comp*assist online reporting interface user's guide

1

Comp*Assist Online Reporting Interface

Comp*Assist Online User’s Guide

A Resource for Subscriber Schools


Spring 2012

2


Table of Contents

Introduction to Comp*Assist Online Reporting Interface 3

Purpose of the New Reporting Interface 3 Using the Reporting Interface Guide 3 What’s Familiar 5 What’s New 5

Components of the Reporting Interface 6 Templates 6 Work Lists 6 Custom Reports 7 Extracts & Results Lists 7

Accessing Reports 8

Reports Tab in Comp*Assist Online 8 Reporting Interface Main Screen 8 Left Navigation Menu 9 Show Drop Down Menu 9

Required Documents and Parent Email Reports 9 Recent Report Extracts 10 Groups 10

Navigation Menu Icons 12

Creating & Managing Reports 13 Report Function Tabs 13 Template Builder 14

Create or Modify Templates 15 Save or Delete Templates 17 Batch Edit Feature 19 View Work Lists and Use a Specific Template 20

Work List and Report Builder 21 Create or Modify Work Lists 21 Save or Delete Work Lists 25 Other Work List Features 27

Get Count 27 Preview Sample 27 Run Now 28

View Results List 28 Export Results 29

Report Admin 31 Report Scheduling 32 Manage Groups 34

Glossary of Terms 35 Alphabetical listing of commonly used reporting interface terminology 36

3


Introduction to New Comp*Assist Online Reporting Interface Purpose of the new Comp*Assist Online Reporting Interface

The Reports area of Comp*Assist Online enables you to generate and view a set of data in response to a specific inquiry you have made within the system. A report displays the results of specific criteria you have selected and is designed to aid you in evaluating students’ applications and sharing that information with others in your school community. SSS has enhanced its reporting functionality to provide schools with improved:

Reporting Flexibility

Ease of Access to Reports

Organization of Reports (Groups)

Ease of Report Creation & Customization

Ability to Edit Multiple Applicant Folders More Easily (Batch Edit Feature)

Enhanced Ability to View and Export Custom Data

Using The Reporting Interface Guide Organization of the Guide This Comp*Assist Online User’s Guide is designed to allow you to get the most out of Comp*Assist Online by providing a comprehensive “how-to” resource. This guide describes what you will find in the Comp*Assist Online reporting interface and outlines in detail how to utilize the various features it contains. Whether you are a veteran SSS subscriber or this is your first year with SSS, this guide provides tools to find the answers and instructions you need to locate information and to perform tasks within the Comp*Assist Online reporting interface. The guide is indexed to allow you to quickly and easily locate your area of interest and to access what you need to know relative to Comp*Assist Online functions in straightforward, step-by-step numbered instructions and screen shots with corresponding numbering. Navigating through the Guide There are several ways to locate specific subject matter within the guide. Review the Table of Contents at the beginning of the guide and click on the heading that is of

interest. You will be taken to the first page of that subject. Clicking on the same chapter title or subheading within the text will take you back to the Table of Contents.

Within the PDF itself, bookmark links are provided for all headings and sub-headings as well. If the bookmarks do not display automatically when you open the PDF, click on the bookmark icon ( ) on the left of the screen to view the bookmarked topics.

From anywhere within the text, you can hold “Control (CTRL)” and “Home” to return to the beginning of the guide. “Control (CTRL)” and “End” will take you to the end of the document.

Within the guide text, you will find links which you can click to access additional information either within the guide itself or on the SSS Website.

4


Throughout the guide, you will find the “Fast Forward” symbol which is used to indicate features of the reporting interface that will be familiar to past Comp*Assist Online reports users. Experienced users seeing this symbol may want to skip or spend minimal time on the section of the guide displaying the Fast Forward symbol.

To navigate through the guide, you can also use “Page Navigation” within the PDF. To ensure that all navigation tools are visible in your toolbar, click View - Show/Hide – Toolbar Items – Page Navigation – Show All Page Navigation Tools.

The following navigation buttons will be available on your toolbar from left to right:

1. Show first page (Home)

2. Show previous page (Left Arrow)

3. Show next page (Right Arrow)

4. Show last page (End)

5. Go to page number

6. Previous view (Alt + Left Arrow) – NOTE: this can be useful when returning to an original page after clicking on a link to another location within the document.

7. Next View (Alt + Right Arrow)

Finally, if you still don’t see what you’re looking for, click the “Search” or “Find” icon ( ) or Click “Edit” then “Find” to type in a search word or term. You will be provided with each instance of this term within the guide.

Additional Resources While this guide is intended as a ‘how to” manual, SSS provides a wealth of additional resources and guidance to assist you in the overall financial aid and award process. Below are just a few resources you may want to reference this season. Because this information is available only to SSS Subscribers, you may be asked to log in to your sss.nais.org account to view the full content of these links.

Computation Manual Knowledge Center (including links to Events, Webinars & Mini Lessons)

Financial Aid Blog

SSS Blog Listserve

Customer Service is available by phone or online:

- Call (800) 344-8328. If you are calling from outside of the United States or Canada, dial (952) 967-9922.

- E-mail [email protected].

