This checklist lets you track the progress of your admissions office’s progress through its annual Cycle Prep.

💡 Tip: Download this checklist as a spreadsheet.

Security & user permissions

• Review all users with exclusive permissions (Admin, Security Administrator): Special consideration should be given to users with the role of Administrator (All Access) or any exclusive permissions.

• Update roles, realms, and access permissions as needed: Inactivate users who no longer require access to Slate.

• Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA): Thoroughly test MFA once implemented.

Applications, review, & decisions

• Review Slate application pages, questions, and prompts:

  • If your Slate-hosted application is active while making changes, ensure edits do not affect in-progress applications.

  • For minor additions to existing pages, hide new content behind conditional logic filtered to the new period or round.

  • For significant revisions, consider making a copy of the current page and conditionally display the new page in the application menu to the new period or round.

• Review and edit the application status page and/or portal:

  • Update any conditional logic to ensure active rounds or terms are displayed as expected.

  • Consider adding newer features to the status portal, such as an event widget to register for application-scoped events.

• Review and refresh Reader Workflow bins, rules, and review forms: Consider migrating from the legacy Reader to the Workflow Editor.

• Archive outdated decision letters and update for the upcoming cycle:

  • Consider reducing the number of decision letters in favor of additional conditional logic or content snippets.

  • In addition to updating decision letters in Slate, review the process for printing letters (if applicable).

• Review decision codes and update as necessary:

  • Consider consolidating similar decision codes in favor of additional decision reasons.

  • If changing decision codes or reasons, consider implications on year-over-year reporting.

Data integrations & automation

• Audit data exports to ensure proper SIS and system integrations: Update data export queries to include records for the current period, round, or term. In addition to the examples of integrations in the documentation, a Slate database may have custom integrations (a scheduled data export query and an active source format) that should also be reviewed.

• Review any scheduled queries or reports for annual updates: Update data export queries to include records for the current period, round, or term.

• Review and update source format mappings:

  • Ensure that you are using the most recent source format for each source, detailed in the Source Format Descriptions article.

  • Use the Append Values setting to pre-map expected prompt values for the new cycle.

  • Consider updating the Remap As of date.

• Review and update source format mappings for imported application(s) as they become available:

  • Ensure that you are using the most recent source format for each source, detailed in the Source Format Descriptions article.

  • Use the Append Values setting to pre-map expected prompt values for the new cycle.

  • Consider updating the Remap As of date.

• Check data migration settings and retention policies: Ensure retention policies are running and compliant with institutional data requirements.

• Review and remove batches from Batch Acquire as necessary: Remove document uploads as necessary.

Deliver & communication strategy

• Review and confirm that DKIM configuration is enabled and validated: DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) configuration lets email servers know that an email really is from you and not from a spammer

• Check Compliance Dashboard configurations to ensure call and text message authentication

• Review Deliver configuration and purchase credits or provision additional phone lines as necessary: If your active balance is negative, please purchase credits for continued access.

• Review Deliver mailings and roll over population-based campaigns for the new cycle: Do not change the content of emails that have already been sent; instead, stop the current mailing and make a copy to edit and send.

• Review content blocks, translation codes, and Liquid markup throughout Slate, including Deliver: Update any conditional displays that include reference to specific terms or rounds.

• Review and update event templates as necessary, and create upcoming events:

  • If making changes to an event template, remember to inactivate form fields instead of deleting previously-used form fields.

  • Consider migrating event landing pages to event portals.

System configuration, auditing, & other settings

• Review and update entities: Action items for entities include updates to entity-scoped fields, prompts, and widgets.

• Review and update Organization Dataset:

  • Technolutions does not regularly update your Organization dataset, but you can make periodic updates.

  • Ensure that the Organization Contact dataset is fully configured as detailed in the article above.

• Review and update any custom datasets

• Review rules using the Check Rules and Rules Health tools:

  • Check Rules will determine how long each rule takes to run.

  • If the Duration is Orange or Red, these rules should be evaluated for efficiency.

  • If the Count displays ERR, that rule has either exceeded 60 second runtime or may have a functional issue (Duration 0.0) that could prevent its execution as well as the execution of other rules.

  • The Rules Health dashboard can help diagnose rule queue trajectories over time.

• Verify Configuration Keys for business process continuity: Configuration keys should be updated only when necessary.

• Review and update fiscal year configuration settings:

  • Updating your business process to leverage the "Year Start Override" configuration key will assist in streamlining your reporting and segmentation.

  • By building rules in an evergreen manner, less yearly maintenance will be required when moving from one fiscal year to the next.

• Use Slate auditing tools to update, inactivate, or archive current resources:

  • The Resource Auditor can be used to determine if items should be inactivated/archived, or to find items that need to be updated for the next cycle.

  • The "Days" column displays the number of days since that item was last used.

• Review all of Slate's diagnostic tools: Take advantage of the numerous tools available to help you troubleshoot more effectively.

• Update your Slate institution profile and primary contacts: Update your Slate institution profile via form linked in your cycle prep mailing.