How to Upload Timetable & Subject Data from Timetabling Solutions

1

Scope of Subjects Defined

When a Subject is referenced in Timetabling Solutions, then it must also be defined as an active Subject Code in TASS.web.

If your school uses the Yard Duties, Meetings, and Rostered Time Off features in Timetabling Solutions, a Subject Code must also exist in TASS.web for each of them.

Subjects are defined in:

• TASS.web Student Admin > Students Records > Setup Information > Student Records Setup on the 'Subjects' tab.

• Timetabling Solutions Timetable Development Module > [7] Curriculum Details > [7D] Class Names.

Check your data for consistency between the two programs by exporting Excel spreadsheets containing Subject Lists from each program, sorting them alphabetically, and comparing them.

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2

Year Groups

The Year Groups in TASS.web must use the same Year Group codes as in Timetabling Solutions.

Year Groups are defined in:

• TASS.web Student Admin > Parent Records > Setup Information > Parent Records Setup on the ‘School Section Years’ tab.

• Timetabling Solutions Timetable Development Module > [2] Year Levels and Roll Classes

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3

Subject Codes and Class Codes

Ensure each incoming Timetabling Solutions ‘Class Code’ is mapped to a TASS.web ‘Subject Code’ and ‘Class Group’ in the ‘Define Subject/Class Translations’ program.

The ‘Class Code’ in Timetabling Solutions identifies both the ‘Subject Code’ and ‘Class Group’. However, in TASS.web, these are stored in separate fields. Therefore, TASS.web requires that a translation be defined.

Timetabling Solutions Class Codes are defined in:

• Timetabling Solutions Timetable Development Module > [7] Curriculum Details > [7D] Class Names.

TASS.web Subject/Class Translations are defined in:

• TASS.web Student Admin > Timetable > External Data Interface > Define Subject/Class Translations.

If your school uses the Yard Duties, Meetings, and Rostered Time Off features in Timetabling Solutions, a Subject/Class Translation must also exist in TASS.web for each of them.

Yard Duties	Ensure there are TASS.web Subject/Class Translations for each ‘Yard Duty Area Code’ in your Timetabling Solutions timetable. The External Package Code used by Timetabling Solutions for yard duties begins with ‘DUTY' followed by the 'Yard Duty Area Code’. Example External Package Code: If the Timetabling Solutions ‘Yard Duty Area Code’ is ‘OVA’, then enter 'DUTYOVA’. TASS Code: Enter the Subject Code for Yard Duties. Class: Enter any number or letter (e.g. 1 or X). Yard Duty Area Codes can be reviewed in Timetabling Solutions Timetable Development Module > [10] Yard Duty Details > [10C] Yard Duty Session Details.
Meetings	Ensure there is a TASS.web Subject/Class Translation for each ‘Meeting Code’ in your Timetabling Solutions timetable. The External Package Code used by Timetabling Solutions for meetings starts with ‘MEET' followed by the 'Meeting Code’. Example External Package Code: If the Timetabling Solutions ‘Meeting Code’ is ‘MEET1’, then enter 'MEETMEET1’. TASS Code: Enter the Subject Code for Meetings. Class: Enter any number or letter (e.g. 1 or X). Meeting Codes can be reviewed in Timetabling Solutions Timetable Development Module > [4] Teacher Details > [4C] Meetings.
Rostered Time Off	Ensure the following TASS.web Subject/Class Translations exist for each Rostered Time Off (RTO) code: NOT AT SCHOOL: External Package Code: RTONAS. TASS Code: Enter the Subject Code for RTOs. Class: Enter any number or letter (e.g. 1 or X). UNAVAILABLE: External Package Code: RTOUNV. TASS Code: Enter the Subject Code for RTOs. Class: Enter any number or letter (e.g. 1 or X).

To save time manually checking your data, consider exporting the ‘Class Code’ data from Timetabling Solutions to an Excel spreadsheet. Then, edit this spreadsheet into the required format to use the TASS.web ‘Upload' feature. See the ‘Define Subject/Class Translations’ article for details.

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4

Teacher Codes

The same Teacher Codes must be used in both TASS.web and Timetabling Solutions.

Teacher Codes are defined in:

• TASS.web Student Admin > Teacher Records > Teacher Information > Teachers on the ‘General’ tab.

• Timetabling Solutions Management Portal > [3] Operations > [3C] Teachers.

Check your data for consistency by exporting Excel spreadsheets from both programs, sorting them alphabetically, and comparing the two.

