It's important to check in on your data integration before the start of a new admissions cycle to make sure that everything is working as expected and to accommodate any changes that may have occurred. Some regular maintenance is necessary to ensure that your data integration functions properly. Beyond that, your admissions processes will change over time, so the data integration built to serve those processes may need to change to keep up. Your local systems will also evolve over time to meet the needs of users on campus. Furthermore, each year, Liaison works to improve its products, regularly releasing enhancements to our existing products. These improvements may require adjustments to your data integration.
The required yearly maintenance falls into three categories:
Regular yearly maintenance tasks center on making sure that your data integration extracts the correct CAS data in the appropriate format. You'll want to answer the following questions.
You can find more detailed guidance on regular maintenance in Liaison's individual products here:
As your admissions process changes over time, your data integration may have to adapt to keep up. The most fundamental question here is whether you are changing what you are trying to do with the CAS data once transferred. Such a change would likely require a significant adjustment in your data integration. Consider also whether any changes downstream—Registrar, academic departments, institutional research—require changes to your data integration. You'll want to answer the following questions.
Each year, there are likely to be changes to your CAS application. These changes may come from outside your institution: modifications to a CAS by the affiliated national association or enhancements to the underlying product by Liaison. They may also come from inside your institution: new custom questions added to collect additional information or new application requirements added to collect additional materials. Your data integration may need to change to accommodate these changes. You'll want to answer the following questions.