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

http://sss.nais.org/

http://sss.nais.org/schools/FormsPubs/content.cfm?ItemNumber=152755&navItemNumber=152756

http://sss.nais.org/Schools/KnowledCenter/index.cfm?navItemNumber=152115

http://sss.nais.org/Schools/KnowledCenter/index.cfm?navItemNumber=152115

http://sss.nais.org/schools/KnowledCenter/content.cfm?ItemNumber=152175&navItemNumber=152212

http://sss.nais.org/schools/CompAssist/content.cfm?ItemNumber=152995&navItemNumber=152997

http://sss.nais.org/schools/KnowledCenter/content.cfm?ItemNumber=152172&navItemNumber=152211

5


What’s Familiar For schools that have used the Comp*Assist Online reporting interface in previous seasons, many of the features and functions will be familiar although their location within the reporting interface may have changed. You can:

Locate and work with any custom reports your school has created in past seasons (See Groups).

Access standard, predefined report templates created by SSS.

Create work lists to organize your applicants into various categories, e.g., by virtually any criteria available in the SSS platform, e.g., location (state/country), grade, income and financial data, returning vs. new students, and many additional criteria.

Build custom reports by combining a work list with a report template.

Preview and run reports at the time of your choosing and schedule reports to run on a periodic basis as in the past.

Export any report data you want to your school’s internal system as in the past, again scheduling this extract process to run at whatever intervals you want – daily, weekly monthly, etc.

What’s New The reporting interface has a new layout designed to make accessing and creating reports

simpler and more intuitive, allowing you to:

1. Use the left navigation menu to quickly access numerous standard and custom reports, recent extracts and report views you have previously selected during your current browser session.

2. Select the tab in the report view that describes the function you want to perform – Template Builder, Work List and Reports Builder and Report Admin.

The interface now contains a feature which allows your school administrator to create customized groups in which to categorize reports for better organization and quicker access. As in the past, two standard groups exist – All My Applicants and Award Management.

When creating report templates (formats), you can access a list of Frequently Used Fields that are the most common choices utilized by SSS schools when creating reports.

When creating work lists, you have more flexibility in how to combine report criteria in that you may choose whether to add subsequent criteria using an “and” or an “or operator to combine criteria or make certain criteria mutually exclusive.

The “Get Count” feature allows the user to test the query by requesting a count to see if the resulting report will contain the number or records you anticipated prior to actually running the report itself.

The “Preview Sample” feature allows you to preview any report prior to running the report itself or exporting data to ensure that it is set up the way you intended.

6


Components of the new Comp*Assist Online Reporting Interface

Templates

Report templates are views that have been predefined by SSS or created by school users to contain selected data criteria for a population of applications (with the population being defined by a Work List).

Think of the template as the fields (columns of data) that will be displayed in your final report

or in other words, how the report will look and what data points it will contain.

Many SSS standard reports from the past are now available as predefined templates.

Predefined templates are not modifiable under their existing file names, but they may be copied and saved as a new template and then edited.

By default when a predefined template is run, an “All My Applicants” work list is used unless the school user selects a different work list to apply.

If you or others at your school have created custom reports in past seasons, those reports will appear as templates in the new reporting interface on the Left Navigation Menu.

Work Lists

Work lists are filters that will retrieve data based on the user's selections. A work list allows users to select what group of applications they want to view.

As with templates, there are numerous commonly used work lists that SSS has generated as well as any work lists you or your school administrators have created.

Click on any work list and you will see all the applicants that fit into the category.

Work lists can be comprised of any number of applicants that are grouped by any field(s) available in the Comp*Assist Online database.

7


Custom Reports

Custom reports are comprised of two parts: a work list and a template.

The work list retrieves the data while the template formats the data output.

– For example, you can search for all parents with incomes greater than or equal to $100,000 and create a template to display the name, address, phone and employer of the parents who meet the criteria.

Work lists and templates are standalone entities that do not need to be created together.

– For example, you can create a template to display specific case and applicant fields, and then assign that to five existing work lists.

– On the other hand, the school may want to view a single work list in several different templates, e.g., the work list containing all new applicants could be viewed first in a template displaying only contact information such as name, address, phone number and email and then the same list may be displayed using the Income template.

Extracts & Results Lists Extracts are the final component of the reporting interface. Essentially, any work list and template combination can be used to schedule and generate a

data extract, or a results list which is essentially your data file or final report.

The extract feature works as it has in the past, allowing you to view the extract data on screen in Comp*Assist Online as well as to export data to external applications.

You can also schedule extracts or reports to run at pre-determined times periodically throughout the financial aid season. Scheduled reports run at 8:00 pm EST on the day and date selected.

8


Accessing Reports Reports Tab in Comp*Assist Online 1. Access to the Reports tab in Comp*Assist Online is the same as in the

past. After you are logged into Comp*Assist Online, from the Dashboard, click on the Reports tab in the purple toolbar at the top of the page.

Reporting Interface Main Screen

The appearance of the main page of the new reporting interface is different than in the past.

There are two main sections from which to navigate through the reporting interface to access and create reports:

1. Left Navigation Menu

2. Report Function Tabs

1 2

1

9


Left Navigation Menu On the left side of the main Reports screen, a navigation

menu entitled "Reports & Work Lists" allows users to access and run all available reports in the system including templates, work lists and custom reports.

