ebs-Link Release Notes

Maytas 5.20 SP1 Release Notes

Note regarding submissions

We would like to remind providers to create a submission early and check for any errors using reports from the appropriate software (i.e. the FIS or LLWR-Inform). Welsh providers should also remember to download their ULI file. After submission to the ESFA or DfES, providers should check that data has submitted correctly using the available reports. Providers should check that all their expected starts and completions are submitted correctly, and that start and outcome payments correctly match the PFR or ACE funding reports.

Our support desk gets extremely busy in the days prior to the submission deadlines, and although we try and prioritise submission-related queries, we cannot guarantee assistance if queries are sent late. If you do encounter any issues, please ensure that you contact Maytas Support as soon as possible, as we can only rectify issues of which we are aware. We also recommend checking Maytas Communities regularly for information on any known issues and solutions. Tribal cannot be held responsible for any issues caused by your failure to comply with this advice.

Technical specification

The latest Maytas and e-track technical specification can be found here.

Once the upgrade has been completed, the version number should be checked to ensure it has been successful.

Start Maytas and go to Support on the toolbar.
Click About.
The version numbers should read 181.20 / 5.20.7600.1. If you have any other version, please ensure you have followed the upgrade instructions correctly. If you require assistance, please contact Maytas Support.

It is the responsibility of customers to ensure that users carry out any required user acceptance testing and sign off on the upgrade.

Complete the Upgrade

Features Added in the Upgrade

These are the main updates in the upgrade:

Financial Planning for 2020/21
Employer contacts
Engage integration updates
Fixes to a number of issues

Import Funding Information

The process for importing the required funding information into Maytas is as follows:

The old FIS 2018/19 application should be used to import data sets for 2018/19 and earlier if it has not previously been imported.
The LARS for 2020/21 should be imported.
Postcode data for 2020/21 should be imported.
Once all data has been imported, ensure that the funding cache is refreshed (either on a database schedule or a manual update out of working hours).

Re-Import the FIS Data Sets

If the 2018/19 data sets were imported in 5.19 or a previous version of 5.20, this step can be skipped and you should proceed to importing the LARS.

If the FIS data sets for 2018/19 were not imported in the 5.19 or previous 5.20 release, it is essential that they are imported into Maytas one final time for use by the funding cache. This should be done by importing the relevant information directly from the Data Service’s Funding Information System (FIS). To do this, you must have the FIS installed and correctly configured (please refer to the Data Service’s instructions for setting up the FIS).

Please ensure you have the latest version of the 2018/19 FIS application with the latest components installed.

Once the FIS is installed and configured, the information can be imported as follows:

Perform a sync in Maytas 5, then restart Maytas 5.
Go to Exports | Uploads | Upload FIS Data Sets.
There are three items to configure:
- Database Machine Name – If the FIS is installed on the same machine that you are using for Maytas 5, this can be left as (local). Otherwise, enter the machine name of the SQL server where the FIS database is held.
- Database Instance – If the SQL server holding the FIS database has a named instance (e.g. MACHINENAME\INSTANCENAME), select Named Instance and enter the instance name. Otherwise leave this as Default Instance.
  If you have no named instance and Default Instance does not work, you may need to select Named Instance and leave the instance name blank.
- Connection Type – This is the login for the SQL server holding the FIS database. Trusted Connection will use Windows authentication. If you wish to specify the login details, select Specific Connection and enter the credentials.
Click OK. The FIS data will now be imported.
If you have an Adult Skills budget contract and a transition factor, this must be entered on the contract:
1. Go to Management on the toolbar and click Contracts on the ribbon.
2. Select the relevant contractor, then select the Adult Skills contract on the right.
3. Click the button.
4. Go to the Uplifts tab.
5. Enter the ASB Transition Factor and click OK.
6. Click Apply to save the change.

