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News content type for use by UW-IT Services on IT Connect

Knowledge Navigator: Summer Quarter 2022 Metadata Update

UW Metadata Manager, Keith A. Van Eaton, from Information Management’s Enterprise Reporting & Analytics team, has added or updated metadata objects in Knowledge Navigator.

In their ongoing partnership, the UW’s data domain stewards, subject matter experts, and metadata manager ensure metadata objects are vetted and approved so that UW data users have a common understanding around UW data.

New terms added

New structured objects or reports added

UW Metadata Objects 

The Tableau visualization below shows, over time, all objects brought into Knowledge Navigator. Hover over any graphic element to get more info. https://bitools.uw.edu/t/Transitional/views/UWMetadataObjects/UWMetadataObjects?:showAppBanner=false&:display_count=n&:showVizHome=n&:origin=viz_share_link

UW Metadata Objects Visualization

UW Metadata Engagement

The Tableau visualization below shows, over time, the Subject Matter Expert who drafted a business definition and the Data Steward who approved the definition for any given data. Hover over any graphic element to get more information. https://bitools.uw.edu/t/Transitional/views/UWMetadataEngagement/UWMetadataEngagement?:showAppBanner=false&:display_count=n&:showVizHome=n&:origin=viz_share_link

UW Metadata Engagement Visualization

To access these links from an off-site location, please do one of the following:

  • Remote into your work computer.
  • Use the F5/Big VPN (not UW MWS VPN) with your personal computer.

Knowledge Navigator is the UW’s metadata repository which contains information about the following collections and object types:

  • Glossaries of business terms
  • Database tables and columns
  • Web Service resources and fields
  • Cube dimensions and measures
  • Enterprise reports and dashboards

Terms and objects are updated regularly. To learn more about Knowledge Navigator, where terms come from, and how they get included in Knowledge Navigator, visit the information page at https://it.uw.edu/work/data/understand-data/data-definitions/.

If you’d like a demo of Knowledge navigator for your department, or if you have questions, please contact help@uw.edu with “Knowledge Navigator” in the subject line.

UWSDBDataStore Reorgs on October 22, 2022 and December 21, 2022

UWSDBDataStore Reorgs on October 22, 2022  & December 21, 2022

The student database (SDB) will go through a reorganization on October 22, 2022 which will cause changes in the Enterprise Data Warehouse database, UWSDBDataStore. These changes to the objects will be available in the UWSDBDataStore on October 24, 2022.
However, data on the new objects will be available as soon as the Data Custodians submit the security role definitions and the SIS team loads the data.

Please Note: The following column renames will be occurring in the SDB screens as of 10.22.22. The renames will be perpetuated to UWSDBDataStore and EDWPresentation December 21st 2022. There will be a mismatch in column names between UWSDBDataStore and SDB in the interim, but the data will be the same.

Last Updated – 12.20.2022

Column Renames – 12.21.22

Renames detailed below will occur end of day 12.21.2022. The data will be available Thursday 12.22.22, this data is typically available by 4am.

UWSDBDataStore Renames –

Table Existing Column Name New Column Name
time_schedule natural_world natural_science
qsr rsn
indiv_society social_science
vis_lit_perf_arts arts_hum
sr_transfer_crs tfr_nw tfr_nsc
tfr_vlpa tfr_ah
tfr_is tfr_ssc
tfr_qsr tfr_rsn
sr_course_titles natural_world natural_science
qsr rsn
indiv_society social_science
vis_lit_perf_arts arts_hum

 

EDWPresentation Renames:

