Step by Step

Hello!

Here is another installment from Erin Brousseau from the Admissions Office!

So we finally had a Banner training last week that was Admissions-specific and let us get our hands dirty. I even got to sit in the front of the class to be the trainer’s assistant, navigating screen to screen and entering things while he pointed out options on the overhead screen. I enjoyed it because physically working on Banner helps me remember a lot more than just listening to a lecture or reading a PowerPoint presentation.

Instead of speaking in general terms as we had in the past, we began discussing our current business practices and tried to figure out how to accomplish (or improve) them in Banner. Our trainer John reemphasized the importance of documenting everything we do in case we accidentally alter something between test phase, pre-production and production. I now know how to print screenshots, dump validation tables into backup files and take copious notes to avoid having to reinvent the wheel should we have really bad luck and break something. I sincerely hope we’ll never have to rely on these backup measures, but it’s definitely comforting to know they are in place. We will follow these exact steps (screenshots, file backups and note-taking) for every little thing we set up.

The next step is to complete the homework that was assigned to us, due next month. It will be interesting to see what’s next.