Training Guide
Fundamentals
Graduations
Created on Tuesday, 26 July 2016
Training Participant Guide
FUNDAMENTALS
Go to www.uq.edu.au/sinet-support for useful SI-net reference materials
For assistance email SI-netHelp@uq.edu.au
or phone the SI-net HELP line on extension 58844
(8.30am - 5.00pm, Mon - Fri)
The above website, email and HELP line are provided and maintained by the
Student Functional Group (SFG), within the ITS Group ‘Student Administrative
Systems Support’ (SASS).
Version 3.0
Last Updated January 2016
Page 1
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Table of Contents
Objectives
4
Getting Started
What is SI-net?
Please Sign In to the SI-net Training Environment
What is mySI-net?
An important note on Privacy
5
5
6
7
7
Navigation
Demonstration: Navigating in SI-net
Test Yourself: Navigating in SI-net
Activity 1: Adding a page to Favorites
9
9
9
10
Basic SI-net Concepts
Demonstration: A typical SI-net page
The search page
Modes of access
Components and pages
Inserting a new row, Effective Date and Effective Sequence
Academic Careers
Term Codes
Warning and Error Messages
12
12
12
13
14
15
17
18
19
The Search/Match Function
Why is it important to do a Search/Match?
Specifying your Search/Match settings
Activity 2: Specify your Search/Match Settings
Performing a Search/Match
Why should I search only using Date of Birth?
Searching by name
Demonstration: Conducting a Basic Search/Match
Activity 3: Perform a Search/Match
20
20
21
21
24
24
24
25
28
Campus Community
Adding Biographical Details for a new Person
Activity 4: Add a new Person
Update Biographical Details for a Person
Using Address Linkage
Removing Address Linkage
Activity 5: Address Linkage
29
29
35
36
37
40
41
The 3Cs Icons
The 3C’s icons
Page 2
42
42
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Comments
Administrative Functions
Variable Data
Adding or Updating a Comment
Adding a new comment
Updating a Comment
Activity 6: Adding a Comment
43
43
43
43
45
47
48
Service Indicators
Adding Service Indicators
Removing Service Indicators
Activity 7: Adding & Removing Service Indicators
49
50
52
55
Class Signon
Add Signon Registration
Tips and Rules
Activity 8: Add Signon Registration
Delete Signon Registration
Activity 9: Manage Signon Registration
Students Allocation
Class Statuses
Demonstration: Allocate Students by Class
Students Class Signon
56
56
58
60
60
63
63
64
64
67
Getting Help
The SI-net Player simulation tool
70
71
mySI-net
mySI-net Staff Functions
If a student is having problems with mySI-net…
72
72
72
Training Module Review
Core concepts
Consolidation activity
73
73
73
Appendices
Useful tips and time-savers
Working in multiple windows
Setting your operator defaults
Troubleshooting
Glossary - Useful terminology for new SI-net users
Legacy System Searches
Advanced Search/Match
74
74
74
75
76
77
79
81
Page 3
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Objectives
At the end of today’s session, you should have:
 An understanding of the structure and organisation of SI-net.
 An understanding of basic SI-net terminology and functions, and the ability to
apply these in the student administration system.
 The knowledge of how to sign on and sign out of SI-net.
 The ability to navigate through the student administration system.
 The ability to add, update and search for people data, view service indicators
and record comments.
 An understanding of basic Class Signon functions, and the knowledge of how to
add or modify Class Signon registration and student allocations on the classes
Page 4
Training Guide
Fundamentals
GETTING STARTED
What is SI-net?
The University of Queensland’s Student Information Network (SI-net), is the core
student administration system for the management of student data.
SI-net:
 Is based on Oracle PeopleSoft software;
 Is used by University staff members to complete student administration tasks such
as processing applications, enrolment requests, entering comments, student
financials, Electronic Course Profile etc.
 Consists of the following ‘modules’ for managing student information:
Records and
Enrolment
 Foundation module of SI-net - common source of personal data.
 Captures name, date of birth, addresses for all prospects, applicants and
students, along with any comments and service indicators.
 Staff members are also here for the purposes of auditing, Research Examiner,
Advisor Electronic Course Profile. They may already have id number.
 Also includes information on external organisations (e.g., other universities,
UQ colleges, etc).
 Assists in the planning, managing, and tracking activities associated with
prospective students.
 Provides comprehensive and flexible data collection.
 Assists in the planning, managing, and tracking activities associated with
admissions.
 Provides comprehensive and flexible data collection and processing of student
admission requirements.
 Helps to manage all aspects of student enrolment (including transfer credits,
academic programs, and academic transcripts).
Curriculum
Management
 Assists in the planning and managing of UQ’s programs and courses (course
details, program information and class schedules).
Campus
Community
Student
Recruiting
Student
Admissions
 An essential tool for managing student accounts.
 Allows the University to effectively manage and calculate all student financial
information, including tuition, fees, payments and refunds.

An additional module which manages information relating to postgraduate
Research
research students.

Enables School and Faculty staff to conduct graduations checking, update
Graduations
graduation requirements and generate the Graduation Advisement Transcript
(GAT) report.
 Assesses a student’s academic record against the relevant program rules, as
Academic
configured in the system, in order to determine the student’s eligibility to
Advisements
graduate.
Student
Financials
User access to mySI-net and SI-net is regulated, with the level of access determined by
each user's Faculty/Unit SI-net Coordinator. Users are required to attend appropriate
training conducted by the Student Functional Group or Faculty SI-net Expert Users prior
to gaining approval for access.
Page 5
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Please Sign In to the SI-net Training Environment
Access the SI-net Training Environment following the instructions
provided by your trainer. Sign in using the unique training
username and password that your trainer provides.
Once you have been granted your SI-net access, where will
you find the link to the ‘real’ SI-net system?



Go to www.uq.edu.au/sinet-support/access to download the Request Access form,
or use the printed form provided with today’s training materials. Staff from the
Student Functional Group will advise you when your access has been established.
Once you have been granted your SI-net access, you will sign in using your UQ
network username and password that was assigned to you on your commencement
as an employee.
You can obtain information about passwords via the following website:
http://www.uq.edu.au/secure/uqsignin/.
When you sign in to SI-net, your browser may give you the option
of saving your login credentials.
To preserve the security of the information contained within
SI-net, we recommend that you do not select this option.
Page 6
Training Guide
Fundamentals
What is mySI-net?
mySI-net is effectively a 'cut-down' version of SI-net, designed to provide self-service
access for students, and allow non-administrative staff members to manage their
classes. You will have a chance to learn more about this system on page 67.
Users
Notes
mySI-net Staff
Functions
Including academic
staff course
coordinators and
contributors

Accessed via the tabs across the top of the SI-net page

Used to generate class lists, upload grades, manage class
signon, send bulk emails, etc.

Can be used to assist students with their enquiries (e.g.,
viewing the Activity Log to see what updates have been
made and by whom; using the Search by Student Number,
Name page to view exactly what a student is seeing on
his/her mySI-net page)

View Legacy Academic Studies Reports

Used to manage various aspects of their studies at UQ,
including:
- Updating some* of their personal details;
mySI-net for
Students
-
Gender+ can now be changed to Other
o
Title can be changed. One change per 24
hour period.
-
Enrolling / adding courses / dropping courses;
-
Requesting a program or plan change;
-
Viewing class and exam timetables;
-
Signing on for classes;
-
Viewing their studies report;
-
Making tuition fee payments via the internet;
-
Viewing and printing fee invoices; and
-
Viewing HECS-HELP and FEE_HELP statements.
* Students cannot change their name, date of birth or
citizenship using mySI-net. If there is an error in any of this
information, the student must go to a Student Centre with legal
proof supporting the change that they are requesting.
+
Further gender changes must be accompanied by legal
documentation
An important note on Privacy
Access to SI-net is governed by the University's Policies and Procedures. In particular,
the following policies relate to the operation and maintenance of SI-net:
1. HUPP 1.60.1 Right to Information
2. HUPP 1.60.2 Privacy Management
3. HUPP 1.60.4 Records Management
Page 7
Training Guide
Fundamentals
What sort of information is stored in SI-net? Why is it
important to keep this information secure?
Please take care when interacting with students by phone or email, and ensure that you
carefully verify the student’s identity upfront. As a general rule, email and phone should
not be used by staff to transmit sensitive personal information. Where an email needs to
include student details, it should be directed only to the ‘__@student.uq.edu.au’ email
account (as opposed to a private, unverified email address). Whenever a student is able
to obtain information or action a change themselves via mySI-net, they should be
advised to do so.
Page 8
Training Guide
Fundamentals
NAVIGATION
Demonstration: Navigating in SI-net
Your trainer will now demonstrate the process of navigating around the
SI-net page. Click along on your own screen if you wish, to gain a better
understanding of how to ‘get around’ in SI-net.
Test Yourself: Navigating in SI-net
Label the diagrams below with the appropriate letters A - G, to describe the various
parts of the SI-net screen:
A.
Always click here to end your SI-net session, before you close your browser. This preserves the
security of the information that has been accessed during your SI-net session. Failure to do so can
impact upon system performance.
B. This expands in a tree structure, with folders (e.g., Campus Community), sub-folders (e.g., Personal
Information), and then hyperlinks to the actual SI-net pages (e.g., Add/Update a Person). The items that
appear here will differ, depending on what level of SI-net access you have.
C. This navigation option is called the ‘graphical menu’ and often takes you to commonly-used pages in
fewer ‘clicks’ than the left-hand menu.
D. Click here to access mySI-net staff functions. Some items here are time period dependent.
E. This can be used to search for a page or function within SI-net (It is not used for searching for students,
courses etc).
F. This link provides access to the SI-net Training resources.
G. Click here to add the current page into your ‘Favorites’ list at the top of the menu, so that you can
access the page again quickly next time you use SI-net. (Be sure that the fields on the search page are
empty when you click this link, so that a specific student’s details are not saved as part of your
Favorites link).
Page 9
Training Guide
Fundamentals
A.
Always click here to end your SI-net session, before you close your browser. This preserves the
security of the information that has been accessed during your SI-net session. Failure to do so can
impact upon system performance.
B. This expands in a tree structure, with folders (e.g., Campus Community), sub-folders (e.g., Personal
Information), and then hyperlinks to the actual SI-net pages (e.g., Add/Update a Person). The items that
appear here will differ, depending on what level of SI-net access you have.
C. This navigation option is called the ‘graphical menu’ and often takes you to commonly-used pages in
fewer ‘clicks’ than the left-hand menu.
D. Click here to access mySI-net staff functions. Some items here are time period dependent.
E. This can be used to search for a page or function within SI-net (It is not used for searching for students,
courses etc).
F. This link provides access to the SI-net Training resources.
G. Click here to add the current page into your ‘Favorites’ list at the top of the menu, so that you can
access the page again quickly next time you use SI-net. (Be sure that the fields on the search page are
empty when you click this link, so that a specific student’s details are not saved as part of your
Favorites link).
Activity 1: Adding a page to Favorites
The 'My Favorites' feature allows you to bookmark pages you use frequently. Your
SI-net Favorites are unique to your User ID, and will appear every time you sign in
(regardless of the computer you are using to access it).
Navigate to the following 3 pages, then add them into your
‘My Favorites’ menu:
Page 10