Import LARS

The LARS for 2020/21 should be imported as follows:

Download the LARS MDB file for 2020/21. At the time of this release, the latest version is the LARS MDB version 7.
In Maytas, go to Exports on the toolbar.
On the ILR Tools panel of the ribbon, go to Uploads | Upload Funding Information | Upload LARS (Version 7).
Browse to and select the downloaded LARS file and click Open.
The file will now be imported. Click OK on the message which appears.

Progress on the import can be checked by going to Home | Server Tasks | Server Jobs. Typically it will take several minutes.

Import Postcode File

Obtain the postcode uplift factors file - Download the zip file under 2020 to 2021 uplift factors by postcode and LLSOA: CSV files.
In Maytas, go to Exports on the toolbar.
On the ILR Tools panel of the ribbon, go to Uploads | Postcode Uploads | Upload Post Code Data (2020/21).
Browse to and select the postcode uplifts zip file and click Open.
The file will now be imported. Click OK on the message which appears.

Progress on the import can be checked by going to Home | Server Tasks | Server Jobs. Typically this will take several minutes.

Devolved AEB postcode data is also available for importing, but it is not currently used in Maytas and so there is no need to import it. Future upgrades may require it to be imported, depending on whether the data is used in the funding calculations.

Large employer factor data sets do not need to be imported for 2020/21. LEF data for 2018/19 and earlier is included in the FIS import.

Note on the Funding Cache

By default, the funding cache will update overnight so that funding information in Maytas uses the newly-imported FIS and postcode information. Please check with your system administrator if you are unsure if or when the funding cache is updated on your system. You can also manually set the funding cache to update by going to Management | Profiles and clicking the Funding Cache button, though please be aware that this may take a long time and may use a large amount of system resources, which could affect performance for other users on the system.

Maytas 5 Version 5.20.7600.1 Release Notes

Financial Planning 2020/21 Rollover

The Financial Planning module now supports plans for 2020/21. After the upgrade, it is important to ensure the funding cache has been updated. In most cases this should be done automatically on a schedule (check with your system administrator), but it can also be done manually by going to Management | Profiles and clicking the Funding Cache button. This may take a long time and may use a lot of system resources, so it is strongly recommended to only update the funding cache outside of normal working hours.

To create a 2020/21 plan:

Go to Management | Financial Plans.
Double-click New Financial Plan.
Select a 2019/20 contract to base the plan on and click Next.
Enter a name for the plan and click Next.
Select the funding models and funding line types you wish to use for the plan and click Next.
Select the years and periods you wish to use for the plan and click Next.
Click Finish.

The plan will now be created.

Before using any existing plans from 2019/20 and earlier, you should refresh their current data values and what if values. This can be done on each required plan by going to the Current Data Values and What If Values tabs and clicking the button.

Employer Contacts

An overhauled system for recording and assigning employer contacts is now available. Contacts can be entered against an employer, and a learner can then be assigned one of those contacts as their key contact for the employer. Whenever a data collection form is assigned to an employer to complete on behalf of a learner, the form will be sent to the learner's key contact for completion. If a learner does not have a key contact specified, the form will be sent to the employer user instead.

To publish the Employer Contacts tab:

Go to Tools on the toolbar and click New / Load on the Screens panel of the ribbon.
Select Employer on the left and double-click Employer Contacts on the right.
Tick the Published box on the left. If you want the tab to also be available in the e-track Employer Editor, tick the Employer box.
Click Apply.
Go to Home on the toolbar and click Sync.

The tab can be found by opening an employer record and selecting Employer Contacts on the left:

Click the button to add a new contact.

Complete the details as required and click OK, then click Apply to save the changes.

Once contacts have been set up for an employer, a learner at that employer can be assigned a key contact:

Open a learner record and go to the Summary tab.
Add or edit the employer row in the Employer / Personnel grid.
The contact can be selected from the Key Contact dropdown.
Click OK, then click Apply to save changes.