Table Existing Column Name New Column Name
dimSectionAttributes RqmtIndivSocInd RqmtSocialScienceInd
RqmtIndivSocIndDesc RqmtSocialScienceIndDesc
RqmtNaturalWorldInd RqmtNaturalScienceInd
RqmtNaturalWorldIndDesc RqmtNaturalScienceIndDesc
RqmtQuantSymInd RqmtReasoningInd
RqmtQuantSymIndDesc RqmtReasoningIndDesc
RqmtVisLitPerfArtInd RqmtArtHumanitiesInd
RqmtVisLitPerfArtIndDesc RqmtArtHumanitiesIndDesc
dmSCH_dimCourseContentIndicators RqmtIndivSocInd RqmtSocialScienceInd
RqmtIndivSocIndDesc RqmtSocialScienceIndDesc
RqmtNaturalWorldInd RqmtNaturalScienceInd
RqmtNaturalWorldIndDesc RqmtNaturalScienceIndDesc
RqmtQuantSymInd RqmtReasoningInd
RqmtQuantSymIndDesc RqmtReasoningIndDesc
RqmtVisLitPerfArtInd RqmtArtHumanitiesInd
RqmtVisLitPerfArtIndDesc RqmtArtHumanitiesIndDesc
dmSCHLink_dimCourseContentIndicators RqmtIndivSocInd RqmtSocialScienceInd
RqmtNaturalWorldInd RqmtNaturalScienceInd
RqmtQuantSymInd RqmtReasoningInd
RqmtVisLitPerfArtInd RqmtArtHumanitiesInd

 

 

Columns to be Added – Completed 10.22.2022

Table Column DataType
sa_wd_det_trans wd_det_interco char(10)
wd_det_aid_type char(1)
sa_wd_sum_tran wd_sum_interco char(10)
sf_tuition t_pt_13cred integer
t_pt_spare1 integer
t_pt_spare2 integer
t_pt_spare3 integer
t_pt_spare4 char(3)
student_2 imm_consent char(1)
imm_con_dt datetime
imm_id char(12)
rn_ins_conf char(1)
rn_ins_conf_dt datetime

 

 

EWS EVAL Release 13 is Now Available

Enterprise Web Services (EWS) has just released an update in EVAL for multiple web services in support of UW Finance Transformation (UWFT). For an overview of how EWS is adapting to support UWFT, refer to EWS for Finance Transformation.

Monthly Scheduled Releases

Updates to EVAL for all EWS services are released on the same monthly schedule. This allows us to better synchronize with Enterprise Data Platform’s release schedule for Finance Transformation. For more information, refer to the Data Availability Timeline.

What’s New in EWS Release 13

Web Service
Overview of Release
FWS v2 (Outbound) This is a large release with MANY changes, including SEVERAL breaking changes!

  • Introduced Breaking Changes to the /ExpenseItem, /PurchaseItem, /GiftHierarchy, /FundHierarchy, /ProgramHierarchy, /GrantHierarchy, /CustomerInvoice, /CatalogItem, /LedgerAccount, /Gift, and /Supplier resources.
  • Introduced Breaking Changes to many XML and JSON paths for FWS v2 resources.
  • Introduced Breaking Changes to how the /Plan resource returns data.
  • Added and removed entities on the FWS v2 Generic Search resource.
  • Added the Appropriation entity to the /RelatedWorktags?Type={Entity} resource.
  • Added data to the /Grant resource.
  • Fixed bugs related to organization-based HREF links and the /Reference and /Manufacturer resources.

For more information, refer to FWS Reference Data (Outbound) – Release 13. For support, refer to Support | FWS.

New Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) available! As mentioned above, this release includes changes to how the /Plan resource returns data. For more information, refer the following questions on the FAQ | FWS page:

  • Why does the query parameter search only return a summary of the data for certain resources?
  • Why does GetByID only return JSON for certain resources?
FWS v2 (Inbound) There were no customer-facing changes for FWS v2 (Inbound) introduced in this release.
HRPWS v3
  • Introduced Breaking Changes to the /AcademicAppointmentTrack, /CompensationPlan, /JobProfile, /Person, /Position, /SupervisoryOrganization, and /WorkerCompensationPlanAssignment resources.
  • Added data to the /Position and /Person resources.
  • Added and updated search parameters for multiple resources.
  • Added the /SupervisoryOrganization/{refID|WID}/Person resource.
  • Updated the /SupervisoryOrganization/{RefID|WID}/tree resource.
  • Added a new field to the /WorkerPeriodAcitivityPayAssignment resource.
  • Updated security for certain fields in the /SupervisoryOrganization, /Person, and /Position resources.
  • Fixed bugs related to organization-based HREF links and some /Person search parameters.