Campus Community > Personal Information > Search/Match

Campus Community > Personal Information > Add/Update a Person

Campus Community > Comments > Comments – Person > Person
Comment Summary
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Adding to Favorites
Step
Action
1.
Before you add a page to your Favorites, please ensure that all variable
fields such as EmplID are BLANK before you click Add to Favorites.
Otherwise, the values that you have within these fields will be carried over
the next time you access the page via Favorites.
2.
Once you have clicked the Add to Favorites link in the top-right of screen,
you will have the option of amending the description of the page if you
wish. (It is better to leave with the default page name if you can, so that
you can cite the correct page name if you need to call SI-net HELP). Click
OK - This will save the page to your 'My Favorites’ list, and take you back
to the SI-net page you were working on.
3.
Any pages you have added can be accessed quickly next time, by
expanding the My Favorites folder at the very top of your left-hand menu.
Organising your Favorites
Step
Action
1.
Under My Favorites, click the Edit Favorites link:
2.
You can change the Sequence number to specify where you want the
favourite to appear in your list, or you might wish to Delete an unused
favorite using this ‘Edit Favorites’ page.
Make sure you Save the changes before exiting the page.
Once you have started using SI-net, you may find it useful to
consult our Appendix for other tips and timesavers.
Page 11
Training Guide
Fundamentals
BASIC SI-NET CONCEPTS
Demonstration: A typical SI-net page
Your trainer will now show you a typical SI-net page, so that we can
discuss some of the basic concepts that you will come across in SI-net.
The search page
To access any page within SI-net, you first need to specify your search parameters.
The search operands on this page usually default to ‘begins with’, but can be amended
to other useful operators such as ‘contains’, ‘not =’, ‘between’, less/greater than or ‘in’
(which allows you to enter a comma separated list).
Once you have entered the parameters and clicked Search, your Search Results will
appear below the search criteria in a grid:
If you perform the same search regularly, you can save your search criteria for future
use by clicking the Save Search Criteria link (which appears on all search pages)
and assigning a unique search name. Your saved search will then appear under a Use
Saved Search drop-down list at the top of the search page.
If you enter a specific student number, and that student only has one record, you would
by-pass the Search Results list and go straight to the detailed SI-net page.
Page 12
Training Guide
Fundamentals
As you begin to use SI-net more, you may find the following search wildcards useful
within a search field, to find the name (person or organisation) you are looking for:
Wildcard
Function
Example of use
%
(percentage
sign)
Match one or
more
characters
before or after
the %
For example (when begins with is selected as the
search operator), you could insert ‘%ANDE’ and this
would return all names that include this string of letters,
such as Alexander and Fernandez.
_
(underscore)
Match a single
character
For example, if a student name or number was partially
obscured on a piece of written correspondence, and
one or two digits were unknown, you could use this
wildcard. If you entered 412_4567, this would return
student numbers with any single digit on the place of
the _ .
\
(back slash)
Escape
character – do
not treat the
next character
as a wildcard
If the percentage sign (%) or the underscore (_)
actually appear in the record you are searching for,
you would need to enter the backslash before the
above characters to ensure that the search does
not treat these characters as wildcards.
Modes of access
The ‘mode’ that you select when accessing SI-net screens determines what effectivedated information you can view and update:
Mode
Search page
Via Toolbar
View
Update
Add
-
Add new data
Update/Display
(default mode)
Current Data1
Future Data
Today’s Data (if
adding a new row);
Future Data
Include History
(recommended)
Historical Data
Current Data
Future Data
Today’s Data (if
adding a new row)
Future Data
Correct History
(restricted to
small # users)
Historical Data
Current Data
Future Data
All Data2
e recommend you always use Include History mode when viewing records rather than
the default Update/Display mode, as allows you to view all the data available - historical,
current and future.
1
Current Data does not necessarily mean it is effective-dated as of today - it may have an
Effective Date in the past, but the information is still currently applicable. Such data can be
viewed in Update/Display mode, but it cannot be altered unless in Correct History mode.
2
To ensure that an audit trail of changes is maintained, Correct History mode should only be
used to modify data that has been incorrectly entered. Otherwise, data should be amended by
inserting a new effective-dated row with the correct information entered. If you need to have a
data-entry error corrected immediately after saving it, please contact the ‘Expert User’ within your
organisational unit (most of whom have Correct History access), or call SI-net Help.
Page 13
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Components and pages
All mandatory fields on a SI-net page are denoted by an asterisk (*)
You can move between pages by either clicking on the Tab labels at the top of the
component, or by clicking on the hyperlinks, which you will find at the bottom of each
page, below the toolbar.
Items in the toolbar at the bottom of the page will be slightly different depending on
which page you are on. Previous in List & Next in List buttons allows you to toggle
between the records on your Search Results list, to easily compare information between
students or courses.
Look-up button provides a list of valid values for the field.
Enables you to select a date from a calendar rather than enter it
Rather than navigate between effective-dated rows using the
arrows, you can view them all on a single screen.
If the record has a large number of rows, you can use ‘Find’ to find
the row you are looking for (e.g., enter ADMT to find the ‘Admit’
Row). It will return the first row that matches the string entered –
you may need to ‘Find’ again if there is more than one matching row
Add a new row, to add a new piece of information and/or make a
change to an existing piece of information.
Whenever you see this icon, you can download the contents of the
grid directly into an Excel document.
This allows you to spell-check the contents of a particular field.
Page 14
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Inserting a new row, Effective Date and Effective Sequence
Whenever you need to add a new piece of information or make a change to an existing
piece of information, you need to add a new effective-dated row so that the historical
data is not lost.
This way, SI-net retains a full chronological history of all data by preserving a trail of the
changes that have been made.
Whenever you add a new row, you will be prompted to provide an Effective Date.


This represents the date from which the change should take effect.
As each amendment is stored on a separate effective-dated row, you can use the
arrows and links in the blue scroll area to view the effective-dated information
available for certain data.
For example, if a person has changed their mailing address, instead of overwriting their
current address, we insert a new effective-dated row to record the new mailing address.
Therefore, we retain the historical address information while being able to record the
updated address details.
When creating a new piece of information in SI-net, the Effective Date defaults to
today’s date, but this can be changed if necessary to future- or back-date the
information as required.
Future-dating
It is possible to record future-dated information using effective dating.


The system will allow you to insert a new effective-dated row, change the Effective
Date to a future date and enter data which will become active at a later date.
For example, if a student informs you that they will be changing their program as of
next semester, you could insert a new effective-dated row, and future date it to the
appropriate date.
Back-dating
It is also possible to record back-dated information using effective dating.


The system will allow you to insert a new effective-dated row, change the Effective
Date to an earlier date and enter data which is active as at an earlier date.
For example, if a student was admitted to a program after the start of the admitted
semester, we would backdate the Effective Date to before the start date of the
semester.
Effective Sequence
The Effective Sequence field is useful when multiple rows are added to a student’s
record with the same Effective Date. This sequence represents the order in which the
changes were made, with ‘1’ representing the first change on a given Effective Date, ‘2’
representing the second, etc.
Page 15
Training Guide
Fundamentals
If you are adding multiple rows with the same Effective Date, always take care to ensure
that the Effective Sequences are in the correct order. SI-net will usually automatically
default the correct Effective Sequence if you are adding new rows on today’s date or a
future date. However, please take particular care if you are back-dating the Effective
Date field, as the correct Effective Sequence will not always be auto-populated when
you make this change to the Effective Date field.
For example:
Your Action
SI-net Defaults
Your Next Action
Add 1st new row
Effective Date: Today
Effective Sequence: 1
Back-date the Effective Date (e.g., to before
term start date)
Leave Effective Sequence as 1, as this is the
first change to take effect on that date.
Add 2nd new row
Effective Date: Today
Effective Sequence: 1
Back-date the Effective Date to before termstart date
You must then manually amend the
Effective Sequence from 1 to 2, as this is
the second change to take effect on that
date. If the various Effective Sequence
fields are not in the correct sequence, you
will encounter an error upon saving.
Page 16
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Academic Careers
Academic Careers categorise the courses and programs offered at the University of
Queensland based on academic level. They represent the general level of study to
which a student has been admitted.
The following Academic Careers are offered at UQ:
Undergraduate
 First level of university study (students have usually just
completed high school).
 A Bachelor Degree, Diploma or Certificate can be awarded to
the student upon completion of an Undergraduate career
program.
Postgraduate
Coursework
 At masters, graduate diploma or graduate certificate level, in
which the greater proportion of the program is coursework
rather than research.
 Most coursework programs are made up of specialised courses
in a structured lecture/tutorial format with assessment typically
taking place throughout the course and an examination at the
end.
 Normally undertaken after the completion of an undergraduate
degree, or in some cases, on the basis of relevant work
experience.
 The Commonwealth Department of Education, Employment and
Workplace Relations (DEEWR) defines a research higher
degree, as distinct from a coursework program, as a program
where the assessable content by research represents more
than two-thirds of the total assessable content.
 UQ offers different types of research programs: Master of
Philosophy, Doctor of Philosophy and Higher Doctorates.
 Enrolment in a course or courses offered by UQ does not lead
to the award of a UQ degree. Examples include students
enrolled in the Enhanced Studies Program, cross-institutional
students and Study Abroad students.
 UQ College delivers tertiary preparation programs, equivalent to
Year 12 completion and an Associate Degree. These programs
aim to help equip students with the skills and attributes needed
to engage in successful tertiary study
 Courses aim to provide professionals the opportunity to up-skill
and improve their level of competence in their chosen careers.
 The courses are generally offered on an ad hoc basis.
Completion of CPD courses do not lead to the award of a UQ
degree, however CPD courses may be used as credit towards a
UQ degree if the student pursues further studies.
Postgraduate
Research
Non-Award
UQ College
Continuing
and
Professional
Development
Page 17
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Term Codes
While most UQ staff and students will refer to the standard period of study as a
‘Semester’, the SI-net classification of this typical study pattern is a ‘Term’. We also
have Trimesters and Research Quarters
The Term Code is configured in SI-net as a four digit number. Below is the break-down
of an example Term Code - 6220 (Semester 1, 2012):
6 2 20
The first digit
represents the
decade as follows:
The second digit represents
the last number of the year,
as follows:
6 = Current
decade, spanning
2010-2019
7 = Decade
spanning 20202029
1 = 2011 (if preceded by a ‘6’)
2 = 2012
3 = 2013
4 = 2014
5 = 2015
6 = 2016
(etc)
The last two digits of
the term code
represents the term /
semester as below:
05 = Research Quarter 1
10 = Trimester 1
20 = Semester 1
25 = Research Quarter 2
30 = Trimester 2
45 = Research Quarter 3
50 = Trimester 2
60 = Semester 2
75 = Research Quarter 4
80 = Summer semester