The left navigation menu contains the following sub-sections:

1. Show (with drop-down menu)

2. Required Documents and Parent Email Reports

3. Recent Report Extracts (See Extracts and Results Lists)

4. Groups (See Extracts and Results Lists)

“Show” Drop Down Menu

At the top of the navigation menu is the “Show” filter which allows school users to display All, Templates Only, Scheduled Report Extracts, View Last Search Result, and Run Last Report.

Options in the drop down menu include the following:

1. All will display all menu selections.

2. Templates Only will display only templates (predefined and user-created) in alphabetical order in the navigation toolbar. All predefined templates are identified by the Predefined Template icon ( ).

3. Scheduled Report Extracts displays only those items that are scheduled for a data extraction and are identified by the schedule icon ( ). Scheduled reports run at 8:00 pm EST on the day and date selected.

4. View Last Result will display the last result the user viewed. This is valid only for a single browser session and will no longer be in cache when the user closes the browser window. For a new session this item will be grayed and inaccessible.

5. Run Last Report will run the last report selected by the user and bypass the query screens taking the user right to the results. This is valid only for a single browser session and will no longer be in cache when the user closes the browser window. For a new session this item will be grayed and inaccessible.

Required Documents and Parent Email Reports

The Required Documents and Parent Email reports are SSS defined templates that can be run by clicking on the name of the desired report.

These reports are not modifiable; however you may select the academic year for which you want to run the reports.

After the report is run and displayed on the screen, you can export or print it.

5

2

3 4

1

1

2

3

4

10


Recent Report Extracts

Recent Report Extracts is the next navigation menu selection under Show.

1. When the user clicks on the Recent Report Extracts menu, a listing of all previously scheduled report extracts will appear. The user will have the ability to view, export or delete the extract.

2. Clicking the report name will open the report.

3. Report extracts will appear in reverse chronological order (most recent first).

4. Clicking the Export button will export the extract in the file format selected when it was scheduled.

5. When the user clicks the Delete button, a prompt will appear asking the user to confirm the deletion.

Groups

1. Below the Parent Email report is an alphabetical listing of one or more groups that contain reports.

When the user clicks on a Group, the sub-menu will expand displaying the reports within that group. Work lists are arranged within groups on the navigation toolbar menu. Users with SchoolAdmin or SchoolUser security access can create and delete groups (See Report Admin).

Selecting a group chevron will expand it and display all work lists belonging to that group (depending on the Show filter).

Clicking the collapse chevron will fold up the group and hide the associated work lists.

2. In Comp*Assist Online, the following groups will appear by default: My Applicants and Award Management.

IMPORTANT! Schools will still have access to their previously created custom reports. Any predefined or user-created templates will appear under the “My Applicants.” User-created work lists will appear under the “My Applicants” or “Award Management” groups depending on where the work lists were assigned when they were created.

4 3

2 1

5

2

1

11


Predefined Templates 1. Standard reports created by SSS have been translated into templates that are read-only (i.e.,

they cannot be deleted or modified).

- A variety of predefined templates will appear in the My Applicants group. In Comp*Assist Online, standard templates include those pictured below. Predefined templates are designated with the Predefined Template icon ( ).

- These templates will appear at the top of the list in alphabetical order followed by any user-created reports, also listed alphabetically.

2. To run an existing report from the left navigation menu, click on the report name. The report will run and display on the screen.

1

2

12


Navigation Menu Icons Beside some reports in the left navigation menu, you will see one or more icons which are defined as follows:

1. Predefined Template Icon ( ) :

– Hovering over the predefined template icon next to a template will display the message “Read-only Template Using My Applicants Work List.”

– The My Applicants work list is the default assigned to any template for which you have not assigned a different work list.

– If you want to edit the template, click on the edit icon beside the template name and follow the instructions included under Create or Modify Templates.

2. Predefined Work List Icon ( ):

– Hovering over the predefined work list icon next to a template will display the message “Read-only Work List.”

– If you want to edit the work list, click on the edit icon beside the template name and follow the instructions included under Create or Modify Work Lists.

3. Edit Icon :

– For the predefined templates and work lists, hovering over the edit icon will display the message “Copy Read-only Template” or “Copy Read-only Work List.”

– For user-created reports, hovering over the edit icon will display the message “Edit.” – Clicking on the edit icon beside a predefined work list will open it in the Work List and

Report Builder tab. At this point, the user can make modifications and save the changes over the existing work list or save the changes as a new work list by changing the work list name by following the instructions included under Create or Modify Work Lists.

– Clicking on the edit icon beside a predefined work list will open it in the Work List and Report Builder tab. At this point, the user can make modifications and save the changes over the existing work list or save the changes as a new work list by changing the work list name by following the instructions included under Create or Modify Work Lists.

4. Schedule Icon :

– Any work list with a scheduled extraction will have the schedule icon displayed after its name. This allows users to view at a glance which work lists are scheduled extractions.

– If the user hovers over the icon, the work list's schedule will appear. – Scheduled reports run at 8:00 pm EST on the day and date selected.