For more information, refer to HRPWS v3 – Release 13. For support, refer to Support | HRPWS.

Reminder for HRPWS v2 users: HRPWS v2 is scheduled to retire at the end of 2022. For more information, refer to our newly published guide for Transitioning from HRPWS v2 to v3.

Fall 2022 Content Manager Update

Hello IT Connect Content Managers,

This is the Summer 2022 edition of the quarterly IT Connect Content Manager Update.

In This Issue 

  • IT Connect Launch
  • Web content best practices: consistency is key
  • Review content, submit any bugs you find
  • Page meta reviewed date is now updated date 

WHAT’S NEW?

IT Connect Launch

On Wednesday, August 24th, the new IT Connect went live! The site has a completely reworked information architecture based on how customers use the site, a new design with emphasis on search, and a simplified and mobile-friendly design. These changes were based on extensive user studies with UW students, faculty and staff over the last year. 

In addition, IT Connect subsumed UW-IT’s organizational site — that content is now under “IT at UW,” which is where you’ll find our ongoing news, stories and announcements. A single site also ensures people no longer experience a detour to the organizational site when they need content about tools and services.

Web content best practices: consistency is key

Content on IT Connect is managed by teams throughout UW-IT, but we can help all of our users parse the content on the site by using consistent formatting wherever possible. To that end, use the new features listed below for card sets, icon box grids, and audience tags, whenever it makes sense. Also follow the style guidelines and standing formatting options from the IT Connect guidelines for style and formatting.

Icon box grid for decision points

Icon boxes are an engaging and prominent way for you to link to different pages, topics or websites with a title and brief description of what is being linked. The boxes are formatted to produce a grid of choices to users that can easily be scanned, and a concise description allows you to give users a better idea of what to expect when clicking on the link.

Icon boxes include an icon from the IT Connect icon set, a concise headline, and an optional short description. Icon boxes create a grid of boxes on a page, similar to a category page. Icon boxes can easily be added to a page using a set of fields on the back end of an IT Connect page. Read more about icon box grids.

Card sets

Cards provide a way to add flare to your pages, using in image, headline, and short description to link to content in a way that engages users with a visually interesting and scannable set of cards. Cards can easily be added to a page using a set of fields on the back end of an IT Connect page. An example of a good use of cards is on the IT Connect homepage, where cards are used to feature content on IT Connect. Cards work best in sets of 2 or 3, and require an image, headline, description and link, and can optionally include a call to action button. Read more about card sets.

Audience tags

User research conducted about IT Connect documentation found that visitors to the site want to know who the page is intended for, so that they can more quickly determine if the page contains the information they are looking for. Because pages on IT Connect can be intended for specific audiences, identifying who the audience is can help clarify the level of detail required. Audience tags can be added to pages using checkboxes on the edit screen of a page, and those tags will appear at the top of the page in a meta information section. Read more about audience tagging.

Review content, submit any bugs you find

Please take some time to review your content on the new site. The project team has reviewed the content of the site, but content owners are more familiar with their own content. Let the project team know if you find anything awry with the site or your content. Submit any bugs you find to help@uw.edu with “IT Connect” in the subject line.

Updated date on page

Each page on IT Connect has a meta information section at the top, directly underneath the header. Previously, that section displayed the date that a page was last reviewed based on the reviewed date field on the edit screen for the page. This has been changed to reflect the date a page was last updated. Please continue to use the reviewed date field to track when the content as a whole was last looked over, but consider it an internal field now.

