In a previous Colleague Implementation News issue we mentioned "data conversion." This is the process of using a set of programs to extract the various data from our old computer system and another set of programs to import that data into Colleague. This is being done both for the Student System implementation as well as the Human Resources Implementation.   Before these conversions can be written, a process called "mapping" occurs where we outline how data from our existing information systems will be "mapped" and converted into Colleague.

• This conversion mapping is a consulting session that is guided by a Datatel consultant in which, for each of the appropriate modules, we review the fields in Colleague that are available for data, and which data from CTC's existing information system should be put into them.
• The primary concern of the mapping is to decide which cases make sense to write programs to extract the data from our existing system to "programmatically" convert into Colleague.
• Not all data makes sense to convert. Some of it is so limited in scope (for example the list of departments across campus) that it makes more sense to just enter the data by hand.
• Another instance where we would not programmatically convert data is where the old data is so out of date that it makes sense to start fresh. An example of this is our list of vendors.
• However, even when we rule out all of the data to not programmatically convert, there will still be a LOT of data to convert. Examples of this are demographic information for students and staff, student transcript histories, student academic programs, institutions students have transferred to and from, accounting balances forward, payroll totals brought forward, etc.

What happens when we've converted all of this data?   What will become of our existing information system?   We'll talk about that in the next issue of Colleague Implementation News

Find out more about the CTC Colleague Implementation