[372] in Tooltime
Scopus Update
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Steven Wade Neiterman)
Tue Jan 21 12:12:24 1997
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 1997 12:15:42 +0100
To: tooltime@MIT.EDU
From: Steven Wade Neiterman <wade@MIT.EDU>
Status from meetings 1/7, 1/14, 1/21
Training document:
- Esther delivered 35 copies to Barbara week 1/13/97
- No further action items
Filemaker:
- 15,247 records loaded on the production and a copy also loaded on the
test database 1/06.
- 254 records rejected due to "dirty data", mostly related to time stamps
and userid in taken field. This includes the mit_closed_ts and
mit_taken_by field. There were also a few records rejected due to
"unique constraint" on the mit_log_id. This represents 1.6% of the
total records loaded. Peter Lee to investigate and correct by end of
week 1/17.
- No netinstall data was not loaded due to problem with date field
(mit_created_ts). Peter Lee to investigate and correct by end of week
1/17.
- The Unix/VMS database contains 3-4k records. Peter Lee to review data
and export in form suitable for loading to Oracle. This is slated for
load on 1/21.
Testing:
- Wade outlined a need to confirm that production database is operational
in regards to Filemaker data and working application. This includes
response time, ability to conduct searches, retrieve and write records
to the database.
Barbara to discuss testing with Help Desk staff, may elicit student
(via Alicia) to perform testing.
- The VAX/VMS group is expected to test Scopus using VAX/VMS data from
Wednesday 1/22 through Thursday 1/23, with a decision on deployment
due on Friday 1/24.
Deployment:
- Lynne will investigate a custom network based installer for Scopus
32 bit.
- Mike Drooker needs to install the SGI client on his machine, which
does not support AFS.
Release 1.0 status:
- Changes on the test database include:
- Completed password changing program. Unable to mask password
until next release of Scopus 5.2. This was acceptable to the
Help Desk staff as it allows for all consultants to generate a
new non-kerberize password regardless of platform.
- Replaced the phone field in the Find Log result set with the
log creation date. Lynne will investigate better sorting
techniques for this field, currently, it is in - dd-mmm-yy, format
and probably should be in yyyy-mmm-dd format.
- Removed call queue as this was found to be extraneous based on the
fact that statistics can be gathered via the ACD. In addition,
other fields on the screen (e.g. hardware) can be used to search
in a similar manor that call queue may have been used.
- Added Unix/VMS to the category database field.
Rollout:
- VAX/VMS possible date is week 1/27, based on decision from Friday
1/24 (result of testing on previous days).
- Main Help Desk rollout slated after VAX/VMS and after Spring
academic semester starts - week 1/21. Possibly, early February.
Training:
- Student testing has been postponed until week 1/22. Rob created
a one-page exercise sheet, which should take about 20 minutes. The
thought is that the rest of the time left with the students in the
training lab would be used for Q/A.
- Rob completed HelpNet training on 01/07.
SQL*Net:
- Scopus released a version (1/13) of the Macintosh client that
works with SQL*Net 2.0. MIT tested this version during on 1/13/97.
This version did not work in the MIT environment, additionally, this
version of SQL*Net is probably not supported by Oracle. In any event,
MIT needs a version of Scopus Macintosh client that works with at least
version SQL*Net 2.1. As of 1/21, Scopus has obtained a 2.1 library from
Oracle and is working on getting a new release to MIT. No date was given,
expected during week 1/20/97.
Without a Scopus client that is compliant with SQL*Net 2.1, the client
will fail to work on Help Desk machines that may upgrade to Open Transport
1.1.1 and above.
Other Development:
- There is a need to allow the Help Desk staff to control account
activation and deactivation. Currently, the development team performs
this activity. Noel Hart has been contacted to write a simple
PowerBuilder application that would compress the four statements currently
issue to create an account.
His current action item is to procure PowerBuilder 5.0. There was one
meeting on 1/14 to review needs and possible design.
- As we move towards the Macintosh SQL*Net 2.1, an installer has been
written and is available via anonymous ftp to net-dist
/mit/macos7/sqlnet. At this time, the installer is being tested.
It is expected that the installer will be available via the Scopus
release web page.
- The warehouse automated feed into the Scopus Oracle database is complete
and has been working since 1/4/97. Currently, there are 18,228 faculty,
staff and student records.
- Rob Smyser, Peter Ragone and Barbara Goguen have access to update code
tables in Scopus. To add additional names requires a change to both
the application access control and a database grant. Both take seconds
to complete.
- Lynne did some cleanup of unused development windows. She and Esther
continue to work towards completion of the programmer's guide.
- Lynne (Windows 95) and David Ho (NT) began to look at the ScopusWorks
tool, which complements the Unix Design Team tool.
Administrative:
- Lynne added (1/7/97) 20 users to Scopus as well as additional users
needed for historical reference.
Brio Query:
- Peter Ragone contacted Mary Weisse regarding manuals. Mary to provide
four manuals to the Help Desk staff. If more are needed, they will
need to be printed by the Help Desk.
- Peter will investigate deployment of Brio Query to Help Desk staff.
With site license in effect, there should not be any license problems.
- Peter has solicited a student to help write a "log report" to facilitate
printing needs.
- Peter working on statistical report to be used by the DCS group
- (NOTE: A unix version of Brio Query is being tested on Solaris and
is available on AFS as needed. Initial reports are that it works fine
and that custom query reports created on the Mac or PC are transferable
to Unix without modification.)
- Joanne Costello has draft support plan for Brio Query. It includes
information on training. Part of the license allows for upto twelve
people to be trained within the Institute.