Engage Integration Updates

Web User Account Tab

A new tab has been created which shows the basic web user account details for a learner or assessor, including their Edge Person ID which is used in the Engage integration.

To enable the learner tab:

Go to Tools on the toolbar and click New / Load on the Screens panel of the ribbon.
Select Trainee on the left and double-click Web User Account on the right.
Tick the Published box on the left.
Click Apply.
Go to Home on the toolbar and click Sync.

To enable the assessor tab:

Go to Tools on the toolbar and click New / Load on the Screens panel of the ribbon.
Select Personnel on the left and double-click Web User Account on the right.
Tick the Published box on the left.
Click Apply.
Go to Home on the toolbar and click Sync.

The tabs can be found by opening a learner or assessor record and selecting Web User Account on the left.

The username, last login and Edge Person ID fields are read-only and will be blank if the learner or assessor does not have a web user account. You can generate a web user account for them by entering their email address, ticking the Create Web User Account box and clicking Apply. Please note that this requires the Engage integration to have been correctly configured.

Clarifications

After feedback from the initial release of the Engage integration, we would like to clarify the following points:

If you are a user of Engage, you will have a web user account which is then linked to an assessor record. If you are also a Maytas user and wish to use the contact log to send messages to Engage via Maytas, your web user account must also be linked to your Maytas user account. This can be done as follows:

In Maytas, go to Tools | Web User Editor.
Select the web user on the left and click the button next to Linked Maytas User.
Search for and select the Maytas user and click OK.
Click Apply.

When automatic web user creation is used, the email address used for a learner is taken from TRAINEE.EMAIL if a value is entered there. This is the default email field on the learner Summary tab and the ILR tabs. If there is no value in TRAINEE.EMAIL, TRAINEE.ILR_EMAIL is used instead.

Standard Import Refactor Beta

The code behind the Standard Import system has been re-written in the C# language as part of the transition from legacy languages. The new version is currently only available as a closed beta, because while the functionality of the new Standard Import is the same as in the old version, it is a major update to a complex system and requires extensive testing. As such, the old version will remain in place as the default for this release.

We will be in contact with some customers to arrange possible access to the beta before the new version is publicly released in a future upgrade. If you are interested in trying the beta version, please contact your account manager.

Once the full release version of the updated Standard Import is available, Maytas will default to using the new version instead and the legacy version will remain available for a limited time before being disabled. This is to ensure a smooth transition between the two versions of the system.

e-track Online Release Notes – Version 5.20.7600.1

Skill Scans

e-track now supports skill scans as part of the Module Editor for recording and measuring learner progression and distance travelled. Skill scans can be added to new or existing objectives so that learners and employers can assess a learner's understanding of their qualification at various stages throughout their learning. Assessors can view completed skill scans to determine progress and identify any gaps in knowledge.

When a module is configured to include skill scans, any learners who are then newly assigned that module will be sent skill scans on an automatic schedule which is configured on the module. You can also choose for a learner not to be sent skill scans when the module is assigned to them. Note that learners who were already on a module before it was configured for skill scans will not be included in a schedule, but skill scans can still be manually added to their record.

Adding Skill Scans to an Objective

Adding and configuring skill scans to an objective requires an assessor user with access to the Module Editor.

On the sidebar, click Browse Modules.
Search for the base module you wish to add skill scans to and click edit at the far-right of the row.
Select the base module (the top row) and click the Edit button.
Select the Skill Scan tab on the sidebar which appears on the right.
Tick the Include in Skill Scan checkbox. Further details will appear.

At this point, we are simply enabling skill scans for objectives within this base module.
Enter the number of days after the base module start date that the initial skill scan should be sent to the relevant learner or employer.
Enter the frequency (in weeks) of skill scans after the initial scan.
Choose whether the skill scans for this module should be completed by trainees, employers or both.
Click Save.