You can always just use the look-up button
to populate the Term Code
field, so don’t worry about trying to remember the term code if you are new
to using SI-net.
Trimesters & Research Quarters
The University of Queensland introduced new Trimesters (for UQ College programs) in
2011 and new Research Quarters (for Research Higher Degree students) in 2012.
Please contact the Student Functional Group for more information if required. The
correct term code for such study patterns can always be obtained via the look-up button.
Page 18
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Warning and Error Messages
Warning Message
 A warning message will not prevent you from saving the record, it just warns
you to check what you are entering is correct and comprehensive.
 Read the warning message in full to be sure that you fully understand it. Then, if
you are sure about the data you have entered, click on the OK button to
continue.
 If you are not sure click on the Cancel or No button, you will be returned to where
you were.
Error Message
 These messages will appear in a browser dialogue box and usually provide a
description of the error that has occurred. Unless the error is corrected, the
system will prevent you from saving or proceeding further.
 Below is an example of what a typical error message will look like (in this case
the 'first name field must be entered' error message):

If such a message appears, click OK, then go back and correct the error to
proceed.
ID Number Background

ID numbers that begin with a 3 are students or staff that commenced at UQ prior
to 2001, they were originally 9 digit numbers that have been converted to 8 digits

ID numbers that begin with a 4 are students or staff that commenced at UQ from
2001 onwards. These too are 8 digit numbers

One ID number issued per person and to be retained forever regardless of their
status at UQ, either student or staff
Page 19
Training Guide
Fundamentals
THE SEARCH/MATCH FUNCTION
Search/Match is a mandatory step prior to adding a new
person in SI-net. A correct Search/Match is the key to
preventing the creation of duplicate records in SI-net.
A 'person' (whether a student, staff member or prospect) should
only have a single ID that exists in SI-net.
Why is it important to do a Search/Match?
Given that the University of Queensland has been in existence for more than 100 years,
it is possible that an applicant may have attended UQ already at some point in their life.
A person should only ever have one student number throughout their entire academic
career with the University of Queensland, regardless of how long ago their first number
was issued. Every person who has ever had an ID number issued is still held within the
Campus Community > Personal Information records (even though there may be no
computerised academic record of their study, they may have a date of birth of
17/11/1858).
It is possible that a person may not realise that they already have a student ID number,
or they do not provide it for some reason. For example:
1. The person may have commenced study in the past and may now wish to return to
study either at the same or higher level of study. They may not mention the fact they
have been here before.
2. The applicant may have changed their name (e.g., due to marriage).
3. The person may have applied via QTAC for a quota place, but then did not
commence that study. They may still exist in Campus Community (this is especially
true of all applicants since 2001).
4. The person may have enrolled in one of the enhanced study programs offered to
high school students displaying exceptional ability in a course (e.g., science or
languages). They may not have originally supplied their full legal name (for example
Sam instead of Samuel or Samantha).
5. Gatton campus was an educational institution in its own right up until the 1990’s,
when it was amalgamated into UQ. All previous Gatton students were entered into
UQ’s Campus Community equivalent at the time. They may not realise that they
have a UQ ID number.
6. All staff members with access to SI-net are issued a student ID number at the
time that they apply for SI-net access. If the staff member has studied at UQ, their
original student ID number is assigned at this point. This linkage of usernames to ID
numbers is a system audit requirement.
7. There is also a ‘Convocation’ category. This covers people that had to be issued a
student ID number in previous student systems, for reasons other than the ones
detailed above.
We accept the name and date of birth supplied on the first application as the
applicant’s legal name and date of birth. If a student requires a change to this
information for any reason, they are required to present themselves at a Student Centre
Page 20
Training Guide
Fundamentals
with legal documentation (e.g., birth certificate, passport, marriage licence, divorce
documentation) supporting the request to change their name or date of birth.
Specifying your Search/Match settings
Search/Match requires some parameters to be specified to commence a search. These
settings ‘point’ the system to the overall type of database search you wish to conduct. In
almost all cases, this will be the standard UQ Person search type.
To make this quicker, you can set up your parameters within a ‘saved search’.

Once you have selected and saved the correct settings, you will not need to do
so again.
These settings will be saved with your SI-net User ID details, so the defaults are
applied even if you access SI-net from a different computer terminal.

When you first gain access to SI-net, please follow the steps
within this section to set up your Search/Match.
Activity 2: Specify your Search/Match Settings
Conduct the steps below along with your trainer to set-up your
Search/Match parameters in the SI-net Training Environment.
Remember that you will need to follow these same steps (one time
only) as soon as you get your SI-net Access, so that your
Search/Match parameters are then set-up for use in the future.
Step
Action
1.
Navigate to: Campus Community > Personal Information >
Search/Match
Staff members working with prospects or applications may prefer to
access the Search/Match page via the Student Recruiting or Student
Admissions menu folders. However, the page that you access is the
same, regardless of the menu path that you use.
2.
Enter or select the:
Search Type:
Search Parameter:
Person
UQ_SRCH
3.
Click Save Search Criteria.
4.
Name your saved search (e.g., “Standard”). All saved searches must be
given a unique name.
5.
Click Save. (Note that you can delete a saved search later if you wish)
6.
Click Return to Advanced Search to return to the original screen.
Page 21
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Step
Action
7.
Click the Search button.
The Search Criteria page appears. This is the page which will be used
to actually conduct the Search/Match once you have finished specifying
the search settings.
8.
The Search Result Code, at the top of the page needs to be specified
to determine the format of the results that will be returned from your
search. Rather than specifying this code every time you perform a
Search/Match, you can set this up as a default value.
Click the User Default link, and then use the look-up button to select
UQ_PERS_RES from the Search Result Code. Click OK.
9.
Page 22
You have now completed the process for setting up your Search/Match
settings.
To see how the Search/Match page will appear next time (and every
subsequent time), click Search/Match in the left-hand menu, and select
your previously saved search from the Use Saved Search list.
Training Guide
Fundamentals
SI-net also offers a Search Type of ‘Organization’.
However, staff members who are responsible for maintaining information about
external organisations are likely to find that the standard search pages (under
the Create/Maintain Organizations folder), are more than adequate for locating
information about the external organisations recorded in SI-net.
This page can be accessed via: Campus Community > Organization >
Create/Maintain Organizations.
In addition to the standard UQ_SRCH, SI-net also offers the Advanced
Search, which enables you to search for a person based on a range of
additional criteria, such as middle name, address details, email address and
phone number. In some circumstances, you may find these additional fields
useful for locating a student record.
If you would like to set up and save an Advanced Search (in addition to, or in
place of, a standard UQ Search/Match), please see the ‘Advanced Search’
section in the Appendix.
Most users will find it helpful to add the Search/Match page into their My Favorites
folder (as per the instructions on page 10).
Page 23
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Performing a Search/Match
Why should I search only using Date of Birth?
The safest way to commence your search for a pre-existing ID number is to search
based on the date of birth alone. When you run a Search/Match based on just the
DOB, all name types and names with that date of birth will display. You can then
manually check the details within the list of Search Results using your judgement,
so that you can be 100% sure that the person does not already exist in SI-net.
This is recommended to avoid duplication of SI-net records due to:



Name changes (e.g., due to marriage or divorce), where the person has not
informed the university about this name change.
Current or previous misspellings of the name / typing errors (including
instances where the surname and first name have been transposed)
Other changes such as gender reassignments (please be very careful and
sensitive about such matters).
However, note that there are people in SI-net with no date of birth recorded.



Some of these are new people where the date of birth has not been recorded for
some reason.
Others are records that were moved from the legacy student systems (there was
a time when dates of birth were not required).
If you see a person in the system with a date of birth of 17 November 1858, this
means that a correct date of birth has never been recorded.
Searching by name
If a Date of Birth has not been provided or you have not found a match based on the
date of birth, you should then conduct a Search/Match based on the name (without the
date of birth specified):




To be sure that you do not exclude a prior misspelling from your search, you
could enter the last name and just the first initial of the first name, or just the
first few characters of both the first and last name.
All names entered will be converted to capitals after you exit the fields.
Peruse the results until you find the person, or are sure there is no match
Note that Search/Match is not an exact match process. It will always try to find
something that matches your inquiry. It may match only on the last name, if it
can.
If you have not found a match at this point, it is likely that there is no
existing record in the system. However, if you believe that a UQ record
should exist, you could also try an Advanced Search/Match.
Please refer to the instructions in the Appendix
Page 24
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Demonstration: Conducting a Basic Search/Match
Your trainer will now demonstrate the process of conducting a
Search/Match.
Click along on your own screen if you wish, to gain a better
understanding of how to understand and peruse the Search/Match
results.
Step
1.
Action
Navigate to: Campus Community > Personal Information >
Search/Match.
Later, when you are more familiar with using SI-net, you may wish to
access this page via My Favorites.
2.
Locate your saved search within the Use Saved Search drop-down list.
This field will only appear if you have first completed Activity 2.
3.
If the Date of Birth (DOB) information is supplied, perform the
Search/Match based on DOB only, as this provides the most accurate
and broadest search.
Enter the Date of Birth only, press [Tab] to refresh the page, and then
click the Search button.
Page 25
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Page 26
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Step
4.
Step
Action
To view all of the Search Results on a single page, click the Show all
columns button so that you can see all of the columns without needing
to navigate between the separate tabs.
Action
5.
Peruse the Search Results. As for any SI-net list, it is possible to sort
the Search Results list by clicking on the hyperlinked column
headings. For example, clicking on the Last Name column will sort the
results alphabetically by last name. Sort and re-sort the data as
required to assist with your review.
6.
If you could not locate the person based on the Date of Birth search, or
if the date of birth was not supplied, conduct a search based on the
person’s name only.
Click the Return to Search Criteria link to return to the search input
page and click the Clear All button to clear out the previously entered
DOB information.
Enter the person’s name using the First Name Search and Last Name
Search fields.
[TAB] out of the fields to refresh the screen, and then click Search.
Page 27
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Step
Action
Carefully peruse the results, using the Show all columns button to
view all of the results on a single screen.
7.
Use the hyperlinked column headings to re-sort the list, to assist with
your review of the Search Results.
8.
If you cannot find the person based on their official first name, continue
to conduct your searches based on the possible ‘preferred’ or unofficial
names (e.g., Rob or Bob instead of Robert).
9.
Please check all details to be 100% sure you have located the
correct person.
If in any doubt, you can use the Carry ID button (which appears in the
first column of the Search Results list), and then view the person’s
record via the Add/update a Person page to verify that you have
located the correct person.
The Carry ID feature allows you to save the person’s ID number, so
that it is ‘carried over’ and populated automatically into the ID field on
the next SI-net page that you access.
The default search operator used for this type of basic search is ‘Begins with’.
This means that if you enter a search value in the first name field of ‘Sam’,
your Search Results list will include Samuel, Samantha, etc.
It is not an exact match search.
Activity 3: Perform a Search/Match
You have been asked to add the details of a new person into
SI-net.
The details are:
First Name: _____________ (insert your first name here)
Last Name: Enriquez
Date of Birth: 15/08/1983
Gender: (insert your own gender)
Check whether this student’s details are already in SI-net using
your newly set up Search/Match and the instructions above.
Only if you are 100% sure that this person does not already exist in
SI-net, we can then proceed to go ahead and add them in the next
Activity.
Page 28
Training Guide
Fundamentals
CAMPUS COMMUNITY
The Campus Community Module:





Is the fundamental module of SI-net;
Is the single repository for all ‘personal data’ in SI-net;
Captures name, date of birth, address and contact information for all prospects,
applicants and students;
Is also used to perform numerous tasks at the ‘person’ level, including assigning
a checklist, generating communications, recording comments, and managing
service indicators;
Also stores information about external organisations (e.g., other universities, UQ
colleges, etc).
Adding Biographical Details for a new Person
In many cases, biographical information about a new person is imported into SI-net
automatically, via QTAC admissions (most undergraduate student records and several
postgraduate programs) and/or UQ’s Online Applications System, SITS:Vision (which,
as of July 2011, is used to process Domestic Postgraduate Coursework applications). In
such cases, the manual data entry process outlined below is not required.
The addition of biographical data for a new person would be required when entering a
prospect (a person who may study at UQ in the future) , as part of the Direct Admission
process (applications received and processed at the university), for the research area to
add the details of an Examiner or Supervisor into SI-net or to make a staff member a
course co-ordinator.
Note: If a staff member has failed to perform a thorough
Search/Match prior to adding a person in SI-net, there is a
potential for the duplication of an existing ID number. Resolving
the issue of duplicate IDs is a lengthy and labour intensive
process.
The Student Functional Group emphasises the need for staff
members to be vigilant in performing a thorough Search/Match.
If you have any concerns, please contact SI-net HELP.
Page 29
Training Guide
Fundamentals
If you need to add a new person into SI-net, follow these steps:
Step
Action
1.
Navigate to: Campus Community > Personal Information >
Add/Update a Person
2.
If a Search/Match has been performed and no matching person exists
in SI-net, click the Add a New Value tab.
If a matching person did already exist in SI-net, access their existing
record via the Find an Existing Value page and confirm that all details
are still correct. See the ‘Update Biographical Details for a Person’
section below if any amendment is required to the existing record.
3.
On the Add a New Value page, note that the ID field defaults to NEW Do not change this value. SI-net will automatically assign an ID to the
person when the record is successfully saved. Click the Add button.
4.
On the Biographical Details page, use the fields provided in the top
sections of the page to enter the person’s First Name, Middle Name,
Last Name, Date of Birth and *Gender.
When entering the Date of Birth, note that you can enter dates in SI-net
without the slashes (ddmmyy or ddmmyyyy) and the correct formatting
will be applied when you [TAB] out of the field. You could use the
calendar look-up icon if preferred.
Page 30
Training Guide
Fundamentals

There are rare instances where a person only has a single legal
name (i.e., not a first name and a last name). In such cases, enter
a full stop ‘.’ in the First Name field and the provided name in the
Last Name field. This allows us to identify the person in future via
Search/Match (which places primary value on Last Name).

Never use foreign accents etc. in names – they cause issues for
several systems at the university

Never enter anything in the field marked Legacy ID, this is
designed to hold only the original 9 digit ID number

Please note that brackets (along with other unnecessary nonalpha characters) entered into the Name field will prevent the
creation of the student’s Email for Life mailbox alias. If you need to
enter a Preferred Name, this is done using the Names link that
appears immediately after saving the person (before you navigate
away from the page!). Please refer to the SI-net Student
Admissions training guide for more details on using the Names
link.
Step
Action
5.
In the ‘Addresses’ section at the bottom of the page, enter the person’s
Home Address details. First, confirm that "Home" is displaying in the
*Address Type field (this is the default value).
When adding a new person, you will usually specify either a Home,
Mailing or Business address type). However, note that the student is
responsible for verifying and maintaining this information via mySI-net,
and they will be prompted to do so when enrolling.
6.
Once the correct Address Type is selected, click Edit Address link to
access the ‘Edit Address’ page.
Page 31
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Step
Action
7.
Use the fields on this page to enter the person’s address details and
then click the OK button. Note that the person’s suburb should be
entered into the City field, not into the Address 2 field.
You will be returned to the Biographical Details page, and should note
that the entered address is now displayed on the page.
8.
If you need to enter another address type, click the Add a new row
button within the ‘Addresses’ section.
Note that you will now be on Row 2 of 2 within the blue scroll area in
the ‘Addresses’ section.
You then need to change the value selected under Address Type from
‘Home’ to the required type (e.g., ‘Mailing’, ‘Permanent’). All the details
will copy over from Row 1. Click the Edit Address link, and overwrite
the details if required.
9.
Enter any other address types as required, by adding a new row,
selecting the relevant Address Type and editing the address.
For international students, the Home address in SI-net should
always be a local address. The student’s country-of-origin
address must be entered as a ‘Permanent’ Address type.
When specifying the Permanent address type, you would click the
Change Country link on the Edit Address page, to change the
country from ‘Australia’ to the relevant international location. The
address format and the look-up options (e.g., under ‘State’) will
then be updated to the specifications of the country selected.
Step
Action
10.
To view all addresses that have been entered, click the View All link on
the blue ‘Addresses’ scroll area. (Due to space constraints, only one
address type will display at a time unless this link is selected).
Page 32
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Step
Action
11.
To enter a contact phone number, select the relevant value from the
Phone Type list (e.g., Home, Work or Mobile). Then, enter the phone
number into the Phone field, using numeric digits only. If entering an
international number, a ‘+’ plus sign can be inserted prior to the country
code.
If only one phone type is being entered, please tick the Preferred
checkbox next to that number.
No brackets should be used in this field, as it will cause DIISRTE
(formerly DEERW) errors.
When entering Australian mobile phone numbers, please do not
include any spaces or symbols/characters (e.g., brackets, plus
signs, hyphens, etc) within the number.
Bulk SMS services (which are increasingly being used by the
university to send messages to students) rely on this standard 10digit format of Australian mobile numbers, with no spaces or
punctuation included.
Step
Action
12.
If there is more than one type of phone number provided, click the
Add button to create additional rows in this section.
Then, select the relevant phone type/s and enter the number/s as
required. Note that it is mandatory to use the Preferred checkbox to
specify which number represents the preferred contact for the person.
13.
To enter an email address, select the relevant type (Home, Business
etc.) and enter the address into the Email Address field.
If only one email type is being entered, please tick the Preferred
checkbox next to that email address.
The Add button is again available in this section to insert the second
and any subsequent email types.
If multiple email addresses are provided, one of them should be set to
preferred. However, irrespective of the preferred email address
selected, university correspondence will always be sent to the student
email address, once this is created by ITS.
The student email address will not need to be entered as part of
this process. Once created by ITS, student email addresses are
added to the student’s SI-net record via batch processing.
Page 33
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Step
Action
14.
If you need to access the Regional page, use the tab at the top of the
page or the Regional link at the very bottom of the page.
You do not record the applicant's Ethnic Group details on this page,
student’s are required to provide this information as part of their
enrolment tasks
The Citizenship Status must be entered at this time, if this information
has been provided, as it is a requirement for various other processes in
SI-net. Once this has been entered, only specific sections (such as the
Student Centre) are permitted to amend it and then only by adding a
row.
The other fields on this page should be left as is. The regulatory region
will always remain as Australia.
Page 34
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Step
Action
15.
Click the Save button.
At this point, the ID shown at the top of the page will update from ‘NEW’
to the SI-net Student ID that has been created for the new person. You
might wish to take note of this ID for subsequent use.
You may also notice the Names and Addresses links, which appear on
the page upon saving. A new ‘Addresses’ tab also appears within this
group of pages upon saving. The Addresses feature can be accessed
(via the link or the tab) to make updates to this person’s address in
future (although in reality this would often be done via
mySI-net by the student themselves).
If a student has been matriculated to Student Records
without a citizenship they cannot login let alone enrol until
their citizenship has been updated by a staff member.
Activity 4: Add a new Person
As you have already conducted a Search/Match in Activity 3
above, you can now be sure that the student does not already exist
in SI-net.
Using the demonstration provided by your trainer and the steps
outlined above, please enter this new student into SI-net:
First name: _____________ (insert your first name here)
Surname: Enriquez
Date of Birth: 15/08/1983
Gender: (insert your own gender)
Home Address: 54 Drysdale Court Tingalpa QLD 4173
Mailing Address: PO Box 1111 St Lucia 4067
Permanent Address: St John’s College (See Activity 5)
Phone: (07) 3390 1111
Mobile: 0412 345 678
Email: standard100@hotmail.com
Citizenship: Australian Citizen
A new Student ID will be generated as you save. Please take note
of it here:
_______________________
Once you have finished, please conduct a Search/Match using
the Date of Birth, and identify the person that you created
within the Search Results list.
Page 35
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Update Biographical Details for a Person
Students will usually update their own biographical details in mySI-net. However, the
following process can be used if a change needs to be made in SI-net before the
student is program and term active, or mySI-net cannot be used for some reason:
Step
Action
1.
Navigate to: Campus Community > Personal Information >
Add/Update a Person.
The 'Find an Existing Value' page will appear by default.
2.
Enter the student ID (if known) in the ID field.
If the ID is not known, conduct a Search/Match, locate the correct
person’s record and then use the Carry ID button before accessing this
page.
While you can also search for the student by entering their last and first
name directly on the Add/Update a Person search page, this search
process is far less informative and reliable than that provided by
Search/Match. The entry of the correct ID number is the best way to
ensure you are viewing and updating the correct record.
3.
Always click the Include History checkbox to ensure that you are
viewing all previously entered data and rows associated with that
record.
4.
Click the Search button.
5.
Make the required updates on the Biographical Details page, adding a
new row in the appropriate section:
To add an additional Phone or Email, click the relevant Add button,
select the ‘type’ and enter the details.
To remove an incorrect Phone or Email address click the Delete a row
button next to the out-dated row.
Page 36

Ensure that one Phone type remains selected as ‘Preferred’.

