Using DDA Trainer Name Trainer/Consultant - PowerSchool University 2012

Using DDA

   Trainer Name
Trainer/Consultant

PowerSchool University
        2012

Agenda

• Welcome and Introductions
• Getting Started
• Understanding the PowerSchool Database Structure
• Searching for Data
• Modifying Records
• Time for Review

Getting Started

The Differences Between DDE and DDA

                                   DDE   DDA

   View data in related tables      X     X

   Export data in related tables    X     X

   Change data in PowerSchool             X

   Delete records                         X

Back Up Before Making Modifications

✓ Incremental backup
✓ Full backup
✓ Manual backup

Understanding the
PowerSchool Database
      Structure

Terminology

• DDE
• DDA
• USM
• Relational Database
• Table
• Field
• Comparators

Tables and Fields

Data Types
  • String
  • Date
  • Time
  • Integer or Number
  • Real
  • Text
  • BLOB
  • Boolean

Data Dictionary
• http://powersource.pearsonschoolsystems.com
• Support > Documentation > PowerSchool > Data Dictionaries
  > PowerSchool 7.x Data Dictionaries > Data Dictionary Tables
  for PowerSchool 7.x

Frequently Used Tables

• Students - student demographic information
• Courses - detailed course information
• CC (Current Classes) - students, courses, teachers
• Teachers - detailed faculty fields
• StoredGrades - historical grades
• Log - student log entries
• Gen - catch-all table containing a variety of information

How Tables are Related to Each Other

 Courses [02]         Student Schedules    Students [01]
 Course Name              (CC [04])        Student Name

                       Course_Number
 Schools [39]             SchoolID        Teachers [05]
 School Name             SectionID         Teacher Name
                         StudentID
   Sections [03]         TeacherID
   Master Schedule         TermID
                                          Terms [13]
 (Expression, Room)                       Term Name

More Table Relationships

      Teachers [5]        Schools [39]

      Courses [2]         Schools [39]

      Prefs [9]           Schools [39]

                          Schools [39]
      StoredGrades [31]   Students [1]
                          Terms [13]

                          Schools [39]
      Log [8]             Students [1]
                          Teachers [5]

A Quick Tip

• Short on time?
• Don’t want to search for the fields?

• Change the URL!

Before and After

          (Select a student) > Demographics

Instant DDE for One Record

   Select a student and click a student page

   Right-click (control-click) to open the right-hand frame
   in a new window or tab

   Modify the URL

   Before: admin/students/demo.html?frn=0012260

   After: admin/students/demo.html?mcr=0012260

Now It’s
   Your Turn

  Complete hands-on
     activity 1:

Understanding the Table
         Data

Searching for Data

Navigating to DDA
• Only available if you know the path
• Navigate to http://your.server.address/admin/tech/usm/

Reviewing the DDA Tools

• List records by number
• List records by name
• Modify records
• Export records
• Find records in two tables with related fields

Searching for Records
• First, identify the records to search through
• Then, enter search criteria in the Search (TableName) fields at
  the bottom of the page

Performing a Layered Search

      Students Table
          Males
       10th Grade
       Fee Balance
                       Search for students using multiple
                       criteria
         Results
        Students
                         •   Example: males in the 10th
                             grade with a fee balance

Finding Records in Two Tables

                           Matched
      Selection 1:        Selection:       Selection 2:
   All male students   Male students      All log entries
                       with log entries

Matching Selections

   On the Start Page, click M, and then navigate to DDA

   From the Current Table menu, choose Log

   Click Select all [x] records in this table, then Match
   Selection

   Verify that the Student table is chosen

   Click Proceed to match selection

A Few Scenarios

• Find the first period class for all 8th graders
• Find students bus numbers and medical alerts
• Find all students with a failing stored grade
• Find all the courses that seniors are enrolled in
• Find the CC records for math classes only

Now It’s
   Your Turn
  Complete hands-on
    activities 2-6:

Using Match Selection

Finding Transportation
     Information

Finding Failing Students

 Investigating Senior
     Enrollments

 Using a Double Match
       Selection

Modifying Records

Modifying Records

Be careful—make sure that
Modify Records is the best
way to achieve your goal!

What and When

Use This Table To Perform This Fix

CC             To adjust end dates after school year was extended

               When storing grades, you enter information incorrectly; adjust
StoredGrades   items such as enrollment dates, store code, final grade code,
               or credit amount given

Teachers       To change PowerTeacher passwords for all teachers at a school

Courses        To change the credit hours for a group of courses

               To correct all the lunch transactions entered by a specific
GLDetail       lunchroom worker

               To remove the log entries someone entered for the wrong
Log            student

An Alternate and Safer Method
Make mass changes for staff and students:
  • Mass add students to activities
  • Clear a field value
  • Change a field value

                           Group Function:
            DDE           Student Field Value     DDA

          Low Risk                              High Risk

Knowledgebase Walkthroughs

Most activities in the handout were derived from PowerSchool’s
Knowledgebase files:
  • Created in response to calls to Support
  • Adapted to situations at schools and districts

Take a Look at These Scenarios

• You found that the students have invalid requests
• The principal decided to change the format of student numbers
• The registrar added a student twice
• You stored quarter grades, but you need to remove the earned
  credit

Now It’s
      Your Turn

     Complete hands-on
       activities 7-10:

Searching for Invalid Requests

   Adding to a Field Value

 Deleting a Duplicate Student

 Changing Historical Grades

Time
  for
Review

Question 1

    Which code at the end of a page’s web
    address results in instant DDE access?

A   mcr                   B   usm

C   frn
                          D   htmlx

Answer 1

    Which code at the end of a page’s web
    address results in instant DDE access?

A   mcr                   B   usm

C   frn
                          D   htmlx

Question 2

         Where do you access DDA?

#1   }                              }
                                    #3

#2
     {

Answer 2

Where do you access DDA?

Question 3

      Who should have access to DDA?

A   Everyone              B     School
                                Administrators only

                                PowerSchool
C   System
    Administrators only   D     technical support
                                only

Answer 3

      Who should have access to DDA?

A   Everyone              B    School
                               Administrators only

                               PowerSchool
C   System
    Administrators only   D    technical support
                               only

Question 4
   True or False? Use the Match
Selection tool to find the same data
    in two different data tables.

Answer 4
    Use the Match Selection tool to
  associate two different data tables
              together.

False!

Question 5

    What type of search narrows a selection
     down with a succession of searches?

A    Layered search          B     A student search

C    Autofilter
                             D     Match Selection

Answer 5

    What type of search narrows a selection
     down with a succession of searches?

A    Layered search         B    A student search

C    Autofilter
                            D    Match Selection

Key Points from Today’s Class
• Database structure – understand tables and table
  relationships to find data quickly
• DDA search – use layered searches and match
  selections to find data on any PowerSchool table
• DDA modifications – correct or delete any data that
  you don’t have access to modify through the regular
  PowerSchool page

Question and Answer

Don’t Forget!!

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                and tell us what you think!

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