DOCUMENTATION, TRAINING & CONSULTATIONS

Do you need some help creating IT Connect content, another head to brainstorm content organization and layout, or want to learn how to use the features available in IT Connect? There are several ways to get help:

    • Content Manager Documentation: Extensive documentation ranging from the basics of WordPress to advanced features for pages is available on the IT Connect Content Manager Documentation.
    • Guide to writing documentation: Use the Getting started with documentation  guide to help you start writing documentation. The guide breaks down a process you can use to help you get information to your end users in documentation.
    • Training: One-on-one training for managing content on IT Connect is available from the IT Connect product manager, Nick Rohde, over Zoom or in person (once normal operations continue after the coronavirus pandemic). Get tips on correctly formatting content using the tools in IT Connect or learn how to organize your content. To arrange training, send an email to help@uw.edu with IT Connect Training in the subject line.
  • Consultation: Consultation sessions for individuals or teams are available from the IT Connect product manager, Nick Rohde. Send an email to help@uw.edu with IT Connect Consultation in the subject line to schedule a consultation.

 

Support Available for HRPWS v2 to v3 Transition

We’re making some big changes to how Human Resource/Payroll (HRP) data is modeled in HRPWS. Current users must take action before HRPWS v2 retires—scheduled for the end of 2022.

The purpose of these changes is to better reflect the Workday data structure and create better parity between HRPWS and the EDW. This allows us to more quickly adapt to future changes in Workday and provides more clarity and consistency for users who leverage this data.

At a high level, these changes include the following:

  • New Resources – Data that was under a single resource is now spread across several new resources that better represent the data.
  • Deprecated Objects – Some key objects that were originally created to model legacy HR concepts have been removed. These objects were not compatible with the Workday model.

Watch this short video to learn more about what’s new in HRPWS v3.

Transition Support is Available!

Documentation is available to support this transition work. Refer to the following pages to get started:

  • Transitioning from HRPWS v2 to v3 – This resource guides users through the transition from v2 to v3, which includes:
    • Updating field mapping
    • Addressing deprecated fields
    • Considering the context of compensation and organization assignment data
    • Reevaluating HRPWS data usage, when necessary, to account for deprecations and context changes.
  • HRPWS for Finance Transformation – This page provides information on the different environments available, including the recommended environment for transitioning users.

We want to hear your questions, comments, and solutions! Please engage with us via the following channels:

  • HRPWS Customer Portal – We’re always looking to improve our documentation. Please use the page comment feature to provide feedback on any page within this space.
  • Support | HRPWS – Refer to this page for guidance on who to contact for various support scenarios.

EWS EVAL Release 12 is now available

Enterprise Web Services (EWS) has just released an update in EVAL for multiple web services in support of UW Finance Transformation (UWFT). For an overview of how EWS is adapting to support UWFT, refer to EWS for Finance Transformation.

Monthly Scheduled Releases

Updates to EVAL for all EWS services are released on the same monthly schedule. This allows us to better synchronize with Enterprise Data Platform’s release schedule for Finance Transformation. For more information, refer to the Data Availability Timeline.

What’s New in EWS Release 12

Web Service
Overview of Release
FWS v2 (Outbound) This is a very large release with MANY changes, including SEVERAL breaking changes!

  • Breaking Changes were made to the Contact Data collection under several resources.
  • Breaking Changes were introduced to the /Supplier, /Gift, /LedgerAccount, /Award, and /BillingSchedule resources
  • New Resources /Manufacturer and /Appropriation were added.
  • New hierarchy support was added for /Location and /Appropriation resources.
  • Data was added or updated to /Location, /LedgerAccountSummary, /SupplierContract, /LedgerAccountSummary, /Award, /Plan, /RelatedWorktags, /Reference, /Journal, and /PayrollJournal resources.

For more information, refer to FWS Reference Data (Outbound) – Release 12. For support, refer to Support | FWS.
FWS v2 (Inbound)
  • Instructions on how to verify transactions in FWS Inbound and Workday are now published on the FWS Common Transactions (Inbound) | FWS support page
  • System Contacts now include one and only one Technical System Owner, one and only one Business Owner and zero to many System Contacts.
  • The DocumentId is now included in Context when Platform Validation errors, such as CSV parsing, occur.
  • Required Worktag Type validation has been added to the Validate Worktags resource.

