Slate provides two alumni interviewing portals that can be imported with Suitcase:

• Alumni interview portal: Alumni assign themselves students to interview

• Alumni interview portal (with captains): Designate specific alumni as “captains” that assign interviews to other alumni

These portals use dataset records for alumni information and application records for student information.

Steps to building an alumni interviewing portal

1. Create an alumni dataset and add relevant fields and rules.

2. Create an application-scoped field to store interview assignments.

3. Create relevant forms, including the required assignment and interview report forms and the optional profile form.

4. Import the Suitcase and update the portal configurations.

5. Test the process before launching.

Step 1: Creating the alumni dataset and dataset fields

Your first step is to create a custom dataset.

Create the alumni volunteers dataset

Like each record in the default person dataset represents a prospect, each record in this dataset will represent an alumni volunteer.

➡️ Follow the instructions in our custom dataset documentation to create an alumni volunteers dataset.

When you’ve created the custom dataset, return to this article to continue its configuration for the alumni interview portal.

Create an alumni geomarket field

Your dataset needs a field to represent the geomarket (or geomarkets) nearest the volunteer.

This field determines which applicants appear in the assignment view.

To create the alumni geomarket field:

1. From the main navigation, select Database.

2. Select Fields.

3. Select New Field.

4. Configure the following settings:

   • Status: Active

   • Scope Category: Records

   • Scope: Alumni Volunteers

   • ID: alumni_geomarket

   • Name: Alumni Geomarket

   • Field Type: Can be set to Single Value or Multiple Values

   • Prompt: geomarket

     

5. Select Save.

You can add this field to an alumni profile form, but it may be simpler to use a rule to assign this field.

Create an alumni role field (Captains portal only)

If you’re using the portal with assignment by captain, this field is required.

Alumni captains can view other alumni volunteers in their interview area and can assign interviewees to these volunteers. This field uses a prompt value to indicate if they are a captain/chair or a regular interviewer.

To create this field:

1. From the main navigation, select Database.

2. Select Fields.

3. Select New Field.

4. Configure the following settings:

   • Status: Active

   • Scope Category: Records

   • Scope: Alumni Volunteers

   • ID: alumni_role

   • Name: Alumni Role

   • Field Type: Single Value

   • Prompt: alumni_roles

     

5. Select Save.

Step 2: Creating the interviewer assignment related dataset row field

There is only one required application-scoped field: the interviewer assignment field.

This must be a related dataset row field, which links the application record to a specific Alumni Volunteer dataset record.

To create this field:

1. From the main navigation, select Database.

2. Select Fields.

3. Select New Field.

4. Configure the following settings:

   • Status: Active

   • Scope Category: Records

   • Scope: Application

   • ID: app_alumni_interviewer

   • Name: Alumni Interviewer

   • Field Type: Related Dataset Row

   • Multiple: Single Value

   • Related Dataset: Alumni Volunteers
     

5. Select Save.

Step 3: Creating forms

The alumni interview portal requires two forms (with an optional third):

• The form that assigns an alumni volunteer to an applicant record

• The review form an alumni volunteer fills out after conducting the interview

• Optionally, you can also create a profile form that lets alumni volunteer update their information in the portal.

Since these forms all depend on the custom dataset, they are not provided in the Suitcase and must be built from scratch.

Create the assignment form

This application-scoped form only needs one field: the one that assigns an alumni interviewer to an applicant.

This field will be mapped to the related dataset row field you created in step 2.

To create this form:

1. Create a new form with a descriptive name (like Alumni Interviewer Assignment Form) and set it to Confirmed/Active.

2. Select Edit Form.

3. Select Edit Properties.

4. Set the Scope to Application.

5. Select Save.

6. Remove all of the default form fields.

7. From the form palette, add a Text Box.

8. Configure the following settings:

   • System Field: Application Fields → App: Other - Alumni Interviewer (Alumni Volunteers Record GUID)

   • Layout: Table

     

9. Select Save.

Create the interview report form

This is the report form the alumni volunteer fills out after the interview.

It will also be an application-scoped form, and will contain the questions you’d like each alumni volunteer to answer.

To create the interview report form:

1. Create a new form with a descriptive name (like Alumni Interviewer Report Form) and set it to Confirmed/Active.

2. Select Edit Form.

3. Select Edit Properties.

4. Set the Scope to Application.

5. Select Save.

6. Remove all of the default form fields.

7. Add unmapped form fields for each question you would have the interviewer answer.

Create the alumni profile form (Optional)

This optional form can be added to the portal to allow alumni volunteers self-service access to change their information. Their information can include any of the dataset-scoped fields you created alongside the alumni volunteers dataset.  

To create this form:

1. Create a new form with a descriptive name (like Alumni Interviewer Profile Form) and set it to Confirmed/Active.

2. Select Edit Form.

3. Select Edit Properties.

4. Set the Scope to Dataset.

5. Set Dataset to Alumni Volunteers (the dataset you created in step 1).

6. Select Save.

7. Remove all of the default form fields.

8. Add a form field for each profile field the volunteer should be able to update. Set the form field’s System Field to Fields → <your alumni volunteer dataset field>.  

Step 4: Importing and customizing the portal

Now that you’ve laid the groundwork, you can bring in the portal with Suitcase Import.

➡️ Use Suitcase Import to import the Alumni Interviewing Portal of your choice.

Return to this article when you’ve completed the import process.

Once the portal has been imported via Suitcase, there are three major configurations:

1. Update the portal’s scope and XML configurations with a few pieces of information unique to your database

2. (Captains portal only) Update the portal queries

3. (Optional) Update the views to customize the portal to your institutional needs

Configure scope

To update the portal scope:

1. From the main navigation, select Database.

2. Select Portals.

3. Select the portal from the list.

4. Select Edit.

5. Configure the following settings:

   • Scope: Dataset

   • Dataset: Alumni Volunteers

     • This choice populates the Dataset and Security settings:

Update the XML configuration

Still in the Edit Details popup, scroll down to find XML Configuration.