In TASS.web, this data can be extracted from TASS.web Student Admin > Teacher Records > Listings & Reports > Teacher Details Listing. Then, on the ‘Print’ tab, select ‘Employee Code’ and ‘Employment Status’ as additional fields, and export to Excel.

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5

Room Codes

The same Room Codes must be used in both TASS.web and Timetabling Solutions.

Room Codes are defined in:

• TASS.web Student Admin > Timetable > Setup Information > Timetable Setup in the 'Rooms' tab.

• Timetabling Solutions Management Portal > [3] Operations > [3D] Rooms.

If your school uses the Yard Duties and Meetings features in Timetabling Solutions, a Room Code must also exist in TASS.web for each of them.

Yard Duties

Ensure there is a separate TASS.web Room Code for each ‘Yard Duty Area Code’ in your Timetabling Solutions timetable. Example If the ‘Yard Duty Area Code’ is ‘OVA’ for the ‘Oval’, the Room Code in TASS.web should be ‘OVA’. Yard Duty Area Codes can be reviewed in Timetabling Solutions Timetable Development Module > [10] Yard Duty Details > [10C] Yard Duty Session Details.

Meetings

Ensure there is a separate TASS.web Room Code for each ‘Meeting ID’ in your Timetabling Solutions timetable. Example If the meeting code is ‘MEET1', the Room Code in TASS.web should be ‘MEET1’. Meeting Codes can be reviewed in Timetabling Solutions Timetable Development Module > [4] Teacher Details > [4C] Meetings. After import, you can manually assign Room Codes to reflect the correct meeting locations in TASS.web Student Admin > Timetable > Timetable Information > Timetable Grid Entry.

To save time manually checking your data, consider exporting the Rooms, Yard Duty Area Codes and Meeting Codes data from Timetabling Solutions to an Excel spreadsheet. Edit the spreadsheet into the required format to use the TASS.web ‘Upload’ feature. Refer to the 'Rooms Tab' article for more information.

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6

Defined Days

The Days defined and referenced in Timetabling Solutions must be defined in TASS.web.

Day Codes and the Number of Days in the timetable are defined in:

• TASS.web Student Admin > Timetable > Setup Information > Timetable Setup on the 'Timetable' tab.

• TASS.web Student Admin > Timetable > Setup Information > Timetable Setup in the 'Days' tab.

• TASS.web Student Admin > Timetable > Setup Information > Timetable Calendar Setup.

• Timetabling Solutions Timetable Development Module > [1] Parameters > [1B] Days and Periods per Day.

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7

Periods defined for each day

The Lesson Periods and Yard Duty Sessions referenced in Timetabling Solutions must be defined as Periods in TASS.web.

TASS.web Total Periods (sum of Timetabling Solutions ‘Lesson Periods’ and ‘Yard Duty Sessions’) must be defined in:

• TASS.web Student Admin > Timetable > Setup Information > Timetable Setup on the 'Timetable' tab.

• TASS.web Student Admin > Timetable > Setup Information > Timetable Setup on the 'Days' tab.

• TASS.web Student Admin > Timetable > Setup Information > Timetable Setup on the 'Periods' tab.

Timetabling Solutions ‘Lesson Periods’ per day and TASS.web ‘Period Codes’ are defined in:

• Timetabling Solutions Timetable Development Module > [1] Parameters > [1B] Days and Periods per Day.

Timetabling Solutions ‘Yard Duty Sessions’ and TASS.web ‘Period Codes’ are defined in:

• Timetabling Solutions Timetable Development Module > [10] Yard Duty Details > [10C] Yard Duty Session Details.

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8

Student Codes

To import student subject selections and class allocations into TASS.web from Timetabling Solutions, you must use the TASS.web Student Codes in Timetabling Solutions to identify each student.

Student Codes are defined in:

• TASS.web Student Admin > Student Records > Student Information > Students on the ‘General’ tab.

• Timetabling Solutions Timetable Development Module > [6] Student Files > [6B] Student List

Check your data for consistency by exporting Excel spreadsheets from both programs, sorting them alphabetically, and comparing the two.

In TASS.web, review the Student List in TASS.web Student Admin > Student Records > Listings/Reports/Merges > Details Listing, and export to Excel.

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Step

Menu Path

Details

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1

TASS Knowledge Base How To / Checklists > HOW - Timetable

Prerequisites for Successful Export

Review the ‘Prerequisites for Successful Upload' section of 'How to Upload Timetable & Subject Data from Timetabling Solutions’ (this checklist) and confirm both the TASS.web and Timetabling Solutions program configurations meet all of the requirements.

