selection 1 tab.
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Forms of Study:
- Update (Selection 1 tab): When you run the process in Update mode, the system does not change the Form of Study if you choose No Change or Default Behavior. If other options are selected (Advanced to Candidacy, Detached Study, etc.), the term activation process will update the Form of Study on the Term Activation page.
- Insert (Selection 1 tab): When you run the process in Insert mode, the system inherits the value from the last term if you choose No Change or Default Behavior. If a student has never been term activated, the system inserts Enrollment by default.
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FA Stats Calc Required:
- Yes: The system is alerted that a new FA Term build is required.
- No: The system assumes no changes and skips the student.
- Default: Sets the value to Yes
- No Change: The system does not change the value.
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Academic Load:
- Update (Selection 1 tab): This field is required if the Forms of Study display a value other than Enrollment, No Change, or Default when running the process in Update mode.
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Eligible to Enroll:
- Yes: Enrollment is possible for students.
- No: The process makes students ineligible to enroll.
- Default: In Insert mode, if the student does not have a term activation row for a prior term within the same academic career, the process sets the flag on the student's career term record for the current term to Yes. If the student does have a term activation row, the process inherits the value from the previous term.
- No Change: In Update mode, the system does not change the Eligible to Enroll System does not change value.
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Refresh Term Cntrl Dates (Update (Selection 1 tab):
- Term control dates established on the Academic Calendar (Term Calendar 3 tab) are carried down to a student's term record when the term is activated. Suppose you change one of the following dates on the Academic Calendar:
- Fully Enrolled Date
- Show Enrollment on Transcript Date
- Show Statistics on Transcript Date
- Fully Graded Date
- A student's term record is "locked" to the original date(s) before the change. You must refresh the term control dates to update the student's term record with the new date(s). Avoid recurring processes when selected since it will trigger an AAR update at each institution (for all active students) when it is run.
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Tuition Calc Required:
- Use the checkboxes in the Process Log Control group box to select how you want the Term Activation process to log statistics—choosing the type and level of detail you need.
- The system assigns a unique process number to the log file you generate to retain and track online versions of the log files. The log includes processing totals on students who are activated, updated, and ineligible. The selected system defaults are "Activated Students," "Excluded Students," and "Run Criteria."
- If you only want a count of the students included or excluded from term activation, clear all checkboxes.
- Select the Custom Population tab. Use the Custom Population page to create a custom list of students to activate into terms or to retrieve, view, and edit an existing custom list of students. The fields on this page are available only when you select "Custom Selection" in the Student Type field on the Selection 1 page.
- After all tabs have been completed, select the Run button. Please visit the QRG Set Up Recurrences for Jobs for more information on recurrences.
- Make sure the Term Activation process is selected and select the OK button.
- Select the Process Monitor link. The process may take time based on the number of records being processed.
- Select the Refresh button to update the Run Status until it shows "Success" and the Distribution Status shows "Posted."
- Process complete.
Video Tutorial
The video below demonstrates the process actions described in the steps listed above. There is no audio included with this video. Select the play button to start the video.
View the external link to Running Batch Term Activation. This link will open in a new tab/window.
Emily Nelson
Good morning, Is there a way to do the opposite of this? Can we batch deactivate already activated terms?
Tanjagay Martin
Hi Emily, Thank you for your question. You cannot batch delete term activations. Have a great day, Emily! ~Tanjagay Martin | CS Core Trainer
David Ortega
During what step do you recommend the user click 'Save' ?
Derreck Pressley
Hi Tanjagay,
Is it a problem if you term activate for Fall 2022 before you term activate for Summer 2022?
Tanjagay Martin
Hi David, Your question is greatly appreciated; thank you. Select Save if you want to run the process at a later time after specifying the selection criteria. Thank you so much! ~Tanjagay Martin | CS Core Functional Trainer
Tanjagay Martin
Hi Derreck, Thanks for asking such a great question. Running Batch Term Activation prepares for Enrollment Appointments. With that in mind, term activating for fall before summer could present an issue if you use the Selection 3 tab criteria if your business process includes enrollment for the past terms. ~Tanjagay Martin | CS Core Functional Trainer
Leon Golden-Novak
Hi Tanjagay, Derreck, It's my understanding that the Selection 3 tab pertains only to actual enrollment activity. So if registration for Summer and Fall starts at the same time, and if you term activate Fall just moments before you run it for Summer, I doubt it would cause any differences than if you did Summer first, then Fall mere minutes later. After all, no one has registered for Summer at that moment in time.
However, there is one major issue that is omitted from this QRG. If a new student is applying to start in Summer, when you go to batch term activate them for Fall (presuming you're doing Summer and Fall at the same time), well, they're not "new" to Fall, so selecting "New Students Only" (with no other criteria) won't catch them. And they have no enrollment activity, so the Selection 3 tab won't catch them (as leaving that blank for "Continuing & New" with no other criteria will term activate *all* students).
Instead, what I found out (via a support ticket) is that I have to use the detailed Log/Trace report from Summer's "New Students Only" batch (as opposed to the "Both Continuing & New Students" batch). I save that report into Excel and filter it so that I have only those who were "Activated". Then I copy that list of New Summer Activated EMPLIDs into a .csv file that I in turn use to mass assign students to a group that we had to create (RTMA="For Term Activation"). With that done, I can then use that student group as the sole criteria to batch term activate these select students for Fall (with "Both Continuing & New Students" as the student type). I then need to mass un-assign that RTMA group.
I'm sure there's a query that can likely work in place of the Log/Trace report, and I'll probably need to use that in November when I want to batch term activate students for Winter who said they wanted to start Summer/Fall, but didn't. However, if there isn't a query that gives me just the list of activated "new students only" (with no enrollment history ever) for the indicated term, well, then at least I'm keeping my detailed Log/Trace reports just in case.
Tanjagay Martin
Thank you, Leon and Derreck--this is excellent information! Appreciations for bringing up the issue with the "new" student not getting picked up and sharing your local business process. Derreck, in light of Leon's comments, you can probably test it in PCD. ~Tanjagay Martin | CS Core Functional Trainer
Joyce Plourde
When I go look at the Process Details, View Log/Trace and then the .out under the File List, I get a list of student ID's that state INELIGIBLE after running the Term Activation Batch Process. When I look up the student, they are not term activated. How do I resolve/fix this?
Tanjagay Martin
Hi Joyce, Your question is greatly appreciated. Our CS Support team is happy to assist you if you need more help by submitting a CS Support ticket. An ineligible status can result from the student not meeting the established criteria on the Selection 1, 2, or 3 tabs. ~Tanjagay Martin | CS Core Trainer