3

1

2

4

13


Creating and Managing Reports

Report Function Tabs

Three Report function tabs allow you to create or modify a report template or work list or to perform any other administrative functions associated with the reporting interface.

The tabs include:

1. Template Builder

– Use this tab to work with existing templates or to create new ones. – Templates allow you to select the columns of data you want to have displayed in the

columns of your final report format.

2. Work List and Report Builder

– Use this tab to create or select the work list for which you want to create a report and/or to associate a report template with your desired work list.

– The work list will define the population of applicants or rows of data to be included in the report.

3. Report Admin

– Use this tab to create or delete groups you want to use to define and organize your reports or to schedule reports and extracts.

– Please note that only school personnel with SchoolAdmin or SchoolUser security designation may work within the Report Admin tab.

1 3 2

14


Template Builder 1. Click on the Template Builder tab to modify an existing template or to create a new one.

2. The Template Builder tab allows users to select fields and columns from various sections

associated with the application (case) data.

- To make the number of fields manageable, the fields are organized in sections that expand and collapse.

- By default, the sections are collapsed. Clicking on the section name will expand the section; clicking on the name again will collapse the section. More than one section can be expanded at a time.

- Also by default, all sections are combined or connected by the operator “AND” rather than “OR” (See “AND/OR” Operators). Therefore, if you choose Last Name and Total Salary and Wages to be included in your template, the report will display both Last Name “AND” Total Salary and Wages “AND” any other criteria you choose.

- The first section, “Most Frequently Used Fields,” contains a predefined set of fields that are the most often used for data output.

1

2

15


Create or Modify Templates

1. To create a new template, select Create New Template from the dropdown at the top of the Template Builder tab. If you prefer to edit an existing template, select the existing template from the dropdown menu. All templates – predefined and custom - will be displayed in the dropdown.

NOTE: Templates can also be opened by clicking on the edit icon . When an existing template is opened, the appropriate sections and criteria previously defined will be populated.

2. If you want to delete all previously made selections and start the template creation process from scratch, click Clear All Selections and you will receive a blank template.

3. Begin selecting the fields you want to have included (or edited) in your template by expanding the Most Frequently Used Fields by clicking on the chevron to the left of that section.

4. From the listing, check the box to the left of the fields you want to have displayed in your report.

3

1

4

2

16


5. Fields selected in the Most Frequently Used Fields section will also be selected in the subsequent detail section below as well. Although Template Builder shows the field as being selected twice, the field will only appear once in the output report.

In the example below Last Name is selected in the Most Frequently Used Fields (where it was originally checked) and also under the Student/Family Information Section.

6. Some financial fields – such as Total Salary and Wages - will require that you also select the source of the data you want to see by placing a check in the box in the appropriate column. There are up to four choices of source data for select fields (if no choice is offered, the data will be provided directly from the PFS.

- SSS Results: Reflects data from the PFS filled out by the family

- Revision: Reflects any discretionary revisions made by the school. In the event that a school administrator wants to make a change, he or she can then enter the revised amount in the "Revision" column. Editable fields can be modified while non-editable fields in this column are system generated calculations, based either on methodology calculations or the Professional Judgment parameters that have been set either globally or for an individual applicant.

- Verification 1: Reflects values of data captured from required documents.

- Verification 2: Reflects values of data captured from required documents.

7. If you want to select additional fields that are not present under Most Frequently Used

Fields, expand the subsequent sections and continue to make selections. For example, Home Market Value has been selected under Parent Assets below.

5

6

7

17


Optimum Number of Template Fields

IMPORTANT! - Although you may select up to 20 fields when creating your template, it is recommended that you select only the fields needed to provide a meaningful and understandable final result, typically between 5 and 10 fields.

You may create as many templates as you like, so it may be advisable to create several separate templates rather than trying to place all the data for a work list into a single template.

For example, you may want to have a contact template that displays Name Address, Phone and Email information for all applicants in a certain work list. You may then want to create a financial template which outlines financial data such as salary, income and certain assets for the same work list. Save or Delete Templates Save a Template After all selections and modifications have been made, you can save the template. 1. If you want to overwrite an existing template that you have modified, simply click the Save

button to overwrite the original template and save modifications under the same template name (the Template Name field is already populated).

IMPORTANT! - Predefined templates and custom templates that were created by the school user prior to the new reporting interface are read-only and may not be modified unless the modifications are saved under another name using Steps 2 and 3 below.

To save changes under a new template name (for a new or predefined template):

2. Enter a new name in the Template Name field (this field will be blank for new templates and will allow changes to the existing Template Name for existing templates).

- Template names have a maximum length of forty (40) characters. At least one character must be entered.

- Valid characters are alpha, numeric, hyphen and space. Attempting to save a Name with an invalid character will display an error message.

3. Click the Save As button. This will save modifications under the new template name and the original template will still exist under the original name.

3 2

1

18


4. After a template is saved, you will receive a confirmation message that the template was saved successfully.

5. If you have created or modified a template without saving and attempt to navigate away from the Template Builder screen, you will be prompted to determine whether or not to save changes to the template.

Delete a Template 1. From within the template tab, click the Delete Template button to delete a template.

2. You will be prompted to confirm deletion of the template.

3. Clicking Yes deletes the template, clicking Cancel stops the deletion.

IMPORTANT! - A deleted template cannot be undeleted. The user must recreate the template.