In this field, there are several portal variables. Portal variables let you store information centrally and access it in queries and views.

For these variables to function, they need certain information—IDs for various fields and forms—between the <var>...</var> tags of each variable.

To configure these variables:

interviewer_field_id

We need the ID of the application-scoped related dataset row field that stores the alumni volunteer interviewing the applicant.

1. Go to Database → Fields.

2. Select the field you created in step 2.

3. Copy the ID value.

4. In the portal’s XML configuration, paste the ID between the <var>...</var> tags of the interviewer_field_id variable.

alumni_location_field_id

We need the ID of the dataset-scoped field that stores the geomarket(s) where the alumni volunteer is located.

1. Go to Database → Fields.

2. Select the alumni geomarket field you created in step 1.

3. Copy the ID value.

4. In the portal’s XML configuration, paste the ID between the <var>...</var> tags of the alumni_location_field_id variable.

applicant_assignment_form

We need the GUID of the application-scoped form used to assign interviewers.

1. Go to Forms.

2. Select the assignment form you created in step 3.

3. From the URL, copy the GUID that follows form?id=.

4. In the portal’s XML configuration, paste the form GUID between the <var>...</var> tags of the applicant_assignment_form variable.

interview_report_form

We need the GUID of the application-scoped form used to report after an interview.

1. Go to Forms.

2. Select the interview report form you created in step 3.

3. From the URL, copy the GUID that follows form?id=.

4. In the portal’s XML configuration, paste the form GUID between the <var>...</var> tags of the interview_report_form variable.

rounds

We need the names of the application rounds to be displayed in the portal.

1. Go to Database → Application Rounds.

2. Select a relevant round from the list.

3. Copy the Name field (Note: Not the Short Name).

4. In the portal’s XML configuration, paste the name between the <var>...</var> tags of the round variable.

5. For each additional round, repeat steps 1-4. Separate each round with a pipe symbol | without spaces.

For example, if you want users of the portal to see the rounds “Fall 2024 FR” and “Fall 2024 GR”, add Fall 2024 FR|Fall 2024 GR to the round variable tag.

Adding exports and filters to queries (Captains portal only)

If you’re using the alumni captains portal, you must add exports and filters to two of the alumni captain portal’s dataset row queries:

• Alumnus Information

• Interviewers

The dataset row query base

These two queries are built on the dataset row base. Since Slate doesn’t know the particulars of your alumni volunteers custom dataset, we use this catch-all query base to avoid errors. This query base contains all dataset records in your database.

So, we need to filter for just those dataset records in your alumni volunteer dataset, and, of those, just the records relevant to these queries.

You can then access your custom dataset fields in the existing queries by creating a join to Field Values inside subquery exports and filters.

Alumnus Information query

When you select the Alumnus Information query, you’ll find a subquery export called captain. This subquery export has an existence output that returns either a Y or an N, depending on whether the logged-in alumnus has the captain/chair role you created earlier.

By default, this subquery has a placeholder literal export called Filter for the Captain/Chair role. Replace this placeholder export with the alumni role field.

Interviewers query

The Interviewers query needs to be filtered down to just Alumni Volunteers dataset records.

To do this, select your custom dataset from the list in the filter Dataset.

Modifying portal views (Optional)

You can edit the portal’s views to:

• display new exports you’ve added to its queries

• remove items

• change its visual layout

Default View

This view contains:

• the portal tab framework

• a social media feed

• a placeholder link to a profile form, which must be updated to point to the profile form you created earlier or else deleted.

📖 Further reading: Portal tabs

Captain portal only: A link to the Assignments tab is surrounded by Liquid markup: {{% if captain=='Y'%}}. Only records with the role of Captain will see this link. You can adjust the Liquid markup as needed.

Pop-Up: Applicant Detail

This view displays a pop-up after the alumni volunteer selects an applicant on the Home or Volunteers tab.

Liquid markup conditionally displays either the assignment form or a link to the interview report form, depending whether the applicant is being assigned or is already assigned.

Add details to this pop-up by updating the merge fields and associated queries as desired.

📝 The merge fields in a view must exactly match the names of the exports in its associated query.

Tab: Assignments

This view appears only for captains. It contains a list of interviewers in the captain's area and a list of applicants in their area.

Edit the tables and their associated queries to display any additional data you want captains to see here.

Tab: Home

This view contains the alumni volunteer’s assigned interviewees and their statuses. Feel free to edit the tables to display any additional desired data.

Each row in the tables contains a link to the applicant detail pop-up.

Additional customization

The standard Alumni Interviewing portal can be updated in various ways, depending on an institution's process. These can include:

• interviewing both applicants and inquiries

• interviewing only those records who request an alumni interview

• adding an alumni directory

Step 5: Testing

Creating test objects

Before you start testing your portal:

• Create an example alumni volunteer dataset record.

• If you are using the captains version of the portal:

  • Assign the test record to the captain/chair role.

  • Create several other example volunteer records for assignment.

• Create a few application records in the interview area.

• Double check that relevant rules are active.

• Run retroactive refresh, if necessary, so that all test records receive the appropriate interview area on their record.

Testing the portal

Select Impersonate, then enter the name of your volunteer test record.

In the portal:

• Confirm you see the expected interviewees and interviewers.

• Select different interviewees to view the pop-up

• Test the entire interview process, including:

  • Interview assignment by captain or volunteer

  • Interviewers can see their assignments

  • Submitting the review form

  • Any communications associated with the process

• Save an assignment

Return to the portal editor to make any changes to the queries and views as desired.