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Retirement of Visio Data Visualizer Add-in for Excel

Date: December 2, 2025
To: Infotech-L, EASI Site M365 Announcements
From: Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration
Re: Retirement of Visio Data Visualizer Add-in for Excel 

 

Dear colleagues,

Microsoft will retire the Visio Data Visualizer add-in for Excel. This change affects the ability to create and maintain data-linked diagrams in Excel using that add-in.

What is changing

On December 8, 2025, the add-in will be removed from the Excel add-in store, associated templates, and the Excel ribbon. However, users will have until March 2, 2026, to save any existing diagrams created with the add-in.
On March 2, 2026, the cloud service powering the add-in will be shut down. Existing diagrams embedded in Excel will no longer render or refresh.

Who is affected

Any Microsoft 365 user who uses or has used the Visio Data Visualizer add-in in Excel.

Action required

If you have existing Excel files that include diagrams created with Data Visualizer:

    • Open each file, then in the diagram area select the menu (…) and choose Open in web. This will generate a Visio (.vsdx) version of the diagram, which you should save to OneDrive or another secure location.
    • After March 2, 2026, the embedded diagrams will no longer load even though the underlying table data remains intact.
    • If you do not need editable diagrams, consider saving a screenshot or static image of the diagram as a backup.

Learn more: Retirement of the Visio Data Visualizer add-in for Excel and next steps

Timeline

    • December 8, 2025 — Data Visualizer add-in removed from store, templates and ribbon.
    • March 2, 2026 — Add-in service shutdown; embedded diagrams will no longer load.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please submit a ticket to the Enterprise Service Centre at https://uoft.me/m365help.

Kind regards,

Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI)
Information Technology Services, University of Toronto

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Microsoft PowerPoint: Retirement of the Reuse Slides Feature Starting 2026

Date: December 2, 2025
To: EASI Site M365 Announcements
From: Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration
Re: Microsoft PowerPoint: Retirement of the Reuse Slides and Editor Pane Feature Starting 2026

 

Dear colleagues, 

Microsoft has announced the retirement of the Reuse Slides feature in PowerPoint for Windows and Mac desktop applications. This feature will be removed to simplify PowerPoint’s interface and eliminate duplication with existing slide copy and reuse workflows. 

What is changing

    • The Reuse Slides button will be removed from the PowerPoint ribbon. The feature will no longer be supported or accessible. 
    • The Editor Pane will be retired and removed from PowerPoint for the Web in January 2026. Built-in spell check will remain available and active by default.

Who is affected

All users of Microsoft PowerPoint for the web, PowerPoint on Windows and Mac desktops. 

Action required 

    • If you rely on this feature, use alternative methods such as copying slides manually between presentations. 

Timeline 

    • December 2025 – Retirement process begins. 
    • January 2026 – Feature fully retired and removed. 

If you have any further questions or concerns, please submit a ticket to the Enterprise Service Centre at (https://uoft.me/m365help). 

Kind regards, 

Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI) 

Information Technology Services, University of Toronto 

 

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Admission Deposit Setup and Administration

Join us for a Connect+Learn session about Admission Deposits. Several ROSI data points control the ACORN Credit Card Admission Deposit function and determine whether or not a student is prompted for an admission deposit upon logging in. Responsibility for the creation and maintenance of these data points must be coordinated across separate offices in order to work.

This session will guide staff in Divisional and College Registrar’s Offices and graduate units through the process of implementing and maintaining deposits, referencing the business rules and applicable ROSI screens.

    • Configuration of Deposits in ROSI
    • The Eight Rules of ACORN Admission Deposits
    • How to avoid errors
Resources:
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EASI Go Prod AMS & Enterprise Shared Services Updates – Oct. 1 to Nov. 30, 2025

Date: November 28, 2025
To: AMS Users
From: Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration 
Re: EASI Go Prod AMS & Enterprise Shared Services Updates – Oct. 1 to Nov. 30, 2025

 

Hi everyone,

Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI) would like to update you on the latest major production releases and updates for U of T’s Administrative Management Systems (AMS) and Enterprise Shared Services.