5

4

3

2

1

19


Batch Edit Feature (Edit Column)

The Batch Edit feature allows you to edit criteria within multiple applications/folders from one screen on the results list (report) that is generated using the template you create. To edit a field in the results list, you must choose to edit the field during the template creation process as follows:

1. Select one or more fields and any other pertinent criteria, in this case, Last Name and State.

2. To be able to batch edit a particular field in the results list, select the checkbox under the Edit column (which is available for both of the selections).

3. The checkbox in the Edit column will not be available for any field that is read-only as in the case of Academic Year.

NOTE: You may select up to twenty fields for editing in a single template.

4. After the results list is created (See View Results List), you can modify the edit fields that were selected as modifiable during the template creation process, namely Last Name and State.

3

2 1

4

20


View Work Lists that use a specific Template 1. In Template Builder click on the “View Work Lists that use this Template” button to see which

work lists are currently assigned to use this template.

Note: If the template is not used by any work lists, this button will be hidden.

2. An alphabetical listing of all work lists using the selected template will be displayed.

1

2

21


Work List and Report Builder Create or Modify Work Lists

Creating a custom work list is accomplished similarly to the process used in the past.

1. The Work List and Report Builder tab allows you to specify the tables, columns, and filter criteria for a query that can be selected to retrieve data, and then combine the work list with a template to create a custom report.

2. You have the option to create a new work list or edit an existing work list.

- Selecting Create New Work List will clear out all of the fields and criteria along with duplicate fields and sections allowing you to create a new work list. (This functions similarly to the Dashboard function of Create Custom Work Lists Now in Comp*Assist Online).

- Selecting an existing work list from the dropdown will populate the appropriate sections with the previously defined fields, filter criteria, work list description, template, group, and dashboard assignments and export criteria.

- Save Note: If you have been creating a new work list or making modifications to an existing work list, attempting to change to a different work list or create a new work list will prompt you to save or discard your changes (See Save a Work List).

1

2

22


Work List Filters 1. The work list criteria are divided into sections.

2. Within each section are criteria filters you can set to narrow search results depending on whether the field selected is alpha or numeric data. If a filter is defined, those criteria will be applied to the work list search and only display rows that match the filter criteria.

For each filter you will make four selections. The example below demonstrates selection criteria of applicants with Total Salary and Wages Greater Than or Equal to $30,000.

3. Category – designates the Comp*Assist Online grouping in which certain fields are displayed, e.g., Student/Family Information

4. Field – identifies the specific criteria on which you want to filter, e.g., Country

5. Operator – allows you to define whether you want to look for a specific value (equal to) or a range of values, e.g., less than or equal to, greater than, no equal to, etc.

6. Value – allows you to specify a value or place limits on the value of the criteria you want to see displayed

7. To aid in building a complex work list, you can add additional fields and criteria to any section by clicking the Add Field button. This opens up a new field grouping within a section duplicating the same layout for selecting fields and filter criteria.

How many fields should a work list contain?

It is up to each school user to decide the extent of the data he/she wants to display in a single work list.

However, when creating a work list or template, it is advisable that schools limit their choices of fields for two reasons:

– An overly complex report does not always provide the most meaningful data

– A large report run on a large number of applications can cause the report to run very slowly.

3 4

5

2

1

6

7

23


“AND/OR” Operators between Sections and Fields

1. Sections are always combined using an “AND” operator.

2. Between the field groupings are the operators AND and OR. The operators will return very different results.

– OR example: In the example below, an OR operator would return a list of applicants who are applying for Grade 6 or above OR had Total Salary and Wages of at least $30,000. Thus, any applicant for Grade 8 with Total Salary and Wages of $50,000 would be EXCLUDED.

– AND example: In the example below, the AND operator would return a list of all applicants applying for Grade 6 or above and Total Salary and Wages of at least $30,000. Thus, any applicant for Grade 8 with Total Salary and Wages of $50,000 would be INCLUDED.

– If you continue to add field groupings, whatever is selected for the AND/OR option initially will become the default state for every additional field grouping added within that section. In other words, only the first AND/OR operators will be modifiable; you may change the AND/OR checkbox between the first and second field grouping which will ripple the operator change for subsequent groupings within that section.

3

2

1

24


Deleting a Section or Field

1. You can remove any field grouping by clicking on the red X ( ) under the Remove column header.

2. At least one field grouping must remain within a section. In the example below, both field groupings have the Remove icon. You can remove either field grouping. However, as soon as one of the field groupings is deleted, the Remove icon will not be displayed for the lone field grouping.

3. You can remove any section by clicking on the red X ( ) under the Remove This Section text on the first line of the section. However, at least one section must remain (this is the same rule used with fields).

Adding a New Section

4. As with fields, you may customize work lists by creating an additional section by clicking the Add Another Case Section button. This opens up a new section tied to the previous section via the AND and OR operators.

If you continue to add sections, whatever is selected for the AND/OR option initially will become the default state for every additional section added, the same as with fields.

Note: The field grouping and section AND/OR operators are independent and not restrictive of each other. For example, if three field groupings are tied together with the OR operator, when a new section is added, the AND operator could be used for the additional section and multiple field groupings.