The ‘Student’ email address should never be changed
manually from the address provided by ITS.
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Step
Action
6.
To enter a new address for the person, access the Addresses page via
the tab at the top of the page or the Addresses link near the bottom-left
of the Biographical Details page.
Once you are on the Addresses page, you first need to select the
Address Type that you are adding. Select the relevant checkbox (e.g.,
Home, Mailing or Permanent) within the Add Address Types section
on the right of the page.
Next, enter the new details by clicking the Edit Address link or using
the Address Linkage link if relevant (see next section for details). Note
that Address information is effective-dated, so a history of address
changes is retained in the system.
Click Submit to add the newly entered address into the list of Current
Addresses. Only once you have saved the page will this new Current
Address be added to the record.
7.
Once the details have been entered or amended as required, click the
Save button.
Using Address Linkage
Address Linkage can be used to link a person’s address to an external organisation, if
that the organisation already exists in SI-net.

For example, if a student lives at a UQ residential college, their addresses can
be linked to that college, and their correspondence will then be sent to the
college's address, which is housed centrally on the Organisation pages of SI-net.
Another example could be an international student who has requested that their
mail be sent to an educational representative or agent.

To use the ‘Address Linkage’ feature, the person must already have been added into
SI-net. You can then access their saved record to insert the linked address as follows:
Step
Action
1.
Navigate to: Campus Community > Personal Information >
Add/Update a Person. The 'Find an Existing Value' page will appear
by default.
2.
Enter the student ID (if known) in the ID field. If the ID is not known,
conduct a Search/Match, locate the correct person’s record and then
use the Carry ID button before accessing this page.
While you can also search for the student by entering their last and first
name directly on the Add/Update a Person search page, this search
process is far less informative and reliable than that provided by
Search/Match. The entry of the correct ID number is the best way to
ensure you are viewing and updating the correct record.
Page 37
Training Guide
Fundamentals
When you move from one SI-net page to another, you may
sometimes notice that the ID field has been auto-populated with
the last ID you were working with in SI-net. Always double-check
that the ID and student details are correct.
Step
Action
3.
Always click the Include History checkbox to ensure that you are
viewing all previously entered data and rows associated with that
record.
4.
Click the Search button.
5.
Access the Addresses page using the ‘Addresses’ tab at the top of the
page, or by clicking the Addresses link near the bottom-left of the
Biographical Details page.
6.
On the Addresses page, you first need to select the Address Type that
you are adding. Select the relevant checkbox (e.g., Home, Mailing or
Permanent) within the Add Address Types section on the right of the
page.
7.
Then, you need to enter the new address. This could be done manually
using the Edit Address link. However, to link a person’s address to that
of an external organisation click the Address Linkage link.
Page 38
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Step
Action
8.
The Address Linkage page will appear. This page is used to specify
the Organisation to which the person's address will be linked.
If the Org ID is known, you can enter it directly. Alternatively, use the
look-up button to search for the organisation.
9.
The Look Up Org ID page will appear. This page allows you to enter
search criteria to find the Org ID if needed.
You could enter the entire organisation name or any criteria you know,
and click the Look Up button.
This search page is a useful place to use '%' (the wildcard that can be
used instead of changing the operand to ‘contains’ - see page 13). For
example, to search for St John’s College, you might enter “%stjohn”
into the Search Name field. This would return all organisations that
contain this string of characters in their name.
Select the correct organisation from the Search Results list by clicking
anywhere in that row.
10.
Once you have specified an Org ID, click the Look up button next to the
Location field and click the relevant location within the Search Results
list. Even if only one location exists for the Org ID, it still needs to
be selected for the address linkage to be saved.
Page 39
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Step
Action
11.
Click the OK button.
You will be returned to the Addresses page. The newly entered
organisation’s address details will appear in the Address field within
the ‘Add Address’ section.
12.
Click the Submit button. This newly entered address should then
appear within the Current Addresses section at the top of the page
(although note that only 2 addresses are displayed in this section – in
cases where you are entering a third address type, click View All).
13.
Only once you have saved the page will this new Linked Current
Address be added to the record. Click the Save button.
Removing Address Linkage
Step
Action
1.
Navigate to: Campus Community > Personal Information >
Add/Update a Person. The 'Find an Existing Value' page will appear
by default.
2.
Click the Search button.
3.
Access the Addresses page using the ‘Addresses’ tab at the top of the
page, or by clicking the Addresses link near the bottom-left of the
Biographical Details page.
4.
On the Addresses page, you first need to select the Address Type that
has been set to a linked address, usually Mailing.
5.
Click on the address type to the left of the address. This address is not
editable until you click on the Reset button
6.
This releases the address linkage although it does leave the address in
place. Which should be updated to the correct address
7.
Only once you have saved the page will this new Linked Current
Address be added to the record. Click the Save button.
Page 40
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Activity 5: Address Linkage
The person that you added in Activity 4 has requested that their
Permanent Address be recorded as St John’s College.
As the details of St John’s College are already saved in SI-net as
an ‘Organisation’ (Org ID: 10000175), you can now update the
student’s record and enter this Permanent Address Type using
‘Address Linkage’.
Page 41
Training Guide
Fundamentals
THE 3Cs ICONS
The 3C’s represent Checklists, Communications and Comments. They are SI-net’s
‘tracking functions’, allowing staff members to keep track of the progress of certain
business processes within student administration.
The 3C’s icons
The 3C's icons appear at the top-right corner of numerous pages within SI-net including:




Term Activation page
Student Program/Plan page
Comment Summary page
Application pages
These icons allow you to access a sub-page directly at the point of need, to enable the
recording of the comment, checklist or communication.
3C item
Icon
Used for…
Checklists

Keeping track of items required to be achieved or
submitted by students in relation to their application,
enrolment or other aspects of their studies.
Communications

Generating letters based on standard university
communications templates.
Recording the correspondence between the
University and the student (e.g., when students
respond to an offer, the response is recorded as an
incoming communication)

Comments

Keeping a record of any relevant information
regarding the student.
The recording of Comments is the most commonly used of the 3Cs processes. As
such, this function is explained below as part of this Fundamentals training course.
Checklists and Communications are more widely used for processing an application
(e.g., assigning a checklist to an application; generating communications to liaise with
an applicant, etc). As such, these are explained in the Admissions module.
Page 42
Training Guide
Fundamentals
COMMENTS
Comments are attached to a person's ID in SI-net to record useful information about:



The processing of that person’s record in SI-net (such as the granting of transfer
credit or a special exam);
Communications with the person; or
General information applicable to the person.
Administrative Functions
Comments are entered against a person's record according to the administrative
function being processed. For example:



If you need to record comments regarding the processing of a person's application to
study at UQ, the administrative function would be ADMA (Admissions Application).
Comments relating to a student’ program would be recorded under the function
SPRG (Student Program).
The Comment ID is the ID number of the person who created the comment it is
added automatically.
Variable Data
Depending on the administrative function to which the comment relates, you may need
to enter variable information such as a person's application number, or a student's
academic career and career number. If you access the Comments page via the
Comments icon on another processing page within SI-net (e.g., via the Maintain
Applications pages), the Variable Data and Administrative Function information will
automatically default.
Adding or Updating a Comment
Any time you need to add a comment in SI-net, you must always check to see if a
comment about the same topic has already been recorded for the person, before adding
a new one.
If a relevant comment already exists, you would then update the comment.
Step
Action
1.
Navigate to: Campus Community > Comments > Person Comment
Summary
2.
On the Person Comment Summary page, enter the relevant student
ID number into the ID field and click the Search button.
Page 43
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Step
Action
3.
The Comment Summary page will display.
Always click the Search button again on this page to check if any
relevant comments already exist, before adding a new one. This will
allow you to view all of the existing comment records for a person.
4.
Page 44
Check the Search Results section to view the comments that have
previously been entered for this person, taking into account the
Administrative Function and Variable Data that you intend to be using to
enter your comment:

If the search is completed and no search results appear, this means
that no comments have ever been recorded against this student’s
record. You can go ahead and add the required comment as a new
one.

If the search yields some comments, but they represent a different
Administrative Function or they relate to different variable data (e.g.,
the student’s previous Academic Career), briefly check the
comments using the View links to check the contents and ensure
that they do not relate to your current comment, and then go ahead
and add a new comment, selecting the appropriate Administrative
Function, Comment Category and Variable Data.

