Chrome Issues – ESS and MSS

Date: August 28, 2023
To:
ESS and MSS Users
From:
Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration 
Re: Chrome Issues – ESS and MSS

***Please distribute this message widely***

Hi everyone,

Some Chrome users may be experiencing issues when using Employee Self-Service and Manager Self-Service. Our team is currently working with SAP to resolve the issue and will be testing a solution later this week.

While this issue is being resolved, please use an alternate browser such as Firefox or Microsoft Edge.

Thank you for your patience and we will provide an update early next week.

Sincerely,
Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration

Stream Classic Retirement

In this session we will be addressing questions and concerns that users have raised while our team is continuing to support the Stream Classic retirement.

Please join our session to discuss any questions or concerns you have and to learn more.

Additionally, we would like to remind everyone that Microsoft Stream Classic will be retired for U of T on August 29th.

Resources

EASI Go Prod AMS & Enterprise Shared Services Updates – Mar. 1 to Jul. 31, 2023

Date: July 31, 2023
To: AMS and Enterprise Shared Services Users
From: Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration
Re:  EASI Go Prod AMS & Enterprise Shared Services Updates – Mar. 1 to Jul. 31, 2023

 

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 and Enterprise Shared Services.

The following are major changes from March 1 to July 31, 2023:

AMS Password Reset (June 22)
On June 22, EASI transitioned the previous AMS Password Reset form, hosted on the EASI website, to the Enterprise Service Centre. Users can now log in to the Enterprise Service Centre, fill out a pre-populated form and a new password is automatically sent to their @utoronto or associated email address. This streamlined process provides an improved user experience and increased security.

Financial Information System

Air Travel Emissions Mitigation Initiative (March 15)
On March 15, U of T launched a new initiative to mitigate the impact of emissions from air travel as part of its commitment to reduce its carbon footprint and take action to minimize climate change. The Sustainability Office partnered with the Information and Technology Services (ITS) and the Financial Advisory Services and Training (FAST) teams to build a mechanism within existing financial systems and processes to calculate offset fees during the reimbursement period and retroactively charge it to the corresponding departments.

AMS Fiscal Year-End Closure 2023 (May 1)
Multiple teams from EASI and Financial Services worked together to ensure the 2023 FI Fiscal Year End event was successful. The benefits of the SAP S/4HANA environment continue to reduce overall processing time. Fiori Launchpad Reporting continues to allow users to carry on with their business operations during the fiscal year-end closure period. Throughout the year, the teams worked to optimize system efficiencies and continued to reengineer programs to decrease processing times.

Electronic Funds Transfer – Phase 3 (June)
In August 2022, the University launched the first phase of the Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) project to transition vendor payments by paper cheque to direct deposit. Work on Phase 3 of the project, which began in June 2023, involves streamlining processes, particularly in Accounts Payable for reviewing and approving supporting documentation for payments. This phase also continues the strategic onboarding of existing U of T vendors, and the EFT team is still accepting additional vendor recommendations from the U of T community for future consideration.

AMS Printing (July 20)
On July 20, EASI defaulted SAP printing to a front-end solution that makes printing reports from AMS faster, easier and safer. Using this default printing method, users can print reports to PDF and their local printers, as well as email reports directly from AMS. This simplified approach, adopted by 70 per cent of users prior to the default, can be used in all AMS/SAP modules. Web-based applications, including Fiori Launchpad Reporting, Expense Reimbursement Direct Deposit and Employee Self-Service/Manager Self-Service, continue to print as usual.

Enterprise Shared Services

Yammer Platform Disabled (July 31)
Yammer, a Microsoft social networking service not institutionally supported by U of T, was disabled on July 31. This decision was made based on recommendations from a Microsoft Tactical Resources Committee working group in consultation with People Strategy Equity & Culture, the University of Toronto Communications Office and the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Office. This committee identified several risks associated with the Yammer service, including privacy and moderation. Groups looking to establish an online community are encouraged to use Microsoft Teams.

Human Resources Information System

Kronos (March 1 to July 31, 2023)
Kronos, a convenient, cloud-based time and attendance system, eliminates the use of paper timesheets and the need to forecast employee hours through online approval processes. Between March 1 and July 31, 2023, EASI implemented Kronos Timekeeper within the Faculty of Music.

 

EASI Go Prod NGSIS Updates – Apr. 1 to Jul. 31, 2023

Date:  July 31, 2023
To: ROSI Users; Registrar’s Offices
From: Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration
Re: EASI Go Prod NGSIS Updates – Apr. 1 to Jul. 31, 2023

 

Hi everyone,

Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI) would like to update you on the latest major production releases and updates for the NGSIS program and student systems. From April 1 to July 31, 2023, EASI completed 36 releases for a wide range of applications.

The following are major changes during this timeframe:

Rocket Shuttle Migration (May 17)
On May 17, the Rocket Shuttle Migration Project was successfully completed. All Rocket Shuttle users transitioned to Azure Data Studio and Power BI in advance of the end of Rocket Shuttle licensing. This migration provided users with enhanced reporting with access to the ROSI-REPLICA, improved query performance and improved security and alignment with U of T’s technical roadmap and future evolution.

Student Advising Service (July 26)
On July 26, the University of Toronto launched the Student Advising Service, a platform set to enhance advising supports and resources for the University’s students and advising staff, increase administrative efficiencies and increase overall student wellbeing, success and retention. The new platform serves as a single system for presenting the interconnected student story, helping advisors provide consistent, transparent, timely and comprehensive guidance, and enhance collaboration across and between divisional advising units. This initial release focuses on functionality for advisors, with all Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE) advising staff and staff working in the Faculty of Arts & Science (A&S) Office of the Faculty Registrar beginning to use the service later this summer. Staff in A&S colleges and academic units will follow in the 2023-24 academic year.

Accommodated Testing Services (ATS) (April 1 to July 31, 2023)
Accommodated Testing Services coordinates on-campus assessment accommodations for students with disabilities who are enrolled in in-class courses offered on the St. George Campus. ATS has released the following enhancements:

  • Functional and technical changes were made to existing functionality in both ACORN and ATS Core Admin required to support the differences in a Summer Academic Period.
  • UX improvements were made to the look and feel of Test Definition Maintenance functions in the ATS Core Admin Module.
  • Several technical changes were made to improve the overall performance on the dashboards.
  • Several technical housekeeping tasks were completed to improve the technical foundation and structure of the system.

Course Information System (CIS) (April 1 to July 31, 2023)
The Course Information System streamlines syllabi and exams processes for instructors and administrators. CIS has made the following releases: 

  • Maintenance Update (June 6, 2023)
    Technical maintenance and bug fixes, in addition to preparation work for onboarding new divisions to the Syllabus Builder module.
  • UTSC Syllabus Builder Launch (July 13, 2023)
    Onboard the University of Toronto Scarborough to the Syllabus Builder module. This new module provides instructors with an end-to-end experience for creating their course syllabus document, with the goal of improving the consistency of syllabi across the institution for both students and academic administrators.
  • APSC Exam Module Enhancements (July 13, 2023)
    Enhancements to the Exam Details module for the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering to improve alignment with business and administrative needs.

Peak Enrolment Successful – Student Information Systems Available

Date:  July 28, 2023
To:  ROSI Users; Registrar’s Offices
From:  Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration
Re: Peak Enrolment Successful – Student Information Systems Available

 

Hi everyone,

We’re excited to announce that today’s peak enrolment day for students in ACORN went smoothly and you can now resume activities on our Student Information Systems.

We look forward to next year’s enrolment and will continue to ensure students have an efficient enrolment process.

Thanks everyone for your patience and support and have a great weekend!

Sincerely,
Student Information Systems

 This email has been sent from a service account and does not accept replies. Please direct any follow up questions to the Enterprise Service Centre http://www.uoft.me/esc

Power Platform export and import procedures

The Power Platform Legacy-University of Toronto (default)” environment will be deactivated and inaccessible beginning on September 11th, 2023. Subsequently, on October 16th, 2023, the environment will be permanently deleted. 

Please join this Connect+Learn session to learn how to export all of your Power Platform flows and Power Apps from the “Legacy-University of Toronto (default)” environment to the new default environment i.e., “UofT Personal Productivity (Default)”.

Resources

System Outage – August 12 from 6:00 am to 10:00 am

Date: July 25, 2023
To: AMS Users
From: Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration
Re: System Outage – August 12 from 6:00 am to 10:00 am

 

Dear AMS Users,

Please note that the systems below will be unavailable on Saturday, August 12 from 6:00 am to 10:00 am due to system maintenance:

  • Academic Administrative Appointments (AAA)
  • AMS SAP GUI
  • Capital Project Portal
  • Employee Self-Service (ESS)/Manager Self-Service (MSS)
  • Employees@UofT
  • EvoSuite Applications (EvoOrder, EvoPlan, EvoNotify)
  • Expense Reimbursement Direct Deposit (ERDD)
  • 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.

Sincerely,
Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI)

U of T launches initial Student Advising Service platform

A student sits across from an advisor at a desk in an office

On July 26, the University of Toronto launched the Student Advising Service, a platform set to enhance advising supports and resources for the University’s students and advising staff, increase administrative efficiencies and increase overall student wellbeing, success and retention.

The new platform will serve as a single system for presenting the interconnected student story, helping advisors provide consistent, transparent, timely and comprehensive guidance, and enhance collaboration across and between divisional advising units.

This initial release focuses on functionality for advisors, with all Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE) advising staff and staff working in the Faculty of Arts & Science (A&S) Office of the Faculty Registrar beginning to use the service later this summer. Staff in A&S colleges and academic units will follow in the 2023-24 academic year.

“Given the goals we have for student experience at U of T, we saw a clear opportunity to establish a better wayfinding process and transform academic advising,” says Susan McCahan, vice-provost, innovations in undergraduate education (VPIUE). “This service will allow us to better understand our students’ needs and provide them with the resources and support to succeed academically and beyond.”

The solution, also known as Salesforce Student Success Hub for Higher Education, provides a modern and intuitive user experience and is part of the Next Generation Student Information Services Program. Through this program, the university has made significant investments in technology to create a more student-centered and supportive educational environment.

“Our world-class institution requires innovative and responsive technology,” says Cathy Eberts, director of enterprise applications and deputy CIO with Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI). “This platform is an example of how we are leveraging technology to improve the overall student and staff experience.”

In partnership with VPIUE, EASI has worked to implement the first phase of the project with A&S and KPE.

Through the Student Advising Service, advising staff will be able to view, interact with and manage a comprehensive student advising record that is integrated with U of T systems, including the university’s Student Information Systems. In addition, it will bring together relevant student demographic and academic information into a single system to support advisors. As advisors work with students, this record will create a history of a student’s advising interactions, including appointment, note, case, and referral management.

“Advising staff will have real-time access to the information they need to best support students,” says Julian Weinrib, director, innovations in undergraduate education. “They will be able to quickly pull up a record of past interactions and their topics, understand individual student appointment and referral outcomes, and consult a knowledge base for consistent information on policies and procedures. Having this information ready-to-hand in a single system will free up advisors’ time and provide them with powerful data to do what they do best; helping our students achieve their goals.”

The platform will also provide reporting to further improve communication and student support.

Screenshot of the Student Advising Service dashboard for advisors

On the application’s launchpad, advisors will see their contacts, cases, reports, knowledge articles, dashboards and notes. They can easily navigate across the application to view their current student requests, referral cases, upcoming appointments, tasks and quick links.

To ensure U of T implemented an optimal enterprise solution, the university undertook comprehensive external reviews and consulted broadly with divisions across all three campuses.

“In Arts & Science, we’ve long recognized the need for a comprehensive advising service that will standardize, streamline and elevate our student advising culture, practice and processes in College Registrar’s Offices, academic units, and the Faculty Registrar’s Office,” says Lisa Feng, faculty registrar and director of academic services. “We see the Student Advising Service (SAS) as a transformative tool to support consistency in service and enable best practices based on a holistic student advising model. The fact that the SAS is an institution-wide project is very exciting as we’ll be able to improve wayfinding, share notes and easily refer students to our A&S colleagues and eventually to our partners across the university.”

What’s next for the Student Advising Service?

During the 2023-24 academic year, the Student Advising Service team will work with participating academic divisions implement a student-facing portal. Advising functionality will also be expanded to other divisions, and regular product enhancements will be released to improve the overall user experience.

“The launch of this phase of the Student Advising Service is a major milestone, and we’re excited to start development on the student-facing application,” says McCahan. “Ultimately, this platform will advance U of T’s mission to reimagine and reinvent undergraduate education. It will also help to support institutional goals for student success, quality service, and student retention and graduation.”

Please Limit Usage in ROSI and Related Systems on Friday, July 28

Date: July 24, 2023
To: ROSI Users; Registrar’s Offices
From: Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration
Re: Please Limit Usage in ROSI and Related Systems on Friday, July 28

 

To all ROSI / ROSI Express / Degree Explorer Users:

Friday, July 28 will be a very heavy enrolment day for students in ACORN, and we expect higher than normal system resource usage for most of the morning.

Please avoid running any ROSI-related processes that might place any additional burden on the system between 8 am and 1 pm on Friday, July 28.

Processes to avoid include:

  • ROSI downloads
  • ROSI batch jobs
  • ROSI admissions correspondence batch printing
  • ROSI Express reports
  • Degree Explorer reports and program assessments
  • Student Records Web Services (SRWS) API
  • RXP REST API

On this heavy enrolment day, students will be restricted from accessing some ACORN functions.

After 1 pm on Friday, restrictions on the systems will be lifted.

Sincerely,
Student Information Systems