3

2

1

4

25


Save or Delete a Work List Save a Work List 1. To save a new work list, at the bottom of the Work List and Report Builder screen, enter the

name of the work list in the Work List Name field.

Work list names have a maximum length of forty (40) characters. Valid characters are alpha, numeric, hyphen and space. At least one character must be entered. You will be prompted if you enter an invalid character.

2. Enter a description for the work list (optional but recommended).

3. You can assign a template for formatting the output of the search query. Using the template dropdown, select the template to assign.

4. Select the group under which the work list will belong (optional). You may also reassign a work list to a different group in this manner.

5. If you want the work list to appear on the Comp*Assist Online Dashboard, select the Dashboard Menu and the appropriate dashboard location. If nothing is selected, the work list will not appear on the Online Dashboard (optional).

6. Click the Save button. To overwrite an existing work list, the work list name is already displayed in the Name field. You simply click the Save button to overwrite it.

Note: An item must be selected from either the Group or Dashboard menu when saving a work list and you will be prompted to select from one or both of the dropdowns.

7. If you have created or modified a work list and click on any button or menu that will take you

off the page, you will be prompted to decide whether or not to save the work list and its modifications.

5 4 3

2 1

6

7

26


Delete a Work List 1. From within the Work List and Report Builder tab, click the Delete Work List button to delete

the work list. You will then receive a prompt to confirm the deletion (this prompt will also indicate whether the work list is scheduled to run at certain times).

IMPORTANT: A deleted work list cannot be undeleted. You must recreate the work list. 2. You can view templates assigned to this work list by clicking the button at the top of Work List

and Report Builder.

3. An alphabetical listing of all templates assigned to the work list will be displayed.

1 2

3

27


Other Work List Features After a work list has been created or modified and saved (See Save a Work List), there are several features available.

1. “Get Count” Button

• There are times when you may have built a work list or report and want either to test it or

simply know what the count will be of the returned results (i.e., how many Applicants have applied to-date).

• The Get Count button allows you to determine how many records will be in the work list based on the criteria selected.

• After selecting or creating a work list, click on the Get Count Button.

• The results count is displayed in a pop up window.

2. “Preview Sample” Feature

• The Preview Sample option allows you to preview a read-only version of the results list in a pop-up window. This allows you to make any necessary adjustments before finalizing the report.

1 2 3

28


3. “Run Now” Feature

• To run the work list, click the Run Now button. If the work list has not been saved, you will be prompted to do so before it can be run. If the work list has been saved, the results list will be displayed (See View Results List).

View Results List

After running a work list, a page is displayed containing the results. Options on this page allow you to:

1. Edit and save multiple rows of data simultaneously if you checked the Edit box by the field when creating your report template. In the example below, Last Name and State fields are editable fields (See Batch Edit Feature).

2. Sort or filter data by clicking on the column header by which you want to sort. Please note:

- Filtering is not cumulative. Instead, the report will show the last filter requested.

- For example, if you filter by Grade, then filter by State, only the State filter will display since it was the last one used and it will “cancel out” the Grade filter.

- Filtering and column sorting are also mutually exclusive and only the last request (filter or sort) will be displayed. If you filter after you sort, the filter will cancel out the sorting.

- To execute more complex sorting and filtering, you can export the report to Excel or a similar program.

3. Select a new work list to view.

3 2

1

29


Export Results 1. You can choose to export a report by clicking the Export box at the bottom of the Work List and

Report Builder tab.

2. Select the Export File Type from the drop down and click the Run Now button.

3. A pop up box will appear asking you to confirm the request to run the report.

4. Click OK to continue with the data extraction.

5. You will receive confirmation that that the report extract is being created. This process will

place a copy of the report in the Recently Run Extracts tab.

6. Click on Recent Report Extracts.

7. The report will appear in the list where you can click export to send the data file (results list) to your desktop.

7

1

2

6

5

4

3

30


8. A dialog box will appear, giving you choices for opening or saving the file.

9. You will be prompted to specify a location and filename to store the saved file. Note: By default

the template name is used as the basis for the filename and can be modified during the save operation. The Save As screen will appear differently depending on your operating system.

10. You can save the exported data as an Excel CSV-formatted file or a delimited quoted file (i.e., each column is surrounded by quotes and separated by a tab, comma or pipe (|)).

11. If you choose to open the file, the exported data will be displayed in a Microsoft Excel format.

9

8

10

11

31


Report Admin The Report Admin tab allows schools to manage and organize reports.

Two primary tasks are conducted from this location:

1. Schedule reports and data extracts to run automatically on a periodic basis.

2. Create and manage groups of reports within the reporting interface (See Manage Groups).

In Comp*Assist Online, school personnel with SchoolAdmin or SchoolUser permissions may work within the Report Admin tab. SchoolViewOnly users will NOT have access to the Report Admin tab.

1

2

32


Report Scheduling

Schedule a Report

Work lists can be scheduled for data extraction on a periodic or regular schedule. This process works just as it has in the past with the addition that scheduled work lists will display the clock icon

next to their names in the left navigation menu.