2

Timetabling Solutions Timetable Development Module

Exporting the Master Timetable

The text file TTABLE.TXT can be exported from Timetabling Solutions. This file contains the Master Timetable. Each row in this file comprises at least 6 fields and up to 12, depending on the school's configuration in Timetabling Solutions.

The first six fields are always:

1. Day.

2. Period.

3. Roll Class.

4. Subject/Class.

5. Room.

6. Teacher.

Export your timetable from Timetabling Solutions. Refer to the user documentation supplied with Timetabling Solutions for more information on creating these files.

The TTABLE.TXT file will be saved in the Timetabling Solutions file storage area on your system. You will then need to note where it has been saved so you can locate it when you are ready to upload.

If you are unsure how to export or locate the saved export file, contact the Timetabling Solutions support team for guidance.

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3

Timetabling Solutions Timetable Development Module

Exporting Student Subjects

This optional step applies if your school imports student subject selections and class allocations into TASS.web from Timetabling Solutions.

The text file SCOURSE.TXT can be exported from Timetabling Solutions. This file contains the subject information for each Student.

For Timetabling Solutions versions prior to Version 4, each row in this file comprises four fields:

1. 'Student Code'.

2. 'Student Name'.

3. 'Roll Class'.

4. 'Class/Subject'.

For Timetabling Solutions Version 4 and later, each row in this file comprises, by default, eight fields:

1. 'Student Code'.

2. 'Student Name'.

3. 'Roll Class'.

4. 'Class/Subject'.

5. 'Gender'.

6. 'House'.

7. 'Home Group'.

8. 'Year Level'.

There will be one row in this file for each subject for each student.

Your school may have Timetabling Solutions configured to add extra fields; the first eight fields are always as shown above.

Export your timetable from Timetabling Solutions. Refer to the user documentation supplied with Timetabling Solutions for more information on creating these files.

If you are unsure how to export or locate the saved export file, contact the Timetabling Solutions support team for guidance.

Step

Menu Path

Details

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1

TASS.web Student Admin > Timetable > External Data Interface > Define Import Format.

Define Import Format

The master timetable file (TTABLE.TXT) generated by Timetabling Solutions typically contains 9 or 10 fields per row.

The ‘General' tab of the 'Define Import Format’ program must include the following fields:

Field	Details
Total Number of Fields in Import Record	Usually 9 or 10, depending on the configuration set in Timetabling Solutions. To check this, you may need to open the file TTABLE.TXT in Notepad or WordPad.
Imported data fields are delimited with	,
Imported data strings are quoted	Yes/No Flag field. To check this, you may need to open the file TTABLE.TXT in Notepad or WordPad. Example Quoted — '1','3','12','ENGA','P42','AJ' Not Quoted — 1, 3, 12, ENGA, P42, AJ
Imported data records are delimited with
Use subject/class translations	Yes.

The following fields require specific data in the 'Fields' tab of the 'Define Import Format’ program:

Select 'Save' to commit your entry or changes to the TASS.web database.

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2

TASS.web Student Admin > Timetable > External Data Interface > Define Subject/Class Translations

Define Subject/Class Translations

The ‘Define Subject/Class Translations’ program sets up a table of translations for each subject code used in Timetabling Solutions in TASS.web Subject Code and the Class Group identifier.

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3

TASS.web Student Admin > Timetable > External Data Interface > Import Data.

Import Data

The ‘Import Data’ program allows you to upload the file TTABLE.TXT that you exported from Timetabling Solutions.

The following fields must contain specific data in the ‘General' tab of the 'Import Data' program:

Import from Field Number	Into Column
Timetable	Select the timetable defined in TASS.web Student Admin > Timetable > Setup Information > Timetable Setup on the 'Timetable Definitions' tab to import this data. Only applicable in multi-timetable mode.
Year	Select the Year assigned to the timetable chosen in the previous step.
Semester / Term	Select the Term/Semester defined against the aforementioned year as defined in TASS.web Student Admin > Timetable > Setup Information > Timetable Setup.
Year Group	Optional. Select the nominated Year Group for which to filter the records being uploaded. If used, then only the records in the file that contain the Year Group will be loaded into the system.
File Name	Select 'Choose File', then navigate to the TTABLE.TXT exported from Timetabling Solutions. Select the file and click 'Open' to select the file.

Select the 'GO' button to proceed with uploading the file.

The 'Import Data' program verifies that all six fields in each row of this file contain data, including Teacher Codes and Room Codes.

It also verifies that all Timetabling Solutions Subject Codes have translations defined in the 'Define Subject Class/Translations' program.