The following are major changes from October 1 to November 30, 2025:

AMS/SAP Technical Platform

SAP H4S4 Upgrade (October 6)
On October 6, EASI activated the SAP H4S4 business function within the existing SAP S/4HANA platform, which powers U of T’s core administrative management system. This upgrade ensures continued compliance with SAP Human Capital Management (HCM) licensing and support, safeguarding the continuity of payroll processing beyond December 2025. This upgrade maintains familiar functionality while aligning with U of T’s long-term technology roadmap and commitment to sustainable system modernization.

Document Management System Implementation (October 18)
On October 18, EASI launched a new Document Management System (DMS) to replace the legacy SAP Content Server with a modern content services platform. Built on Azure, SharePoint and IntelliDocX (a tool that integrates SAP with Microsoft platforms), the DMS provides a secure, centralized platform to store, manage and track documents throughout their lifecycle, including invoices, purchase orders, research applications and employee records. This system streamlines document version control, approvals, retrieval and collaboration while ensuring compliance with organizational policies. It also enables enhanced reporting and analytics on stored documents within SharePoint, strengthening data management and decision-making capabilities.

Human Resources Information System (HRIS)

Academic Reference Letter Enhancement Project (October)
The Academic Reference Letter (ARL) solution plays a key role in U of T’s academic recruitment process. Previously, ARL used Azure Logic Apps to collect reference letters for all academic applicants via email. The process has now been enhanced with an online SharePoint form, streamlining collection and management. This update reduces data collection errors, accelerates submission processing and enhances overall efficiency and user experience.

My Research

Animal Ethics Enhancements (October)
In October, EASI and the Division of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation (VPRI) implemented significant changes to the language and frequency of auto-generated email notifications sent to Principal Investigators (PIs) regarding animal protocol expiry in My Research Animal Protocols (MRAP). These enhancements align notification content with current compliance processes and improve the overall user experience by streamlining communications.

MRAP is used for the creation, submission, and review of animal research ethics protocols. To get started with MRAP,  log in to the My Research (MR) portal.

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AMS Holiday System Availability 2025

Date: November 26, 2025
To: AMS Users
From: Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration
Re: AMS Holiday System Availability 2025

 

Hi everyone,

As we quickly approach this holiday season, we would like to notify you about upcoming system closures.

Here is a full list of the closures between December 23, 2025 and January 5, 2026, and the regular system availability during December 2025:

https://easi.its.utoronto.ca/system-availability/

Please note that if a system/interface is not available, reasonable but limited attempts will be made to fix the problem. There will be no HR or Financial Services staff available to help resolve problems for administrators.

We hope you enjoy the holidays.

Sincerely,
Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI)

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Student System Application Support During 2025 Holiday Closure

Date:  November 26, 2025
To: ROSI Users
From:  Student Information Systems
Re:  Student System Application Support During 2025 Holiday Closure

 

Hi everyone,

We will be maintaining the same levels of application support for Student Systems over the December break as we have in other years. ACORN and other student information services will be available over the holidays and will be checked periodically to ensure they are running. We will respond to Enterprise Service Centre tickets when we return at the beginning of January.

Please note that online payments will be recorded as “pending” in students’ ACORN accounts from December 23, 2025 to 3-5 business days after January 5, 2025. Bank payments will be updated on January 5, 2026.

See a detailed description of support. 

Sincerely,
Student Information Systems

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Prepare for Office LTSC 2021 End of Support Next Year

Date: November 25, 2025
To: EITU, MTAC, InfoTech-L, Service Desk Heads
From: Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration
Re: Prepare for Office LTSC 2021 End of Support Next Year 


Dear colleagues,

As previously communicated, support for Microsoft Office 2016 and Microsoft Office 2019 ended on October 14, 2025. Looking ahead, support for Microsoft Office LTSC 2021 (Long-Term Servicing Channel) will end next year on
October 13, 2026.