1. Select the desired work list from the drop down list. In order to schedule a work list, it must be saved first.

2. Select the template to be used for output format. The default template when none is selected is All My Applicants.

3. Choose your preferred output format: Excel, formatted .CSV, Tab delimited, Comma delimited or Pipe delimited.

4. Select the scheduled Start and End dates for the report to run.

5. Choose the frequency of report recurrence from One Time Only, Daily or Weekly.

6. Check the boxes to schedule the desired days of the week for reporting. Scheduled reports run at 8:00 pm EST on the day and date selected.

7. To get a report extraction immediately, click the Run Now button.

8. To confirm the selected schedule, click Save.

9. Clicking the View All Scheduled Reports button allows you to view all of the currently scheduled reports.

9 8 7

6 5

4

3 2

1

33


View Scheduled Reports

From this view, you can:

1. View the day of the week the report is scheduled to run. Scheduled reports run at 8:00 pm EST on the day and date selected.

2. View the time and date the report was created displayed in reverse chronological order (most recent report first). This will help administrators determine if there is any duplication in scheduled reports.

3. Delete any scheduled reports that are duplications or are no longer needed. After a report is deleted, it cannot be “undeleted” and would have to be recreated to be used again.

Column Headers in Scheduled Reports

The column headers in a scheduled work list extraction are different from the column headers in a report that is run by clicking on the report in the left navigation menu. The column headers reflect either the Display Value that matches the column headers in Template Builder or the Internal Value which simply identifies the column of the data source.

Whichever column header is shown, the actual value of the data reported is the same.

Display Value: SSS Result Revision Verification 1 Verification 2

Internal Value: Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4

1. For example, select “Verification 1” as the data source for Salary/Wages –Parent A in the

Template Builder.

2. If a work list associated with that template is run by clicking the work list name the left navigation menu, the resulting column header will show the Display Value. However, if the same work list is run as a scheduled extraction, the column header will indicate the Internal Value of “Column 3” instead of the Display Value of “Verification 1” (not pictured).

1 2 3

2

1

34


Manage Groups Create a Group

Groups are used to make organizing and using work lists easier.

The reporting interface has two default groups that are familiar to SSS school users – My Applicants and Award Management.

Schools can create additional groups at their discretion.

1. To modify a group name or description, select the existing group from the dropdown.

2. Make desired modifications.

3. Click the Save button. Group names have a maximum length of twenty-five (25) characters. Valid characters are alpha, numeric, hyphen and space. At least one character must be entered

4. When a group is no longer needed, it can be deleted and removed from the left navigation bar by school users with SchoolAdmin or SchoolUser security permission by simply clicking the Delete Group button when the appropriate list is selected.

NOTE: Default groups cannot be modified or deleted. After a group is deleted, it will be removed from the navigation toolbar on the left and cannot be undeleted. All associated work lists will not be deleted, but will not appear in the navigation toolbar until assigned to another group.

5. Before deleting a group, you may want to know which work lists are currently assigned to it by clicking the View Work Lists Assigned button.

6. A popup window will appear displaying all work lists currently assigned to that group.

3

2

1

4

6

5

35

Glossary of Terms

Glossary of Terms

36

Glossary of Terms

And/Or Operator Operator refers to the Boolean programming functions “AND” and “OR” which exist between work list fields and sections and either combine the selected fields and sections in the case of the “AND” operator or make the fields and sections exclusive of one another in the case of the “OR” operator. Applicant The student or prospective student who is applying for financial aid Award Management The Award Management area of the application is designed to enable you to view and manage an interactive roster of all of your applicants across grade levels, along with their proposed and actual award amounts, as well as the status of their award decisions. The Award Management area is one of the primary categories within Comp*Assist Online, and is therefore represented by one of the tabs within the primary navigation menu. Award Management Work List A work list that is accessible within the Award Management area and contains a specific list of student-applicants. Award Management lists are displayed in a table that contains ten columns, with each column providing specific information about the applicant and the status of the application. Budget Group A Budget Group is a set of applicants, linked by grade level, for which you have established a linkage based on award spending. Budget Groups help you set and track how much aid is available for a specific grade (or other linking characteristic.) Button A clickable element within the site that, when clicked, will take you to a new page representing one of the site's main areas, such as the Add Applicant page. Current Work List The list that is actively being displayed on either the My Applicants screen or the Award Management screen at any given time is referred to as the current work list. Case Case refers to an applicant record, also referred to as a folder in Comp*Assist Online. The case is tied to the applicant although it is possible to have more than one Parent Financial Statement (PFS) associated with a single case, such as in the instance of separated or divorced parents living in two separate households. Custom Work Lists Custom work lists are lists of applicants that you create to display a subset of your applicant records, based on specific parameters that you define.