You will often find that a thread of comments already exists against
the student’s record for this particular Administrative Function and
Variable Data, and thus you need to access that thread of
comments and add your new one onto the top of it. In this case you
would use the View links to confirm this and then use the relevant
Edit link to update the previously entered comment (see
instructions commencing on page 46).
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Adding a new comment
If the above search tells you that you can go ahead and add an entirely new comment,
continue as follows.
(Steps continued from steps 1-4 above):
Step
Action
5.
To add a new comment for this student, the most convenient method is
to click the Add a New Comment icon within the 3C's icons at the top
of the page.
The Person Comment Entry page will appear as a new SI-net window.
Maximise this window to make it easier to work with this page.
6.
Enter or use the look-up button to select the required *Administrative
Function. (E.g., "SPRG" would be selected for comments relating to
the student’s program).
7.
Enter or use the look-up button to select the required *Comment
Category field. (E.g., "FACLTY" is selected to enter Faculty Comments
about the above Student Program function).
8.
As the person entering the comment, enter your own department (the
UQ organisational unit in which you work) into the Department field, or
use the look-up button to select the correct abbreviation.
9.
Always click the Variable Data button to check what variable data is
required about this comment / person.
Being ‘variable’, the fields that appear on this page will change
depending on the administrative function and comment category that
have been selected.
For example, you may need to specify the Academic Career and
Career Number to which this comment applies, using the look-up
buttons next to the fields. Even if only one value appears for the student
under these look-up buttons, you still need to manually go in and select
them to complete the comment entry process.
Once you have finished providing the required variable data, click the
OK button.
Page 45
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Step
Action
10.
Enter the comments in the standard comment entry format into the
Comments field. Comments must be entered in the following format:
[Today's Date] [Your initials]/[Your section's
abbreviation]: Comment text
Please keep in mind that other staff members are able to see
comments you have entered, and students can request access to all
recorded comments under Freedom of Information legislation.
Therefore, it is important to keep the comments succinct and
professional.
For example, Terence Trainer from the BEL faculty might enter:
"10/11/2011 TT/BEL: The credit has been approved and entered on
SI-net today.”
11.
Click the Save button.
Remember to close the window & return to your original SI-net window.
Page 46
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Updating a Comment
If your search at step 4 above told you that a relevant thread of comments already
existed for the student, you would need to update the comment.
This means that any subsequent comments for that same administrative function are
added in as a line at the top of the existing comments thread, so that the most recent
comment appears at the top.
This addition of the newest item to the top of the comment thread
is done manually, and great care must be taken not to edit or
delete the previously entered comments. While SI-net will not
stop you doing so, it is University Policy that previously entered
comments are not edited or removed, to maintain a full and
accurate history of the comments entered against the student’s
record.
The Comment ID in the Comment Data section will remain as the
ID number of the person who created the comment. It is entered
automatically by the system.
This process allows us to maintain an easy-to-view display of related comments for the
processing of a record, which can be seen on a single screen. Please be sure that you
do not enter a whole new comment for the administrative function and variable data, if
one exists already.
(Steps continued from steps 1-4 above):
Step
Action
5.
Within the Search Results section of the Comment Summary page, use
the Edit and View links to access the existing comments and confirm
that they relate to your current comment.
If you are sure about which comment you need to update, click the Edit
link to update that existing comment:
6.
The Person Comment Entry page will appear in a new SI-net window.
Maximise the window if you wish.
7.
To update an existing comment, position the cursor at the start of the
existing text in the Comments field and press [Enter] to insert a line.
Enter your new comment above the existing comment in accordance
with the standard comment entry format.
[Today's Date] [Your initials]/[Your section's
abbreviation]: Comment text
Please keep in mind that other staff members are able to see
comments you have added, and students can request access to all
recorded comments under Freedom of Information legislation.
Therefore, it is important to keep the comments succinct and
professional.
Page 47
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Step
Action
8.
Click the Save button.
Remember to close the window & return to your original SI-net window.
Activity 6: Adding a Comment
The student that you added into SI-net in the activities above has
contacted the Student Centre and requested that their name be
changed in SI-net, and has presented all the appropriate
documentation to support this change.
The correct surname is actually: Henriquez (not Enriquez)
Use the instructions above to enter a comment about this change
into SI-net, in the correct format, with your own initials and
organisational unit details and today’s date.
Administrative Function:
Comment Category:
General
Campus
(In reality you would also need to action this change by adding a
row on the Add/Update a Person page - However for the sake of
this activity let’s assume that this has already been done).
Page 48
Training Guide
Fundamentals
SERVICE INDICATORS
Service Indicators:



Flag important information relating to a student's record.
Serve as a visual reminder of specific conditions associated with a student.
Can impact on the student's ability to enrol in courses or to view grades on
mySI-net.
Service Indicators can be positive or negative. Service Indicator flags appear in the top
right-hand side of all pages associated with that person's record. Below is an example
where a student has both positive and negative service indicators visible on the
Biographical Details page.
Positive Service
Indicator

A positive indicator is to alert staff to the fact that their
something they need to be aware with this student
such as they are sponsored under a third party
contract arrangement, or they may be entitled to
special consideration. Most are sponsorships.
Negative
Service
Indicator (NSI)

A student could have a negative service indicator if
they have been excluded, or if they have incurred
parking or library fines.
Negative service indicators that require an action by a
student will also appear on mySI-net as Tasks against
the student's record. For many NSI’s, the student will
be unable to add new courses or view their studies
report until the NSI is released.

To view the details of a service indicator, click on the icon.
This will take you to a page that identifies the service indicator type, and also includes a
Details link where you can view some more details about the service indicator. However,
if you needed to view the comments included within the service indicator, you would
need to navigate to the Service Indicator page via the following menu path: Campus
Community > Service Indicators > Person > Manage Service Indicators
Page 49
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Adding Service Indicators
Service Indicators are only applied to a student’s record by those staff members who
work in the relevant area. For example, only staff working in the Properties & Facilities
Division would apply a negative service indicator (NSI) relating to a traffic fine; only
Library staff would apply an NSI relating to a library fine, etc.
Step
Action
1.
Navigate to: Campus Community > Service Indicators > Person >
Manage Service Indicators.
2.
Enter the student number in the ID field and click the Search button.
3.
The Manage Service Indicators page will display. This page is used to
add and remove service indicators. It records details such as the type of
service indicator, any outstanding payments, and any relevant
comments.
4.
Click the
Step
Action
5.
On the Add Service Indicator page, enter the Service Indicator Code
or use the look-up button to select the relevant code (e.g., a staff
member entering a NSI for traffic fines would select “TRA”).
6.
Enter the relevant Service Ind Reason Code or use the look-up button
to select it. The options available will be dependent on the Service
Indicator Code selected above. (In some cases, only a single Reason
Code will be available for selection: e.g., “TRAFF” for Traffic Fines).
Page 50
link to add a service indicator record.
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Step
Action
7.
The information in the Description field is automatically populated
based on the selections made above.
The Start Term field will default to 0000 and can be left as such, or
changed to the current term if desired. The Start Date field will default
to today’s date.
The End Term and End Date fields are generally not used (unless you
are advised to use them as part of a specific Service Indicator
procedure document).
8.
If a payment amount is applicable (as in the case of some negative
service indicators), this amount is to be entered in Amount field.
9.
Note that the Placed Person ID and Placed By fields are populated
automatically with the details of the staff member who is adding the
service indicator.
10.
If there are Comments relating the service indicator, these can be
entered in the field at the bottom of the page, using the standard
comment entry format: [Today's Date] [Your initials]/[Your section's
abbreviation]: Comment text.
11.
Note also the Services Impacted section, which outlines what the
student is able / unable to do while the Service Indicator is in place. For
example, the student may not be able to add courses in mySI-net until
their Negative Service Indicator released.
12.
Click the Apply button and click OK. The service indicator has now
been added.
Page 51
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Removing Service Indicators
A Negative Service Indicator (NSI) acts as a visual reminder and can impact on the
student's ability to enrol and to view their studies report. Common NSIs that can be
imposed on a student's record include:
Page 52

Disciplinary Fines

Outstanding Debt - Research

Exclusion

Exams - Results Withheld

Library Fines

Traffic Fines

Overdue Loans
Training Guide
Fundamentals
If a NSI is related to a fee item, once payment has been made, the NSI is automatically
removed in an overnight batch process. However, students may sometimes need to
urgently access their studies report or perform other mySI-net actions immediately. In
such cases, the NSI can be removed manually by staff in the relevant area.

Only the faculty or area that placed a service indicator should
remove the same service indicator.

The Amount field is an information field only – the value
inserted here does not drive any processes. Changing the
Amount to ‘0’ in an existing service indicator page does not
remove the service indicator from the student’s account.
To remove or ‘release’ a service indicator:
Step
Action
1.
Navigate to: Campus Community > Service Indicators > Person >
Manage Service Indicators
2.
Enter the student number into the ID field and click the Search button.
3.
The Manage Service Indicators page will display. Sometimes there
may be more than one service indicator applied to a student's record.
Ensure you navigate to the appropriate Service Indicator and click the
link relating to that service indicator under the ‘Code’ column to access
the details.
Prior to removing a NSI related to a fee item, confirmation is
required that all outstanding fees have been paid, for example, by
viewing a receipt.
Page 53
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Step
Action
4.
To remove a service indicator, click the Release button at the top-right
of the page.
5.
You will be asked to confirm the release. Click the OK button to confirm
the removal of the service indicator.
The negative service indicator is now removed.
Page 54
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Activity 7: Adding & Removing Service Indicators
Practice the process of adding a service indicator, using your
student from above. Enter a positive service indicator for
Sponsorship and a Negative Service Indicator for Library Fines.
Then, navigate to the Campus Community > Personal
Information > Add/ Update a Person page and view your
student’s record, to see the newly added service indicator icons.
Next, let’s assume that their library fines have been paid out in full
and this negative service indicator can now be ‘released’. Follow
the steps above to remove the service indicator.
Page 55
Training Guide
Fundamentals
CLASS SIGNON
Staff register class signon to allow students to perform electronic class signon:

Staff member who registers a course/class type first will automatically become
the primary owner to manage class signon
Secondary administrators can be nominated by the primary owner
Both the primary and secondary owners have edit access to manage class
signon
Other staff members have view only access to those registered course / class
type



Add Signon Registration
To add a Class Signon:
Step
Action
1.
Navigate to: Class SignOn > Add Class Signon Registration
2.
Enter the Term, Subject Area, Campus,and then click the Search
button.
3.
Click the link with Course, Class Type and Campus combination that
you hope to Add Signon.
Page 56
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Step
Action
4.
5.
Specify Secondary Owners, Contact Email Address, Signon Start Date,
Signon Start Time, Signon Close Date, Signon Close Time, and then click
Next Step button.

Please do not open Signon prior to the start of your Faculty
Start Date.

Please avoid scheduling all of your classes to open at the
same time and date – this impacts by overloading and
crashing the system (use the Details link).

Do not make the opening time too narrow.
Staff can set classes to Staff Allocation Only by clicking Staff
Allocation Only.
Page 57
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Step
Action
6.
7.
Define Class Size, Signon Permitted, Student View, and then click Save
button.
When classes are linked, the class size is shared between two
course /class types e.g. HMST3846 P01 and HMST7846 P01
(Semester 1, 2016)
Tips and Rules
1. Room Capacity is the maximum number of students allowed in a physical
location, this number cannot be changed.
2. The Class Size is the preferable number of students allowed in a physical
location and students can signon up to the class size.
3. Maximum class size =
 Up to Room Size(override not allowed), if room capacity up to 20
 Up to Room Size * 1.05, if room capacity between 21 to 99
 Up to Room Size * 1.10, if room capacity greater than or equal to 100
4. Staff must update the Class Size to a value greater than zero, alternatively, if you
do not wish to have those classes opened for signon yet, the Class Size can
remain as 0, change the Signon ‘Permitted’ and Student View to ‘No’. This will
make the class disappear off the published timetable, but it will remain within the
timetabling system (Syllabus Plus).
5. Student View determines student’s ability to see class Signon details on their
Signon pages and therefore signon to it provided Signon Permitted is set to
‘Yes’.
Page 58
Training Guide
Fundamentals
6. Signon Permitted determines whether students are allowed to Signon
themselves.
7. Registering Group Classes:

When registering Grouped Classes – i.e. one class with more than one
class meeting (T1, T1 and T2, T2), each class meeting will display on a
separate line as shown below