For more information, refer to FWS Common Transactions (Inbound) – Release 12. For support, refer to Support | FWS.
HRPWS v3
  • New security role ‘Legal Name Reader’ was created to grant access to legal name fields. For more information, refer to /Worker (v2) to /Person (v3) Mapping.
  • Search parameters were updated for /Person and AcademicAppointment resources.
  • Data was added or updated to /WorkerPayrollCostingAllocation resource.

For more information, refer to HRPWS v3 – Release 12. For support, refer to Support | HRPWS.

Reminder for HRPWS v2 users: HRPWS v2 is scheduled to retire end of 2022. For more information, refer to our newly published guide for Transitioning from HRPWS v2 to v3.

Storage quotas coming to UW Google June 2024

Users whose UW Google storage currently exceeds 80GB received a version of the following on Tuesday, July 26.

What is happening?
As initially announced in June 2021, Google is implementing major changes to their Google Workspace for Education product.

Among other changes, Google is moving to a shared storage pool. We are sharing this information now so that you may prepare and find alternative solutions for data storage. Learn more about Google’s new storage policy.

Google’s shift to shared storage for Google Workspace for Education means that every UW Google account will be subject to a 100GB storage quota, effective June 11, 2024.

As a step toward establishing the 100GB quota, UW-IT will implement tiered storage quotas that are greater than users’ existing data storage usage, effective August 23, 2022.

When is it happening?

August 23, 2022 Free and unlimited storage in UW Google ends; temporary tiered quotas implemented

  • Maximum quota of 100GB is established for any users whose current total utilization is less than 80GB. This applies to most UW Google accounts.
  • For users whose current storage exceeds 80GB, quotas will be established in tiers greater than their current total storage utilization.
  • No user accounts or data will be deleted due to tiered quota implementation.
  • Owners of accounts that exceed the storage quota for 14 days or by 25% (whichever comes first) will be unable to edit existing or save additional content until storage is below quota again. Email will continue to be available. Learn about managing files in Google Drive.
June 11, 2024 100GB quota implemented for all UW Google accounts

  • All user accounts must be below 100GB in total storage utilization before this date.
  • User accounts that exceed 100GB and all associated data will be permanently deleted in order to comply with the terms of Google’s new storage policy.

What steps can I take to prepare for the storage limit?

  1. See how much UW Google storage you are currently using.
  2. Learn how to manage data stored in your UW Google account.
  3. Create a migration plan for email, files and business processes that must be retained.
  4. Review alternatives to UW Google, such as:

Where can I go for help?

UW-IT’s service technicians stand ready to answer any questions you may have about this change, and about the different storage options available. Please contact the UW-IT Technology Service Center at help@uw.edu or 206-221-5000. You can also visit IT Connect to learn more about migrating your own data.

Users can also work directly with their department’s IT support group for specific recommendations and more individualized help.

UW-IT is currently working with vendors to determine the feasibility of providing a tool to migrate data from UW Google to an alternative repository. We will communicate about available solutions as soon as possible.

The UW Google Changes Project Team

UW Finance Cube undergoes redesign

We’re happy to announce the release of the newly redesigned UW Finance Cube, formerly known as the Financial Activity Cube. Kicked off in August 2021, the project is now completed and ready for use. Developers and testers across UWFT (UW Finance Transformation) and UW-IT ERA (Enterprise Reporting and Analytics) collaborated closely with users to update the schema, making it easier to maintain, and making it more intuitive for finance users at all levels.

The current Financial Activity Cube will no longer be available after October 30th.

Please read on to learn:

  • What is the UW Finance Cube?
  • Why was it redesigned?
  • What will it take to switch from the old cube to the new?

What is the UW Finance Cube?

The UW Finance Cube is a database which contains University of Washington financial data. It is configured in a way that makes the retrieval of any data point easy. Do you want actuals vs. budget by organization or by account code? The new UW Finance Cube makes this kind of data filtering effortless. The built-in flexibility of the cube allows users to see complex data in new and different ways allowing for robust financial reporting and analysis. To access the cube, all you need is an application such as Microsoft Excel or Tableau.