You can now select the criteria from each objective which should be included in a skill scan:

Click the down-arrow at the end of an objective and select Edit Criteria.
You will see the objective's criteria (if the objective has any). Tick the boxes in the column highlighted below to choose which criteria should be included in a skill scan. You can click the checkbox at the top of the column to select them all.
Click Save.
Repeat as required for additional objectives.

Completing a Skill Scan

When a module with skill scans is assigned to a learner, the date on which the first skill scans will be sent out is determined as per the module configuration. On that date, the users who need to complete the skill scans will receive a notification when they login to e-track:

Choose the skill scan to complete and click Run Skill Scan.

Choose the level of competence for each criteria and enter any notes as required. When finished, click Submit.

The learner's assessor can then view the learner's completed and upcoming skill scans by opening their record and going to the Skill Scan tab. Click the + and - buttons to expand and collapse the details of each scan.

When a scheduled skill scan is completed, the next skill scan in the schedule is added to the queue.

Manually Adding a Skill Scan

It is possible to manually add a one-off skill scan for a learner, separate to the regular scans configured for a module:

Open a learner's record and go to the Skill Scan tab.
Click the Add Skill Scan button.
Select the framework and module to use for the skill scan (note that only modules which have been configured for skill scans will be available).
Enter the date to schedule the scan for.
Choose whether the scan should be completed by a learner or employer.
Click Create Scan.

The skill scan will be added to the list of scheduled scans for the learner.

Changing the Date of a Skill Scan

If you wish to change the date on which a skill scan is scheduled to take place (e.g. if the module start date changes after the module has been added to a learner), this can be done in Maytas. First, a tab must be imported in Maytas:

In Maytas, go to Tools on the toolbar and click Import on the Screens panel of the ribbon.
Click Browse.
Browse to the Maytas\Extras\Tabs folder of the upgrade.
Select the Skill Scan Queue.m5tab package and click Open.
Click Next, then click Finish.
Go to Home on the toolbar and click Sync.

To change a skill scan date on the tab:

In Maytas, open the learner record and go to the Skill Scan Queue tab.
Select the scan to edit and click the button.
Edit the Date to be sent as required and click OK.
Click Apply.

Excluding a Module from Skill Scans

If you want to assign a module to a learner, but don't want that learner to be sent any skill scans that have been configured for that module, this can be done as follows:

Open the learner's record and click Add Objectives on the Summary tab.
Search for and select the module you wish to add.
Choose the objectives you wish to include and click Next.
Choose the qualification and framework to add the module to.
If the module has been configured for skill scans, you will also see the option Exclude module from Skill Scans. Tick this box and click Next.
Click Save.

Employer Contacts

To publish the Employer Contacts tab from Maytas:

Go to Tools on the toolbar and click New / Load on the Screens panel of the ribbon.
Select Employer on the left and double-click Employer Contacts on the right.
Tick the Published box on the left. Also tick the Employer box.
Click Apply.
Go to Home on the toolbar and click Sync.

To view the tab in e-track:

Select Employer Editor on the sidebar.
Search for and open an employer record.
Go to the Employer Contacts tab.

Click the Add Row button to add a new contact.

Complete the details as required and click Save to return to the contacts tab. Click Save again to commit the changes to the database. Repeat as required to add additional contacts.

Once contacts have been set up for an employer, a learner at that employer can be assigned a key contact:

Open a learner record and go to the Summary tab.
Click View Details and click Edit next to Employer Details.
Select the employer row you wish to assign a key contact for.
Select a contact from the Key Contact dropdown box.
Click Save.

Workflows

Workflows can now be created in e-track for data authentication forms and visit forms. A workflow in e-track is a series of interlinked forms which can be sent to a user or users for completion in a particular sequence or series of stages. For example, you could specify that all forms in stage 1 must be completed by a learner before the forms in stage 2 can be completed by their employer.

To configure workflows, an assessor user must be given the Edit Workflows permission:

Go to Web User Editor on the sidebar.
Search for and open the user or group to give the permissions.
Click Permissions to expand the list of permissions.
In the Data Collection section, tick the Edit Workflows permission.
Click Save and restart e-track.