The example shown below indicates that students will be required to
attend two lectures for CSSE1001. The Class Size, Signon Permitted and
Student View fields will only display on the top line but applies to all class
meetings. The maximum Class Size in this case should not exceed 177.
Page 59
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Activity 8: Add Signon Registration
You have been asked to add 2 new courses into SI-net.
The details are:
* Primary Owner: _______________ (default will be your user ID)
Secondary Owner1: _____________ (optional)
Secondary Owner2: _____________ (optional)
* Contact Email Address: ______________
* Signon Start Date: ______________ (for the current semester)
* Signon Start Time: ______________ (for the current semester)
* Signon Close Date: ______________ (for the current semester)
* Signon Close Time: ______________ (for the current semester)
Staff Allocation Only: ______________ (optional)
Student Signon Notification: ______________ (optional)
Secondary Owners are assigned by Primary Owner. After
allocation, all owners will have the same privilege over the
course/class type.
Student Signon Notification will be shown on mySI-net Student.
Delete Signon Registration
The deletion of the entire Signon Registration for Course/Class Type (e.g.
COMP1000/Tutorial) is done via Manage Signon Registration.
Step
Action
1.
Navigate to: Class SignOn > Manage Class Signon Registration
2.
Enter the Term, Subject Area, Campus, and then click the Search
button.
3.
Click the link with Course, Class Type and Campus combination that
you hope to Delete Signon.
Page 60
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Step
4.
Action
Tick on the checkbox appearing at the bottom of the page to perform the
deletion of Signon Registration for the Course/Class Type, and then click
Next Step button.
Page 61
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Step
Action
5.
Click Save button, and then click on OK button on the popup window to
confirm the deletion.
6.
Specify Secondary Owners, Contact Email Address, Signon Start Date,
Signon Start Time, Signon Close Date, Signon Close Time, and then click
Next Step button.
Prior to deleting Signon Registration, staff should perform the
following:

Students must be informed via email about such action.

Deallocate signed-on students via Allocate Students by
Class as Signon Registration can only be deleted where there
are no students signed-on to the classes.
Only Primary and Secondary Owners have access to delete their
own registration.
Page 62
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Activity 9: Manage Signon Registration
You have been asked to delete the new course you just created in
SI-net.
Navigate to Class Signon > Manage Signon Registration’.
Search for one of the course/class type’s you just created in Activity
8.
On the following screen, click on Next Step button to peruse and
make changes on class/course type details.
Students Allocation
This functionality allows staff members to allocate, pre-allocate and unallocated
student(s) to a specific course/class type singularly or in bulk.


Allocate Students by Class
Allocate Students by Student
Only owners of relevant course/class type will have an option to Change Allocation.
Page 63
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Class Statuses
Below Class Statuses are displayed on the grid to aid Student Allocation.
 Current SignOn = 0
 Student View = ‘Yes’
 Student Permitted = ‘Yes’
 Current SignOn = 0
 Student View = ‘No’
 Student Permitted = ‘No’
 Current SignOn > 0
 Student View = ‘No’
 Student Permitted = ‘Yes’
Class meeting is deleted from Syllabus Plus.
Signon has reached the maximum Class Size.
Signon has reached the maximum Room Size.
Empty
Not Offered
Not Viewable
Deleted
Full Class
Full Room
Only classes which will have a Class Allocation link are ones with
students signed on to them.
Demonstration: Allocate Students by Class
Your trainer will now demonstrate the process of conducting
Manage Class Signon.
Click along on your own screen if you wish, to gain a better
understanding of Student Allocation on class/course type.
Step
Action
1.
Navigate to: Class SignOn > Allocate Students by Class
2.
Select Semester / Year, and then select Course Code or Subject Area
Code. Click on the Search button.
Page 64
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Step
Action
3.
Click the Next Step link with the Course Code that you hope to change
the allocation.
4.
On the following screen, Change Allocation link will appear on the grid
if you are an owner of any of the course/class type’s.
Page 65
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Step
Action
5.
On the following screen, click on the Course/Class type to change the
Student Allocation.
6.
On the following screen, click on the desired Student ID.
7.
Page 66

Reallocate or deallocate by clicking on the target Group, and
then Save button.

Click on Previous Step.
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Step
Action
8.
Confirm the change made, and exit the menu.
Students Class Signon
Students signon to a class via the Class Signon page when it becomes available.

If a course/class type has not been registered for signon yet, where the Class
Offering has multiple instances, e.g. Tutorial/T1, T2, T3, mySI-net defaults
Signon Action = ‘Not scheduled yet’.

If a course/class type has not been registered for signon yet, where the Class
Offering has only one instance, e.g. Lecture/L1, mySI-net defaults Signon
Action = ‘Not Applicable’.

If a course/classes type has been registered and is now open for signon, a link
appears in the Signon Action = ‘Signon Available’.

If a course/class type has been registered and either the student/staff has signed
on for the student, a link appears in the Signon Action = ‘Change Signon’.
Page 67
Training Guide
Fundamentals
SignOn Actions:

Not Applicable: Indicates that this Class Component will
not require registration for electronic Signon.

Not Scheduled Yet: Indicates that this Class Component
has not been scheduled for electronic Signon but will be.

Staff Alloc Only: Indicates that the school staff will
allocate students to this component. These classes will
not appear in your timetable until the status is allocated.
Once the student has successfully signed-on to a class meeting, it will appear as bold as
shown below.
Page 68
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Page 69
Training Guide
Fundamentals
GETTING HELP
If you need help with using SI-net, consider the following options:
1. Check if the information you need is on: www.uq.edu.au/sinet-support
-
In particular, the Training and Useful resources pages may assist you.
-
Consider also the ‘SI-net Player’ simulation tool (see p. 71).
2. Your local ‘SI-net Expert User’ may be able to assist you.
-
SI-net Expert Users play a vital role in extending the reach of the Student
Functional Group throughout the university, and helping to tailor SI-net
training and support messages to be specific to your organisational unit.
-
Specifically, Expert Users are responsible for:
 Delivering one-to-one training to staff colleagues who are new to
aspects of SI-net and have completed this Fundamentals training
course.
 Signing the Access Request form after the training is complete
(SI-net coordinator approval is also required on this form).
 Acting as a first contact for staff members who have questions about
SI-net.
 Liaising with the Student Functional Group on behalf of their
organisational unit for system and training-related issues.
-
If you have made a data-entry error in SI-net, Expert Users should be
your first point of contact. These staff members often have ‘Correct
History’ access, and/or can escalate the issue to the relevant academic
administration manager or to the Student Functional Group as required.
-
To find your SI-net Expert User/s, go to: www.uq.edu.au/sinetsupport/training and click ‘Role of SI-net Expert Users’ on the right.
3. If you need a report on SI-net information, go to www.mis.admin.uq.edu.au and
log in / request access to the Reportal (Business Objects).
-
Remember that SI-net and mySI-net are not reporting tools. Almost all of the
information accessible within SI-net can be included in a Business Objects
report.
-
Note however that there is at least a 24 hour time delay between changes
being made in SI-net / mySI-net and this information being reflected in the
Reportal.
4. Contact SI-net HELP.
-
The SI-net HELP line is available if you encounter difficulties or need a
Business Analyst’s assistance with using SI-net.
-
Please email SI-netHelp@uq.edu.au or telephone extension 58844
(8.30am - 5.00pm, Mon - Fri).
Page 70
Training Guide
Fundamentals
The SI-net Player simulation tool
On the SI-net support ‘Training’ webpage, you may notice a link to the SI-net Player.
This is an online simulation tool, which allows you to see ‘step-by-step’ demonstrations
of some key SI-net processes, and practice the steps within a simulated environment.
Step
Action
1.
Go to www.uq.edu.au/sinet-support/training and click the SI-net
Player Link at the bottom of the page.
2.
Click the green icon to launch the SI-net Player.
3.
Expand the hierarchical menu on the left of your screen, until you find
the topic that you wish to view. An individual topic is represented by this
icon.
4.
Only when you have selected a single topic, you are then able to select
the desired ‘Playback mode’ at the top of the screen. We recommend
either Try It mode or Do It mode.
Try It mode allows you to perform the steps of the process, following clear instructions
within a simulated environment which looks very much like you are working within a
real SI-net window. A pop-up bubble instructs you on the steps to follow, and you are
required to actually follow the steps to move through the simulation.
In Do It mode, the SI-net Player opens as a small window in the bottom corner of your
screen, to serve as a ‘memory aid’ when you work in the ‘live’ SI-net system. You are
not required to do any steps within the player window, you just use the arrows in the
yellow instructions pane to move backwards and forwards through the steps, reading the
instructions and viewing the screenshots as you go.
You can drag the corner to increase the size of the Do It window - both the lower
screenshot pane and upper yellow instructions pane can be resized to meet your needs.
Once you have exited a topic, you will be returned to the SI-net Player hierarchical menu
page, where you can view a different topic. If you are finished using the Player, simply
close the window.
Page 71
Training Guide
Fundamentals
MYSI-NET
mySI-net Staff Functions
Your trainer will now demonstrate the process of viewing a
student in mySI-net, and provide a quick overview of the other
functions that are available using the mySI-net tabs.
Using the SI-net Player tool that you were introduced to above,
you can ‘click along’ within the ‘mySI-net overview for staff
members’ simulation and access the pages also.
For more details about using the mySI-net staff functions, please refer to the Staff
Guide to mySI-net, which appears under the Important Information heading on your
mySI-net sign in page.
If a student is having problems with mySI-net…
Problem
Unable to view the
mySI-net pages or
has not yet received
their mySI-net login
details
Advice
A staff member with SI-net access can usually check
whether they are Program and Term Active (these processes
are covered in more detail in the Records & Enrolments
training).
Unable to carry out
certain functions in
mySI-net such as
adding courses or
accessing their
Studies Report.
Staff can check (on SI-net or mySI-net pages) whether they
have a Hold / Negative Service Indicator.
My Studies Report
link has disappeared.
Note that the Studies Report link is removed from mySI-net
for a brief period on the morning of grade release each
semester, to help manage the load on the mySI-net servers
at this busy time. Students should be reassured that this
menu link is usually returned early afternoon of the same
day.
Password issues
Instruct the student to contact ITS (by visiting the UQ
Connect office or phoning 07 3365 6000) or Ask IT
(by visiting the Library, phoning 07 3365 8811 or Australia
wide 1300 738 082).
Staff from the Student Functional Group cannot re-set
student passwords (although we may need to unlock the
account in the case of repeated failed password attempts).
Page 72
Training Guide
Fundamentals
TRAINING MODULE REVIEW
Core concepts

The Search/Match should always be run prior to adding a new person in
mySI-net, to avoid the creation of duplicates. Searching by Date of Birth only in
the first instance is a good practice to maximise your chances of finding the
record, if it already exists in SI-net. The hyperlinked column headings in the
Search Results table can be used to sort & re-sort the data to help you find the
person you’re looking for.