Why was the UW Finance Cube redesigned?

The initial finance cube, Financial Activity Cube, through changes and with time, had become unwieldy and lacked needed flexibility. There were several attempts made to redesign the cube in a way that would not affect users, but finally a decision was made to drastically change the cube to make maintenance easier and to improve the process and flexibility for adding new attributes.

This enhanced cube will be especially important with UWFT (UW Finance Transformation) going live in July 2023. To preserve data currently available for static reporting, we don’t want to build more reports but rather, we want to use the cube. A good example of the need for this strategy is the multitude of reports we currently have in MyFD, the application for UW’s financial accounting system that will soon be retired. How can we retain the rich data in those reports? The best answer is the new UW Finance Cube, which can be easily changed to satisfy varied reporting and analysis needs.

The redesigned UW Finance Cube for biennia 2019 and 2021 are now in production. Users can expect the redesigned finance cube and its predecessor to run in parallel until October 30th, at which point we’ll retire the older cube. Users can expect to find the same data elements and have the same levels of access as in the previous version, but will need to rebuild their existing workbooks using new dimensions and renamed attributes.

What will it take to switch from the old cube to the new?

To support flexibility and ease of maintenance, we’ve worked very hard with users to update the schema making it more intuitive for finance users of all levels. In the updated schema, some attributes that were in one dimension are now in a different dimension which will make the switch from the old cube to the new a bit more challenging.

But you’re not on your own. We have support documentation, and we held a webinar in June led by Karen Goetz, UWFT: Software Engineer, which resulted in helpful resources listed below. In addition, every Friday morning the BI team hosts BI Office Hours where you can ask questions and get answers.

To connect to the new UW Finance Cube, please refer to the Finance Data Cube Resources wiki page.

Currently, the following cubes are available:

  • UW Finance Cube 2021
  • UW Finance Cube 2019

The redesigned finance cubes for biennia 2007-2017 have been added as well.

The Financial Activity Cube and the redesigned UW Finance Cube are running in parallel. Please remember, the Financial Activity Cube will no longer be available after October 30th.

Additional resources

To learn more about the new design, how to connect to the cube, and what changed and how, please visit our Finance Data Cube Resources wiki page.

To learn more about the new schema and attributes, please visit Knowledge Navigator: UW Finance Cube.

UW-IT’s Enterprise Reporting and Analytics (ERA) will continue supporting users as needed. We’re here to help:

  • Join us for BI Office Hours every Friday from 9am – 10am via zoom link https://washington.zoom.us/my/busintel, or
  • Email us at help@uw.edu with “reports, cubes and dashboards” in the subject line, or
  • We’re available to meet one-on-one if you’re having problems switching to the new cube.

EWS EVAL Release 11 is now available

Enterprise Web Services (EWS) has just released an update in EVAL for multiple web services in support of UW Finance Transformation (UWFT). For an overview of how EWS is adapting to support UWFT, refer to EWS for Finance Transformation.

Monthly Scheduled Releases

Updates to EVAL for all EWS services are released on the same monthly schedule. This allows us to better synchronize with Enterprise Data Platform’s release schedule for Finance Transformation. For more information, refer to the Data Availability Timeline.

What’s New in EWS Release 11

Web Service
Overview of Release
FWS v2 (Outbound)
  • Breaking Changes were made to the /Customer and /Sponsor resources
  • New data was introduced to the /PurchaseItem resource

For more information, refer to FWS Reference Data (Outbound) – Release 11. For support, refer to Support | FWS.
FWS v2 (Inbound)
  • A new version of the FWS Access Request form has been published and can be accessed from Step 6 of the FWS Getting Started guide. In order to ensure we have ALL of the information we need to get you started with FWS v2 Inbound, we are asking all existing users and those who have outstanding requests to resubmit using the form.
  • Improvements  were made for error messaging

For more information, refer to FWS Common Transactions (Inbound) – Release 11. For support, refer to Support | FWS.
HRPWS v3
  • No customer-facing changes were introduced in this release.