The e-track base URL config must also be set:

Go to Settings on the sidebar and click System configuration.
Go to Admin on the left.
In the General section, tick the box next to the config Base URL and enter your e-track Online URL (e.g. https://myserver/e-track).
Click Save.

Creating a Workflow

Go to Data Authentication on the sidebar.
Click the Create Workflow button.
Enter a name for the workflow and select the type of workflow (trainee or visit). For this example we will create a trainee workflow.
On the right side of the screen, click the buttons to expand the Trainee forms, Employer forms and Assessor forms sections and display the available forms.
Click and drag a form into the grey area under Forms.
You will be prompted to select the type of user that will complete the form, along with a confirmation field for the form. Note that the field must appear on the form, and each form MUST use a different confirmation field. Only one type of user can be selected per form. Click OK when finished.

A confirmation field is a field which has been set to be tracked for auditing. More information can be found here.
The form will now appear green in the central area for stage 1.

At this point there are several options:
- The workflow could be saved and completed as it currently stands.
- Additional forms could be added to this stage.
- Another stage could be added with one or more forms.
For this example we will add another stage with two forms. What this means is that when the workflow is deployed, the form in stage 1 must be completed and confirmed before the forms in stage 2 can be completed.
Click the Add button on the left to add another stage.

Note that a Delete button appears for if you want to delete a stage.
Drag two more forms into stage 2. For this example we will use a learner form and an employer form.
Tick the Published box.
Click Save.

The workflow is now ready to be used.

Invoking a Workflow

Once a workflow has been set up, it can be invoked for specific users.

Currently a workflow can only be invoked from a learner record. The ability to invoke workflows that only include assessor or employer forms via an assessor or employer record is planned for a future release.

To invoke a workflow:

Open a learner record and click the Invoke Workflow button on the Summary tab.
Select the required workflow from the dropdown box which appears.
You will see the layout of stages and forms for the workflow. As the workflow is being invoked on a learner record, the workflow will automatically assign any learner forms to this learner. However, if the learner has multiple POTs then you can specify which POT a form should apply to.

Similarly, employer and assessor forms require you to choose the specific assessor or employer who should complete the form, along with the POT. If a learner has a key contact specified for an employer, the contact will be displayed with the employer name and the form will be sent to them rather than the employer user.
Click OK once all dropdown boxes have been selected for each form.

The forms will then be added to the relevant users' data collection queues. In the example above, the application form in stage 1 would be available for the learner to complete straight away, but the learning agreement forms in stage 2 would only be available for the learner and employer to complete once stage 1 had been completed.

Editing a Workflow

To edit an existing workflow:

Select Data Authentication on the sidebar.
Click Edit Workflow.
Choose the workflow from the dropdown list and click Load.

You will see the same workflow editor as when creating a new workflow.

To move a form between stages, simply click and drag it to a different stage.

To change the confirmation field for a form, click the button on the form, choose the field as required and click OK.

To remove a form from a workflow, click the button and click Delete.

Data Collection Forms Activity

The status of all completed and outstanding data collection forms (including those invoked with a workflow) can be viewed by selecting Data Authentication on the sidebar and going to the Activity tab.

The top section lists all data collection forms assigned to users. The data can be filtered by clicking the Filters button next to the table.

The bottom section lists all configured workflows. The data can be filtered by clicking the Filters button next to the table.

Employer Editor Access

It is now possible to limit the employers available in the Employer Editor to those linked to learners in an assessor's caseload. Without the permission set, an assessor can access all employers in the Employer Editor.

To set the permission for an assessor user:

Select Web User Editor on the sidebar.
Search for and select the user or group which requires permission.
Click Permissions to expand the list of permissions.
In the Employer Editor section, tick the checkbox for Restrict to trainee links.
Click Save.