Rows failing this validation will not be imported. The system generates a report listing the exceptions.

You can fix the data in the external timetable package and restart the upload or proceed with the upload as is.

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4

TASS.web Student Admin > Timetable > External Data Interface > Validate Imported Data.

Validate Imported Data

The ‘Validate Imported Data’ program processes the imported data, checking each row and field to ensure it is valid.

If validation errors are found, these rows will be displayed on the screen, highlighted in yellow. You can fix these validation issues on the screen by using the 'Edit' or 'Delete' Action links.  Alternatively, you can correct the data in Timetabling Solutions, then re-export and re-import the TTABLE.TXT file.

The 'Print' tab lets you print an 'Exception Report' with invalid records.

If the validation is successful, a message will be displayed, and you will be taken automatically to the 'Generate Master Timetable' program. See the next step for details.

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5

TASS.web Student Admin > Timetable > External Data Interface > Generate Master Timetable.

Generate Master Timetable

Run the ‘Generate Master Timetable’ program to take the validated data and generate the actual timetable cells in the TASS.web Master Timetable Table ('ttmast').

The following fields must contain the specified data in the ‘General' tab of the 'Generate Master Timetable’ program:

Import from Field Number	Into Column
Timetable	Select the timetable definition previously defined in TASS.web Student Admin > Timetable > Setup Information > Timetable Setup on the 'Timetable Definitions' tab. Only applicable in multi-timetable mode.
Year	Enter the Year previously defined and relevant to your selected timetable mode.
Semester / Term	Select the Term/Semester previously defined and relevant to your selected timetable mode.
Year Group	Select the Year Group against which to generate the master timetable. If a 'Year Group' is not provided, the uploaded Timetable will replace the Timetable data currently in TASS for the nominated Timetable.

Select the 'GO' button to proceed with generating the Master Timetable.

If there is existing data in the selected Year and Semester, a warning will be displayed. 

Press 'OK' to proceed with the import, which will replace the existing timetable data for the Year/Semester, OR click 'Cancel' to abort the import.

The master timetable has now been imported into TASS.web.

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6

TASS.web Student Admin > Timetable > Listings & Reports > Print Master Timetable

Review Imported Timetable

Generate the Master Timetable in the ‘Print Master Timetable’ program to verify your imported data.

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1

TASS.web Student Admin > Timetable > External Data Interface > Import Student Subject Data

Import Student Subject Data

The exported SCOURSE.TXT will have one row per student/subject with Field #1 being the student code and Field #4 being the subject and class code.

The ‘Import Student Subject Data’ program takes the SCOURSE.TXT file that you exported from Timetabling Solutions and loads it into the TASS.web student subject table.

The following fields must contain the specified data in the ‘General’ tab of the ‘Import Student Subject Data’ program:

Field	Details
Year of Study	The required timetable year for importing the student subject data.
Current Term/Semester	The required term/semester within the timetabled year into which to import the student subject data.
Total Number of Fields in Import Record	4 or 8. Refer to the Timetabling Solutions Version Number above, or check the number of fields using Notepad or WordPad.
Import File	Select the 'Browse' button, then navigate to the correct file to upload.
File Format	Select the 'The Timetabler® Format' option to indicate the Timetabling Solutions file type.
Import Options	Select from the following options: Preserve Existing Data: This option will preserve existing student-subject data in TASS.web and add only new subject records that do not already exist for each student. Overwrite existing with new data: This option will overwrite the existing TASS.web student-subject data with new data. Example If a student's TASS.web record shows English Class A and the upload file has English Class B, then the TASS.web record will be updated to English Class B. The upload will also add new subject records for students who do not currently have them. Remove ALL existing and create new: This option will initially delete all TASS.web subject records for the chosen year and semester for each student in the upload file. It will then upload the new subject records for all students. ❗ Important! Take great care when using this option. Do not use this for a year or a semester where student academic activity or report results have already been entered in TASS.web Student Admin > Academic Reporting or Staff Kiosk Assessment programs. Remove all existing EXCLUDING non-timetabled: This option will remove all existing TASS.web subject records, excluding non-timetabled records. Note that the difference between Options 2 and 3 is that, with Option 2, existing subject records in TASS that are not referenced in the upload file will remain unchanged in TASS.web.

Select the 'GO' button to proceed with importing student subject data into TASS.web.

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2

TASS.web Student Admin > Student Records Student Classes > Class Lists

Review Imported Student Subject Data

Generate listings in the ‘Class Lists’ program to verify your imported data.

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