Note: If you are a current user of HRPWS v2, we ask that you transition to HRPWS v3 by end of 2022. If you are a new user, your HRPWS integration does not need to be ready until UWFT Go Live.

For support, refer to Support | HRPWS. For an introduction to HRPWS and Finance Transformation, including information on the transition from v2 to v3, refer to HRPWS for Finance Transformation.

Summer 2022 Content Manager Update

Hello IT Connect Content Managers,

This is the Summer 2022 edition of the quarterly IT Connect Content Manager Update.

In This Issue 

  • Reminder: IT Connect content freeze Aug 8-Sept 7
  • Attend IT Connect orientation, check site content after launch 
  • Web Content Best Practices: Summarize in the intro 

WHAT’S NEW?

Reminder: IT Connect content freeze Aug 8-Sept 7

As part of the IT Connect User Enhancements project, implementation of a new IT Connect content organization will require a four-week freeze on content edits on the live site starting August 8. This will allow the live site content to be duplicated on a staging server, so that it can be reorganized into the new information architecture (how the site is organized)  before the new site goes live. 

During this content freeze, you won’t be able to add, edit and remove content on IT Connect to ensure no data is lost. 

The project team will notify service owners, managers and content producers when the new IT Connect is live and the freeze is complete, which may be sooner than the scheduled date if the work goes smoothly.

Read more about this content freeze

Attend IT Connect orientation, check site content after launch 

In order to ensure a smooth transition after the launch of IT Connect, please plan to attend an orientation session and check your content to help correct any issues missed during the changeover. 

The project team has finished its user research and moved on to the site development phase. A month-long content freeze (see first story) is planned from August 8 to September 7. Then the project will finish the implementation, and launch the new IT Connect in early September, with a completely-redone content organization and a sleeker, simpler look and feel.

After the launch, please make time for the following two critical items:

  1. Attend an orientation session: Shortly after the new IT Connect launches, the IT Connect service manager will hold orientation sessions for content producers. These sessions will go over the new organization of the site, showcase new functionality to help content producers with their pages, and provide an opportunity for questions and answers.  Communications about these sessions will be sent to all content managers as we get closer to launch. 
  2. Help check content after launch: As part of implementation, the project team will scrutinize IT Connect in order to fix items that  aren’t working as expected on the new site. But your help is needed to ensure no issues are missed. After the site goes live, take some time to go over the content you manage and send the IT Connect project team any issues you might find through help@uw.edu with the subject line “Communications team.” 

Web content best practices: Summarize content on page in the intro

As the primary source for information about technology tools and resources at the UW, IT Connect gets many visitors a year, users with many different backgrounds and reasons for coming to the site. To help users know if the page they’ve landed on has the information they are looking for, write an introduction as the first paragraph on every page that concisely describes what is on the page. This allows users to quickly assess if they have found the information they need, or if they need to continue looking for it on other pages.

DOCUMENTATION, TRAINING & CONSULTATIONS

Do you need some help creating IT Connect content, another head to brainstorm content organization and layout, or want to learn how to use the features available in IT Connect? There’s several ways to get help:

    • Content Manager Documentation: Extensive documentation ranging from the basics of WordPress to advanced features for pages is available on the IT Connect Content Manager Documentation.
    • Guide to writing documentation: Use the Getting started with documentation  guide to help you start writing documentation. The guide breaks down a process you can use to help you get information to your end users in documentation.
    • Training: One-on-one training for managing content on IT Connect is available from the IT Connect product manager, Nick Rohde, over Zoom or in person (once normal operations continue after the coronavirus pandemic). Get tips on correctly formatting content using the tools in IT Connect or learn how to organize your content. To arrange training, send an email to help@uw.edu with IT Connect Training in the subject line.
  • Consultation: Consultation sessions for individuals or teams are available from the IT Connect product manager, Nick Rohde. Send an email to help@uw.edu with IT Connect Consultation in the subject line to schedule a consultation.