Overview

This article explains the functionality of the various tools in Terra Dotta ISSS that monitor institutional Student Information System (SIS) user data changes and manually-entered user data changes. These tools also facilitate the creation of SEVIS update records.  

• SEVIS Change Manager
• Data Change Monitor (DCM)
• SIS Refresh Log (Maintenance > SIS Refresh)

SEVIS Change Manager

This tool provides more details about old versus new data values, and a significantly improved load time. The SEVIS Change Manager manages both SIS-integrated and non-SIS-integrated SEVIS-mapped core data and User Parameters for the principal AO. The SEVIS Change Manager detects changes in the SIS refresh made since January 12, 2019. 

All changes for profile and core data and user parameter values funnel through the SEVIS Change Manager when data is updated from various sources, including updates from your student information system.

The SEVIS Change Manager logs changes for a student as a single user update.

The SEVIS Change Manager is on the lower right corner of the Activities tab and allows an admin to search for SIS updates by the following:

• On date
• Since date
• Date Range

Clicking Submit will bring you to the search results page, defaulting to 10 results per page. Change the number of displayed search results by clicking the drop-down menu.

You can sort the results by Last Name, Status, Org ID, Action, and Date Last Changed.

Clicking on the user's Last Name in the search results will open another browser tab that displays the user's SEVIS profile.  

The screen displays which data points changed in the far right column. When a change of address populates, the admin will see the complete address.

A simple arrow indicates a data change. A bi-directional arrow signifies that specific the data point will remain constant.

Note, SEVIS Change Manager will update when new students input their US Address for the first time. This will be visually indicated with a NULL (blank cell) -> VALUE. Likewise, if the university record is no longer detecting a value, this will also be logged as an update from VALUE -> NULL (blank cell). Only addresses updated from NULL (blank) → VALUE for users WITH a SEVIS ID are logged in SEVIS Change Manager. 

After reviewing the pending update, check the box to the left of the record, or check multiple boxes to work with multiple records at the same time. From the Options tab, choose Dismiss Selected Record(s) to dismiss the record and the pending update from the search results. Or, choose to Create new Pending Update(s) or Create new Pending Update(s) with Returned Document to create the pending SEVIS update. This will then take the admin to the Pending Updates page in the SEVIS Admin Activities section, where you can choose to add the new pending update(s) to a batch event.  

If several SIS data changes for a particular user have occurred during the time period of the search results, the SEVIS Change Manager will show only the most recent data change and pending update.

Data Change Monitor (DCM)

DCMs route address updates into the SEVIS Change Manager. They monitor address information that has changed and automatically create SEVIS pending update records for these changes. These pending updates can then be added to a batch to be SEVIS-processed. 

When active, the DCM monitors address information in the user profile for changes and automatically creates pending SEVIS updates for these changes.

If a DCM is active, then the same information change and pending SEVIS update will not appear simultaneously in Terra Dotta in two different places (SEVIS Change Manager and Pending Updates, respectively).

The address DCM monitors:

• U.S. physical address
• Foreign address
• U.S. mailing address (J)

The address DCM is most useful when an administrator wants any address change to automatically generate a pending SEVIS update. If the administrator wishes to review the address information before creating a SEVIS update record, then the associated DCM should be deactivated, and the admin should instead review the updates in the SEVIS Change Manager. 

The DCM will monitor information changes for both integrated and non-integrated user profiles.

By default, the DCM is inactive on client sites. To activate the DCM for your Terra Dotta site, open a support case, or contact your Terra Dotta Implementation Specialist.

Note: If Address DCM is turned OFF - the address change will be picked up by the SEVIS Change Manager for users with a SEVIS ID. 

Summary of Differences: DCMs versus SEVIS Change Manager

The DCM and the SIS Refresh Activity will not generate duplicated updates. If the DCM is active and monitoring a data field, then changes to that data field will not appear in the SEVIS Change Manager.

Reviewing Pending Updates

Clicking the Submit button of the SEVIS Change Manager will bring the admin to the search results page, defaulting to 10 results at a time. Increase the number of displayed search results by clicking the drop-down menu. 

You can also sort results by Last Name, First Name, User Name (user ID), and the type of update action associated with the SIS data that changed. Clicking on the user's Last Name in the search results will open another browser tab displaying the user's SEVIS profile. 

To review the pending update, click the View button in the Actions column. This will display a view-only window that will show the admin the changes from the SIS that triggered the SEVIS update. (This data is not editable in Terra Dotta. If the information is incorrect or incomplete, the data will need to be updated in the SIS and then will be refreshed into Terra Dotta overnight.) The window displays the SIS data file field name, the prior value of this field in Terra Dotta, the current value in Terra Dotta, and the date the data was updated from the SIS. 

Dismissing or Adding Pending Updates to a SEVIS Batch

After reviewing the pending update, check the box to the left of the record, or check multiple boxes to work with many records at once. From the Options tab, choose Dismiss Selected Record(s) to dismiss the record and the pending update from the search results. Or choose to Create new Pending Update(s) or Create new Pending Update(s) with Returned Document to create the pending SEVIS update. This will then take the admin to the Pending Updates page in the SEVIS Admin Activities section, where you can choose to add the new pending update(s) to a batch event. The Status column shows the status of the associated SEVIS record. The Status column will indicate the applicant's current status as of now. A value of CONFLICT indicates an issue with that applicant's status which should be addressed.

If several SIS data changes for a particular user have occurred during the time period of the search results, the SEVIS Change Manager will show only the most recent data change per data type and pending update.

Five SEVIS Update actions are supported in the SEVIS Change Monitor:

• Personal Info Update - (F/M) - phone and address
• Biographical - (J) - phone and address
• Program Edit - (F/M)
• Program Edit Subject (EV)
• Education Level Change - (F/M) - can be reviewed only; no action can be taken

NOTE: SIS updates to the following user profile fields will not currently trigger a pending update in the SIS Refresh Activity: Country of Permanent Residence.

SIS Refresh Log (Maintenance > SIS Refresh)

• Whether the refresh ran successfully
• The number of user profiles that were refreshed
• Changes that were applied to those profiles
• A list of profiles which the process attempted to refresh but could not (either due to an error or missing data in the SIS file)