37

Glossary of Terms

Dashboard The dashboard is your personalized page view within Comp*Assist Online, wherein you can maintain customizable access to your groups of applicants, applicants' status, your custom work lists, and more. Your Dashboard can be accessed from any page within the system by clicking the “Dashboard” link within the Personalized Header. Default Work List The default work list is the list of applicants that will display on your Home Page when you first log in to Comp*Assist Online. Unless it has been configured otherwise by your school’s SSS Contact, your default work list is “All My Applicants,” which will display all of your student applicants. Discretionary Income Discretionary income refers to any income an applicant’s family possesses for which it can make choices about how that income will be spent. EFC The estimated family contribution equals the sum of the per-student parental contribution and the student asset contribution. Export Export refers to the process of saving a specific report you have generated to your local machine or disc, where it can then be opened in another software application of your choice. Extract Extract, also referred to as data extract or results list, refers to the data file or report that is generated based on an interrogation of the Comp*Assist Online database through the reporting interface. Field A set of one or more characters comprising a unit of information; a predetermined section of a record. In Comp*Assist Online field refers to a specific unit of data within the Comp*Assist Online database that may be selected as a criterion for building a work list or template; also refers to the location within the Comp*Assist Online platform in which the data resides. Group Group refers to a designation that may be assigned to one or more reports within the Comp*Assist Online interface to create a subset of reports set aside for a specific reason. Groups may be predefined within Comp*Assist Online or may be created by school users with SchoolAdmin or SchoolUser security designation. Helpline A toll-free number that users can call to obtain technical assistance regarding their Comp*Assist Online account: 800-344-8328. When calling from outside the US and Canada, please dial 952-967-9922.

38

Glossary of Terms

Left Navigation Menu The Left Navigation Menu refers to the list of clickable choices, or navigation options, that appears on the left side of many pages throughout the application. For example, throughout the Applicant Folder area of the site, a navigation menu appears on the left, providing you with links to specific sections within the applicant folder. Main Header The area of the page located near the top of the screen, containing the Logo, Primary Navigation Bar and Support Menu. After the user has successfully logged in, the Main Header appears in the same location on every page throughout Comp*Assist Online. Main Menu The Main Menu, sometimes referred to as the Primary Navigation Menu, is the set of navigation tabs appearing in the upper portion of each page. It includes the tabs for My Applicants, Award Management, Reports, and Setup. My Applicants My Applicants is one of the tabs within Primary Navigation Menu from which the information pertaining to individual applicants—the Applicant Folders—can be accessed. Name Name refers to name of the individual user, as it appears within the user's Comp*Assist Online account. Operator Operator refers to the Boolean programming functions “AND” and “OR” which exist between work list fields and sections and either combine the selected fields and sections in the case of the “AND” operator or make the fields and sections exclusive of one another in the case of the “OR” operator. Password An alphanumeric set of characters that is unique to each user, and is used as a security measure during the log in process to authenticate the user's identity. Primary Navigation Menu The Primary Navigation Menu, sometimes referred to as the Main Menu, is the set of navigation tabs appearing in the upper portion of each page. It includes the tabs for My Applicants, Award Management, Reports, and Setup. Query A query is a specific request for information from the Comp*Assist Online database.

39

Glossary of Terms

Report Report refers to a set of data generated in response to a specific query you have made within the system. A report displays the results of this query and is designed to aid you in your own evaluation of students’ applications as well as your need to share that information with others in the school community. "Reports" is also the title of one of the site’s primary navigation tabs, and is therefore the title of one of the tabs within the primary navigation menu. Report Admin Report Admin refers to the section of Comp*Assist Online in which school users with SchoolAdmin or SchoolUser security permission may (1) create and assign groups and (2) schedule or manage the scheduling of reports to run at specific intervals. Results List Synonymous with extract and data extract, results list refers to the data file or report that is generated based on an interrogation of the Comp*Assist Online database through the reporting interface. Search Box An alphanumeric form field within the Applicant Search tool, within which the user can enter the last name of the applicant whose folder they want to locate. Search Button A clickable element immediately adjacent to the Search Box, which serves to initiate the Applicant Search. In this capacity, the Search Button serves the same function as the Enter/Return key, as both will execute the search command. SSS School Code This ID number identifies your school within the SSS By NAIS database and is generally the same as your iMIS ID Code, which is typically a 4 to 6 digit number. Support Menu Support Menu refers to the array of buttons and text links that appear on the right side of the Main Header, designed to provide assistance, explanations, and navigation aid to users as needed throughout their Comp*Assist Online session. Examples of buttons and text links included within the Support Menu include Applicant Search (with accompanying Search Box), Advanced Search, Add Applicant and Help. Tab Any one of the clickable elements within the Comp*Assist Online. Relative to the reporting interface, three main tabs correspond with the primary functions of the Reports tab, including Template Builder, Work List and Reports Builder and Report Admin.

40

Glossary of Terms

Technical Support Professional assistance and/or guidance provided to the user upon request. Such assistance is limited to matters pertaining to account access and the proper use of Comp*Assist Online. To obtain technical support by phone, dial 800-344-8328. When calling from outside the US and Canada, please dial 952-967-9922. Email correspondence can be directed to sss.nais.org. Template Template refers to the composition of a data file predicated on selected criteria residing in the Comp*Assist Online database that will ultimately be housed in the final data extract or results list. User Name The identification that was assigned to you by SSS, to be used in combination with your assigned password during the log in process. Work List Work lists are user-defined filters that are designed to create and display either all applicant records or subsets of applicant records within Comp*Assist Online.

comp*assist online reporting interface user's guide

Documents

new reporting interface

new comp

online users guide

reporting functionality

reports area of comp

online functions

subscriber schools comp

custom reports