What is changing 

    • Office LTSC 2021: Support ends October 13, 2026.  
    • Using unsupported software means: 
      • No security updates → increased vulnerability to malware, phishing, exploits. 
      • No bug fixes or compatibility assurances → potential disruptions in workflows. 
      • Compliance risks (especially for regulated data) and integration problems with newer services. 

 

Action required 

    • Review inventory 
    • Plan upgrade: Schedule migration ahead of October 2026 to avoid falling into unsupported status. Options include: 
      • Move to Microsoft 365 Apps (subscription-based) 
      • Or upgrade to Office LTSC 2024 if you require a disconnected/one-time purchase model. 

 

Timeline 

    • October 13, 2026: Projected end of support for Office LTSC 2021.  

 

Resources 

 

If you have any further questions or concerns, please submit a ticket to the Enterprise Service Centre at (https://uoft.me/m365help). 

 

Kind regards, 

Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI)
Information Technology Services, University of Toronto

Posted on

AMS System Maintenance – December 6

Date: November 20, 2025
To: AMS Users
From: Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration 
Re: AMS System Maintenance – December 6

 

Dear AMS Users,

Please note that the systems below will be unavailable on Saturday, December 6 from 5 to 12 p.m. due to system maintenance:

  • Academic Administrative Appointments (AAA)
  • AMS SAP GUI
  • Capital Projects Portal
  • Employee Self-Service (ESS)/Manager Self-Service (MSS)
  • EvoSuite Applications (EvoOrder, EvoPlan, EvoNotify)
  • Expense Reimbursement Direct Deposit (ERDD)/Concur, Travel & Expense Reimbursement
  • Fiori Launchpad Reporting
  • Invoice Workflow
  • My Customer Account
  • My Research (MR/Portal)
  • SAP Asset Manager Mobile (sync will not work)
  • USOURCE

See our System Availability page for a list of ongoing information on system status.

In addition, please note:

  • Communication regarding system availability over the holidays will be distributed shortly.
  • As shared in the October 14 communication, we are working to complete the transition to a new platform for document attachments in SAP. You may continue to notice temporary duplicate document attachments when viewing SAP records and short-term, minor performance delays when uploading or retrieving document attachments.

Sincerely,
Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI)

 

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Azure Data Studio Transition to Visual Studio Code

In this Connect+Learn session with the Reporting & Analytics Technology Team, we learned about the upcoming migration from Microsoft Azure Data Studio to Visual Studio Code. Microsoft announced that it will be consolidating its SQL development tools to provide a more robust and feature-rich environment, and will be retiring Azure Data Studio on February 28, 2026. To ensure continued support, security compliance and access to a feature-rich environment, we recommend that current Azure Data Studio users transition to Visual Studio Code in advance of this date.

In this session, we discussed:

    • An overview of the migration to Visual Studio Code.
    • What’s changing, including key similarities and differences to Azure Data Studio.
    • A demo of how to download and connect to Visual Studio Code.
    • An overview of support resources on the Power BI site.
Resources:
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Reminder: Connect+Learn Session Nov. 18 – Azure Data Studio Transition to Visual Studio Code

Date: November 17, 2025
To: Azure Data Studio Users
From: Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration
Re: Reminder: Connect+Learn Session Nov. 18 – Azure Data Studio Transition to Visual Studio Code

 

Dear Azure Data Studio Users,

As a follow-up to earlier communications, this is a reminder that Microsoft will be retiring Azure Data Studio on February 28, 2026, consolidating its SQL tools in Visual Studio Code.

To maintain security compliance and support, we recommend that current Azure Data Studio users transition to Visual Studio Code as soon as possible. We also recommend that new users follow these instructions to onboard to Visual Studio Code.

Please join us for a Connect+Learn session on Tuesday, November 18 at 11 a.m., or attend a future session.

Session details:

In this session, we will discuss:

  • An overview of the migration to Visual Studio Code.
  • What’s changing, including key similarities and differences to Azure Data Studio.
  • A demo of how to download and connect to Visual Studio Code.
  • An overview of support resources on the Power BI site.

If you have any questions, please visit the Power BI Toolbox and submit a support ticket.

Sincerely,

Reporting and Analytics Technology Team
Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration