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Degree Works Release Guide

Release 4.1.5 November 2015

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Contains confidential and proprietary information of Ellucian and its subsidiaries. Use of these materials is limited to Ellucian licensees, and is subject to the terms and conditions of one or more written license agreements between Ellucian and the licensee in question.

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Revision History

Publication Date Summary

November 2015 New version that supports Degree Works 4.1.5 software.

Degree Works | Release Guide 3

Contents Introduction .............................................................................................. 5

Upgrade Path............................................................................................ 5

Release 4.1.5 Highlights .......................................................................... 6

Functional Enhancements with 4.1.5 ..................................................... 7

API ................................................................................................................................ 7

Audit ............................................................................................................................. 7

CPA ............................................................................................................................... 7

DOC .............................................................................................................................. 7

Logon ........................................................................................................................... 8

Planner ......................................................................................................................... 8

Scribe ........................................................................................................................... 8

Security ........................................................................................................................ 8

System.......................................................................................................................... 9

Transit .......................................................................................................................... 9

Web ............................................................................................................................... 9


Problem Resolutions ............................................................................. 10

Technical Artifacts ................................................................................. 10

Special Notes ......................................................................................... 11

Scribe screenshots ................................................................................ 13

Documentation ....................................................................................... 16

Release Documentation ........................................................................................... 16

Administration Documentation ............................................................................... 16

Technical Documentation ........................................................................................ 17

User Documentation ................................................................................................. 17

Database Changes ................................................................................. 18

Configuration Considerations .............................................................. 19


Introduction This document discusses the Degree Works Release 4.1.5.

Upgrade Path The Degree Works 4.1.5 software release supports a new installation or an upgrade path for existing customers currently on release 4.1.0, 4.1.1, 4.1.2, 4.1.3, or 4.1.4.

Hardware and Software Requirements Hardware and software requirements are located in the 4.1.5 Installation Guide under the section heading New Installation Prerequisites and Instructions. That section also includes elements of the Pre-Installation Checklist. All requirements are referenced in that one document.


Release 4.1.5 Highlights The 4.1.5 release of Degree Works has a number of new features added to the product. This release is very focused on technology updates and provides many infrastructure changes that enable adding new functionality to the product in future releases:

• A new generation of the Scribe application, web-based, is included. Written using responsive design, and ADA compliant, this version also has new features including:

o Capability of running multiple sessions simultaneously o An advanced display of search results using a grid format o An online help function that includes examples of all Reserved Words available

• An update to the Audit Worksheet API to support a What-If audit, which also facilitates

the Banner “Course Program of Study (CPoS)” feature targeted for release with Banner Student 8.9 and Banner Financial Aid 8.24.2

• Extensive updates to the Degree Works authentication and authorization layers to

provide a robust and modern, cloud-ready approach to application security: o Replaces the CGI interface to the Degree Works server with a Java servlet o Eliminates the need for a web server o Supports Ellucian Identity Services (EIS) o Updates and standardizes which CAS implementation (CAS v3) is supported o Supports SAML2

In addition, there are other enhancements listed in the Functional Enhancements section of this Release Guide. Numerous defect repairs have also been included with this release, and are listed in the separate Problem Resolutions file provided.


Functional Enhancements with 4.1.5 This section highlights the functional enhancements that are delivered with the release.

API Enhancement # Description

CR-000131604 The Degree Works Audit API has been enhanced to allow you to run what-if audits. You may supply a list of alternate goals and additional classes and then generate a new audit. You also have the option of saving and freezing the audit. Please see the Ellucian XE Registry for more information about these new capabilities.

Audit Enhancement # Description

CR-000113609 The GPA values stored in the dap_gpa_history table are now following the format definitions as configured in the UCX-CFG020 DAP14 GPA settings.

CPA Enhancement # Description

CR-000120505 The Banner CRN field has been added to the CPA data on the dap_resClass_dtl table. This helps support some of the section reporting that can occur using ODS.

DOC Enhancement # Description

CR-000111401 The documentation was enhanced for the UCX-CFG020 DAP13 Process Equivalences field.

CR-000133546 The Advanced Data Reporting Guide was previously focused on just the CPA and SEP tables but it has now been extended to include information about the database tables for notes, exceptions and Scribe.


Logon Enhancement # Description

CR-000129672 Due to the rewrite of the security infrastructure in java, Degree Works now supports only version 3 of the CAS protocol. No customization of CAS is necessary and any customizations you may be maintaining should no longer be needed.

CR-000111337 When using CAS authentication, case sensitive usernames are now supported.

Planner Enhancement # Description

CR-000132078 The SEP Administration Guide now has details on how you can use Oracle commands to copy templates from one environment to another. This is useful when moving templates from a test instance to production.

Scribe Enhancement # Description

CR-000120809 A new version of Scribe that is web-based has been delivered. It replaces the previous PC “client-server” version. This new Scribe was written using responsive design so that the display conforms to the size of the platform depending whether it is a full sized screen or tablet. Also, it is ADA compliant and capable of being internationalized using localization properties. Scribe also has the positive user experience that comes with a web-based application. For instance, running multiple sessions simultaneously can now happen. An advanced search metaphor has been included which allows a more complete display of search results using a grid format. The online help provides examples of all Reserved Words available.

Review the Scribe Administration Guide for more information.

Security Enhancement # Description

CR-000135732 The authentication and authorization infrastructure has been rewritten using modern methods and well-established 3rd party components. The main concepts, such as services, keys, users, and groups remain the same. Authentication methods include previously supported native Degree Works SHP, LDAP, and CAS v3. We now also support native SAML authentication. The new infrastructure allows Degree Works to more readily adopt future authentication methods as they are introduced.


System Enhancement # Description

CR-000127170 Java 8 is now supported.

Transit Enhancement # Description

CR-000129706 When running SCR07 in Transit to get a list of all block tags and text you no longer need to specify a catalog year. You now can get all of the blocks for a type (DEGREE, MAJOR, etc.) regardless of the catalog year.

Web Enhancement # Description

CR-000135713 A significant change with 4.1.5 is that the Degree Works web pages and CGI have been replaced with a Java servlet running in a Java application server (such as Tomcat or WebLogic). This new servlet is being referred to as the Dashboard Servlet. With this change, an HTTP web server is no longer needed for Degree Works. With 4.1.5, web page localizations will be made in the Dashboard Servlet's war file.


Problem Resolutions For comprehensive and detailed problem, impacts, and resolution information for all of the defects corrected in this release, please refer to the supplemental Problem Resolutions file delivered along with your Release Guide.

Technical Artifacts

This section lists the supplemental technical information for the 4.1.5 release. These files are located in the Documentation Libraries on the Ellucian Support Center, alongside the other 4.1.5 documentation release artifacts.

• Degree Works Schema file This text file contains the data structure for the Degree Works database tables.

• Degree Works Manifest The manifest details all of the files delivered in the 4.1.5 release.


Special Notes Degree Works has had extensive infrastructure changes introduced in the 4.1.5 release. These changes enable adding new functionality to the product in future releases with minimal disruption. These changes include new database tables, removal of CGI with replacement by a java servlet, and a complete revamp of how security is handled. Depending on your institution’s plans for deployment of the new features and tools, there are a number of considerations, rooted in compatibility, which must be addressed. Scribe: Scribe now uses a different database table to store the requirement blocks. You will not be able to use the newer web-based Scribe and the old PC-based Scribe to maintain the same requirement blocks simultaneously, since each tool maintains the requirement data in different tables. When 4.1.5 is installed you are not required to use the web version in production immediately, but you should be making plans to move in that direction soon. You may continue using the PC-based version until it is deprecated. See the Scribe Administration Guide for ideas on how to manage this process. SEP: The next generation planner has been changed to have its Create Block functionality save requirements to the new database table or the old one based on a UCX-CFG020 DAP14 flag. However, the classic planner’s Create Block functionality only saves to the old database table. This means that if you are using the Create Block functionality in the classic planner you will not be able to move forward with the new web-based Scribe. You will need to first transition to the next generation planner. Other issues: 1. Passwords created prior to the DW4.0.0 release are not supported with the Dashboard Servlet. 2. The SHP_LOG_DTL records are still created when the Dashboard Servlet is in use but the AUTHEN (logon) and DELPASS (logoff) requests will not be logged. 3. If you create your own indexes in the Degree Works database, you cannot create index names longer than 21 characters as they are not supported. 4. SHPCFG no longer supports adding a list of keys or groups in a single line separated by commas. You must now list each key or group on its own line with its own ADDKEY or ADDGROUP command.


Authentication using the Dashboard Servlet: With prior versions of Degree Works a web server and CGI were required, but with the 4.1.5 release they are only appropriate if you are using authentication methods not supported by the Dashboard Servlet such as:

• Self-Service Banner with native SSB authentication (not using a SSO method like CASv3 or SAML2)

• Colleague clients using WebAdvisor with MD5 authentication These customers cannot use the Dashboard Servlet and must use Degree Works CGI and a HTTP web server. Please refer to the CGI Configuration Steps document for instructions to install and configure CGI. This document can be found on the Ellucian Support Center in Article Number 000035065, or using this URL: https://ellucian.force.com/clients/articles/FAQ/Degree-Works-4-1-5-Release-CGI-Configuration-Steps For all other authentication method situations, such as

• External Access Manager • SSO methods using CAS version 3 • SSO methods using SAML 2 • LDAP authentication

the web server and CGI have been replaced with the Dashboard Servlet.

https://ellucian.force.com/clients/articles/FAQ/Degree-Works-4-1-5-Release-CGI-Configuration-Steps

https://ellucian.force.com/clients/articles/FAQ/Degree-Works-4-1-5-Release-CGI-Configuration-Steps


Scribe screenshots So that you can anticipate the new look of Scribe, here are a few screenshots of the new user interface: Search for Requirement Blocks:


Search Results


Scribe Block showing Successful parse

Scribe Block showing parse that was not successful


Documentation The following documentation resources are provided in support of release 4.1.5. Please refer to the Changed Document List delivered along with your Release Guide for a detailed list of sections that have been significantly modified in release 4.1.5 Degree Works documentation.

Release Documentation Ellucian Support Center – Title

Degree Works Release Guide 4.1.5

Degree Works Installation Guide 4.1.5

Degree Works 3rd Party Software List 4.1.5

Degree Works Problem Resolutions 4.1.5

Degree Works Manifest 4.1.5

Degree Works Schema 4.1.5 (Text file)

Administration Documentation Ellucian Support Center – Title

Degree Works Student Educational Planner Administration Guide 4.1.5

Degree Works Transfer Finder Administration Guide 4.1.5

Degree Works Transfer Equivalency Self-Service Administration Guide 4.1.5

Degree Works Scribe Administration Guide 4.1.5


Technical Documentation Ellucian Support Center - Title

Degree Works Technical Guide 4.1.5

Degree Works Advanced Reporting Technical Guide 4.1.5

Degree Works Banner Considerations Technical Guide 4.1.5

Degree Works Banner Data Mapping for BIF Technical Guide 4.1.5

Degree Works Bridge Interface Format Technical Handbook 4.1.5

Degree Works Colleague Considerations Technical Guide 4.1.5

Degree Works Colleague Data Mapping for BIF Technical Guide 4.1.5

Degree Works Shepherd Settings Technical Guide 4.1.5

Degree Works Surecode UCX Tables Technical Guide 4.1.5

Degree Works Prerequisite Checking Technical Guide 4.1.5

User Documentation Ellucian Support Center - Title

Degree Works PC-Based Scribe User Guide 4.1.5

Degree Works Shepentry User Guide 4.1.5

Degree Works Surecode User Guide 4.1.5

Degree Works Transit User Guide 4.1.5

Degree Works Transfer Equivalency Admin User Guide 4.1.5

Degree Works Web Interface User Guide 4.1.5

Degree Works Scribe Language User Guide 4.1.5


Database Changes The Degree Works 4.1.5 release contains changes to the database. They are highlighted here to give an overview, but a review of the Degree Works Schema file can provide more detailed information.

1. Added CRN to dap_resClass_dtl 2. Removed SOC-TYPE from dap_resClass_dtl 3. Added new dap_req_block table for the new Scribe 4. Removed foreign-key contraints on dap_req_link_dtl and dap_req_crs_dtl 5. Added new shp_user_attrib table 6. Added new shp_attrib_hsh table 7. Added new UCX_SHP103 table 8. The passport field is now 26 characters instead of 6 9. Removed the dap_user_mst table


Configuration Considerations The Degree Works 4.1.5 release requires customers to make manual modifications to several areas of the product. These areas are outlined in the Installation Guide.

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