Outline:
- What is Comm Gen?
- Wesleyan Documentation
- Outside Documentation
- HEUG Presentations on Communication Generation
- BI Publisher Documentation
- Pending PeopleSoft Bundles etc. related to Comm Gen and 3Cs
What is Comm Gen?
- Communication Generation (Comm Gen) is a feature in Campus Solutions which allows you to communicate with constituents through letters and emails.
- The Communication Generation process lets you select specific fields from which to extract critical data for a letter code assigned to the individual (or organization) IDs for whom you want to generate a communication.
- Communications in PeopleSoft is one of the “3Cs” which also includes Checklists and Comments.
- Comm Gen relies on the underlying 3Cs structure and Campus Community setup features, including the following:
- Setting Up and Assigning Communications
- 3C Group Security
- Administrative Functions
- Variable Data
- Usage Tables for Name, Address and Joint Salutation
- With BI Publisher as part of the process, Comm Gen enables a user to manage and merge XML document templates and communication data source files for the process to generate communications.
- Communication management assists you in managing all forms of outgoing and incoming communications between the institution and constituents.
- Campus Community provides the foundation of personal information, ID management, and 3Cs for all of the Campus Solutions applications.
- Much of the terminology related to Comm Gen can be found on the Glossary – PS Campus Solutions Page.
One key element of Comm Gen is BI Publisher.
- In addition to being used with Comm Gen, BI Publisher (formerly XML Publisher) also serves as a reporting tool that you can use with PeopleSoft to directly take information from the database to produce reports and forms.
- A primary feature of Oracle’s BI Publisher product is the separation of the data extraction process from the report/template layout.
- It is a tool that merges data with a specified template to create reports.
- Note that while Communication Generation uses BI Publisher functionality, they do not share the same Data Source.
- BI Publisher Data Source is set up in Reporting Tools
- Comm Gen Data Source is set up in Campus Community
Uses For Comm Gen
- Send email or printed letters
- Retrieve generated output to allow easy reprint and history tracking
- Extract the specific data needed for a letter template
- Reset communication records after running CommGen process if communications need to be reproduced
- Select a subset of students to generate the communications (PopSelect)
Benefits of Comm Gen
- Very powerful tool for generating and tracking communication correspondence sent to person and/or organization ID’s within Campus Solutions
- Can extract data from any table in the database
- Utilizes communication preferences, including preferred method and language
- Can be set up and run by high-end functional users without IT support
- Communication records can be assigned one at a time, or in batch via the 3C events and engine process
- Comm Gen generates the outgoing communication based on communication setup and flexible run control parameters
- Comm Gen identifies invalid email addresses and can bounce undeliverable email replies back to a specific email address defined in the run control parameter
- Staff can view the generated communication on the communication record (based on 3C security)
The Essentials of Setting Up Communication Generation are:
- Design a communication plan.
- Set up the 3Cs structure.
- Create one or more queries which select the additional record fields to be used in the Communication Data Source.
- Create a Communication Data Source and tie any custom queries to the Data Source Definition.
- Finalize the BI Publisher Document Template.
- Create a Report Definition to link the BIP Document Template with the Communication Data Source.
- Associate the Letter Code with the Report Definition.
Review the documentation below for step-by-step details.
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WESLEYAN DOCUMENTATION:
The following are documents relating to working with Communication Generation.
QUICK(ER) START:
While it is important that you familiarize yourself with the specifics of how Comm Gen works, you can get a feel for how the process flows – and for some things to watch out for – by looking at these documents, both of which are Tools that are keyed to the sequence of steps on the Communications MAP
Communication GRID – Step by Step
Communication Generation GUIDE
DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS:
Managing Communications – Comm Gen Part I – detailed instructions from BI Publisher setup through to Communication Speed Keys
CONTENTS
1. BI Publisher Setup (downloading the BI Publisher Design Helper)
2. Define the Communication and Select Criteria
3. Determine Administrative Function [Administrative Function Table page]
4. Create the Letter Code [Standard Letter Table CS page]
5. Create the Communication Context [Communication Context Table page]
6. Create the Communication Category and Link Contexts to It [Communication Category Table page]
7. Search for and associate the Communication 3C Group [Communication 3C Groups page]
8. Communication Security Overview
9. Create the Communication Speed Key (Comm Key) [Communication Speed Key Table page]
10. Add Communication Speed Key to User Defaults [User Defaults Communication Speed Keys page]
Defining and Assigning Communications – Comm Gen Part II – detailed instructions from Data Source through to Communication Generation
CONTENTS
11. Create Custom Extract Data Source Query to define from what additional fields the process should extract data [Communication Data Source Query or Custom Extract Data Query ]
12. Create a Communication Data Source (XML File) [Communication Data Source page]
13. Create a Microsoft Word Template
14. Create a Report Definition [Associate the Communication Data Source with the target Template]
15. Create or Adjust the Letter Code [Associate the Report Definition with the Letter Code]
16. Create a Population Selection Query to define who should receive the communication [Pop Select]
17. Create Event Definition – Event ID – Define 3C Engine Events [Event Definition page]
18. Assign 3C Group(s) to the Event Definition [Event 3C Groups page. Assign Security]
19. 3C Engine Run Control – Run 3C Engine
20. Communication Generation Run Control
21. Person Communication – Communication Outcome – View Generated Communication
22. Assign a Communication to an Individual
Comm Gen Instruction Screen Shots
Template Formatting:
Conditional Address – Address 2 and USA – one-page
Date format and conditional address (longer version)
Also review the template formatting examples found in the BI Publisher section.
Troubleshooting, Tips, and FAQs:
Communication Generation TROUBLESHOOTING – specific troubleshooting issues and solutions (most derived from Oracle documents)
Communication Generation TIPS AND TRICKS – tips, tricks, and general troubleshooting questions
Communication Generation FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Comm Gen Tools:
Communications MAP – Worksheet listing Comm Gen Process steps, Menus, Navigation, and suggested naming conventions
Communication GRID – Step by Step (based on the content of a 3C easy-type chart) *
Comm Gen Process CHECKLIST – Comm Gen Process – Checklist specifying Navigation and Comm Gen Process steps *
Communication Generation GUIDE – an outline of the processes found in the Comm Gen detailed instructions *
* keyed to the sequence of steps on the Communications Map
PeopleSoft Administrative Function Listing
Administrative Functions, Core Records and Variable Data
Outside Documentation:
- Click this link to review presentations on Communication Generation from HEUG Alliance Conferences, Education Webinars, and Oracle documentation.
- Click this link to read more about BI Publisher outside of its use with Comm Gen. Among the resources is a page with Links to PeopleSoft Recordings on Formatting BI Publisher Templates
Pending PeopleSoft Bundles etc. related to Comm Gen and 3Cs:
We are currently using PeopleSoft 9.0 and PeopleTools 8.52, which were upgraded in July 2012.
There have been a number of Bundle releases from Oracle for PeopleSoft Campus Solutions since we upgraded. And there have been and will be further releases as well as PeopleTools updates that will be part of our pending upgrade.
Links to notes about these changes can be found in this document:
- PeopleSoft Bundle Notations Related to Campus Community – Communication Generation and 3Cs.
- This document covers Bundles 25 (April 2012) through 38 (July 2015). If there is nothing in a Bundle that is related to Comm Gen or 3Cs, that is so indicated. In each linked document, there may be either a copy of a new chapter on a topic and/or a listing of a number of changes.
- There are also PeopleTools Release Notes regarding BI Publisher and PS Query from March 2015.
- Upgrades and Bundles page:
You can also click here to review a number of documents on a variety of topics related to the pending upgrades.