When viewing a record, it is better to ‘Include History’ wherever possible, rather
than just view the record in the default ‘Update/Display’ mode, as you may not be
seeing the whole picture without the history included. If you forget to select the
checkbox on a search page, you can always use the toolbar button at the bottom
of a page.

When adding a new piece of information and/or making a change to an existing
piece of information, a new effective-dated row is added so that historical data
is not lost.

Navigating through effective-dated rows is a key skill for viewing SI-net records.
The blue scroll area is used, either clicking through the arrows, or clicking the
View All link to see all of the rows on a single page.

Generally, staff members should not be making changes that students can do
themselves via mySI-net.

Prior to adding a new comment for a person, you should always Search for
existing related comments first, and if applicable, inserting your comment at the
top of the existing related comment stream. Comments must always be
professional and succinct, and entered in a standardised format.

Service Indicators provide an informative flag for staff and students. Only staff
in the applicable area apply a service indicator (e.g., Library), and only those
same staff members in that area should release the service indicator.
Consolidation activity
Please use your SI-net navigation skills and the information provided
by your trainer to complete the SI-net Fundamentals Consolidation
Activity.
You will need to navigate to each of the pages that we covered in
today’s course, to find out about a real student’s record in SI-net.
As we are working with real student information in this activity, please
remember to return the handout to your trainer at the end of the
session.
Page 73
Training Guide
Fundamentals
APPENDICES
Useful tips and time-savers
 If you hover your mouse over an item in the
menu, you will notice a tool tip (or mouse-over),
which describes the purpose of the folder or
page.
 Tool tips are used throughout the system to
provide hints about the function of buttons, icons
and hyperlinks.
 You may wish to minimise the left hand menu if
you are working on a complex SI-net page and
want to use the whole screen to view the page.
 You can do this by clicking the Collapse Menu
‘minus sign’ icon at the top-right of the menu bar.
 To return to the normal view, use the Expand
Menu icon
.
 You can right-mouse-click and copy any
selected value from a page (including hardcoded values such as EmplID or Enrolment
Request ID, which are generated upon saving),
and then paste it elsewhere within SI-net or
other applications.
 Entering ‘T’ (in upper or lower case) will
automatically populate a date field with today’s
date.
 You can also enter dates without the slashes
(i.e., 060212 or 06022012 will be automatically
converted to 06/02/2012 upon saving / when the
page is refreshed).
Working in multiple windows
It is sometimes useful to work between two separate windows, to view two or more
SI-net pages simultaneously. For example, you may be entering data on one page and
you need to conduct an enquiry on another page to complete the information.
However, please take note of the following points:

The New Window link on the top right of most SI-net transactional pages does allow
you to open a second SI-net session, and will work for most browsers.
- Once you are finished working with the second window, please close the
window without signing out.
- NOTE: If your browser is set-up to always open ‘new window’ links as new
tabs, this function will not work for you - you are likely to be signed out of
both SI-net sessions.
Page 74
Training Guide
Fundamentals

The Student Functional Group recommends that users wishing to work between two
SI-net sessions do so by using two different browsers (e.g., one Internet Explorer
session and one Firefox session), so that the two sessions are in no way impacting
upon each other.
- You would therefore need to sign in separately to the second session, and
remember to sign out before closing the second window.
Note: Web browsers such as Internet Explorer include a similar
feature via File > New > Window. DO NOT use this feature while
working in SI-net!
The use of multiple windows will slow down system processing slightly, so make sure
you close any SI-net windows you are no longer using (remembering to click the Sign
out link, if working within a separate browser session, or just close the window if you
have used the SI-net New Window link).
Setting your operator defaults
You can create operator defaults to decrease the amount of data entry on a page. This
is particularly useful if you always enter the same values in certain data fields.
Step
Action
1.
Go to: Set up SACR > User Defaults
2.
Note that Academic Institution, Career Group SetID and Facility Group
SetID are already defaulted to UQUNI automatically.
3.
You can set up operator defaults for many data fields such as Academic
Career; Academic Group; Term; Academic Program; Academic Plan,
Application Centre etc.
It is important to remember what defaults you have created - if you set
your defaults to be too specific (and forget that you have done so), it could
cause errors in data entry and processing.
Page 75
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Troubleshooting
Problem
Possible solution
Notes
I’ve made a
change but
it’s not being
reflected on
the page / the
page is not
refreshing
properly
Clearing your cache
files / deleting your
temporary internet
files may resolve
such issues.

I’ve clicked on
a download
link (e.g.,
Class Lists in
mySI-net) and
nothing
happened…
It could be that your
web browser has a
pop-up blocker
enabled. You would
need to disable the
pop-up blocker.

Pop-ups are
already
enabled, but I
still can’t
download
from SI-net
It could be the other
security settings.

Error appears
upon saving
when I have
added several
new rows`
Check whether the
error message
mentions Effective
Dates & Effective
Sequencing





Each browser will have a different
process.
In the Internet Explorer menu, go to:
Tools > Internet Options and on the
General tab, click the Delete… button.
Select Temporary Internet Files,
Cookies and History and click the
Delete button.
Each browser will have a different
process.
In Firefox, click the Firefox menu,
select Options from the drop-down
menu. Within the Content tab of the
dialog box, click the Exceptions
button and enter
‘www.sinet.uq.edu.au’ into the blank
space of the addresses of website
field and click Allow button. This
would enable Popup windows from
the SI-net web site, whilst maintaining
the security of your web browser from
other web sites’ popup windows.
Each browser will have a different
process.
In the Internet Explorer menu, go to:
Tools > Internet Options and go to
the Security tab. Click the Custom
Level... button. Ensure that ‘enable’ is
selected under ‘Automatic prompting
for file downloads’, ‘File download’
and ‘Font download’. Click OK.
If you have inserted a row and then
backdated the Effective Date, check
that you have inserted that row at the
appropriate point in the record’s
effective-dated history.
Check that the numbers entered into
your Effective Sequence fields for
each Effective Date are in the correct
order. See page 15 for more details.
A note on Browsers: While you can choose to use your preferred browser to access
SI-net, it is not optimised for all browsers and browser versions. If you are using a
browser (such as Chrome) and encounter some visual / presentation issues while using
SI-net or mySI-net, consider trying the process using another Browser.
Page 76
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Glossary - Useful terminology for new SI-net users
Some of the terms below are covered in more detailed SI-net courses. However, as you
may come across them now, a brief definition is provided below for your information.
Terminology
Academic Career
Access Mode
Action Reason
Administrative Function
Admit Term
Campus Community
Effective Date
Effective Sequence
Explanation
Academic Careers categorise the courses and programs
offered at the University of Queensland based on academic
level. They represent the general level of study to which a
student has been admitted (e.g., Undergrad, Postgraduate
Coursework, etc). See p. 17.
The ‘mode’ that you select when accessing SI-net screen,
which determines what effective-dated information you can
view and update. See p. 13.
Together with the Program Action, this field is used on some
transactional SI-net pages to assist in identifying the nature
of the process being conducted. This is covered in more
detail in the SI-net Records & Enrolments training course.
A field on the Person Comment Entry page, which dictates
the overall nature of the comment (e.g., whether the
comment relates to the person’s Admissions Application;
their Student Program, etc). See p. 43
This relates to the term (usually a semester, but in some
cases a trimester or research quarter) when students
commence their studies. It is the term when students first
consume EFTSL for their program – that is, when students
are first enrolled in courses (as at the census date) for the
program. The Admit Term remains the same throughout the
entire program. The admit term is a DEST requirement.
This is covered in more detail within the SI-net Records &
Enrolments training course.
Holds all personal information (name, date of birth,
addresses) for all prospects, applicants and students, along
with comments and service indicators. Also includes
information on external organisations. See p. 29
The date from which a change to a record in SI-net should
take effect. Each amendment or addition of information in
SI-net is recorded on a separate effective-dated row. The
Effective Date defaults to today’s date, but this can be
changed if necessary to future- or back-date the information
as required. See p. 15.
This field is useful when multiple rows are added to a
student’s record on the same Effective Date. It represents
the order in which the changes were made, with ‘1’
representing the first change on a given Effective Date, ‘2’
representing the second, etc. See p. 15.
Page 77
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Terminology
Explanation
Matriculation
Transfers the application information from the SI-net
Admissions module to the Records and Enrolments module.
Converts the applicant into a student with an active
program. This is covered in more detail within the SI-net
Admissions Training courses.
mySI-net
mySI-net is effectively a 'cut-down' version of SI-net,
designed to provide self-service access for students, and
allow non-administrative staff members to manage their
classes. See pp. 7 and 67 for more details.
NSI
= Negative Service Indicator. See p. 49.
Program Action
This field is used on many transactional SI-net pages to
identify the nature of the process being conducted. This is
covered in more detail in the SI-net Records & Enrolments
training course.
PSI
= Positive Service Indicator. See p. 49.
Research Quarter
A new study pattern introduced at the University of
Queensland in 2012 for Research Higher Degree students.
Research Quarters are recorded in SI-net as terms.
See p. 18.
Search/Match
Search/Match is a mandatory step prior to adding a new
person in SI-net. A correct Search/Match is the key to
preventing the creation of duplicate records in SI-net.
See p.20 for more details.
Service Indicator
These help to flag important information relating to a
student's record, and serve as a visual reminder of specific
conditions associated with a student. Service Indicators can
be positive or negative. A negative service indicator can
impact on the student's ability to enrol in courses or to view
grades on mySI-net. See p. 49.
The University of Queensland’s Student Information
Network (SI-net), is the core student administration system
for the management of student data.
Study patterns such as semesters, trimesters and research
quarters. For semester-based terms, the 4-digit SI-net Term
Code is derived from the decade, year and the semester
(1, 2 or Summer). See p. 18.
SI-net
Term
Trimester
A new study pattern introduced at the University of
Queensland in 2011 for UQ College programs. Trimesters
are recorded in SI-net as terms. See p. 18.
Variable Data
A button on the Person Comment Entry page, which links to
fields that are mandatory in entering a new comment. Being
‘variable’, the fields that appear on this page will change
depending on the administrative function and comment
category that have been selected. See p. 43.
Page 78
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Legacy System Searches
Any data held by UQ prior to 31/12/2000 has been ‘frozen’, and can be located via one
of the below options.
Legacy Index Query
You can search the original “Legacy” name index although every person who who ever
existed at UQ is in the current Campus Community area, although some may not have
had their middle imported. It may not be obvious why they existed, such as an
Agricultural College, Lawes (now Gatton campus) alumus, created for Convocation
purposes at UQ etc.
Step
1.
2.
Action
Navigate to: mySI-net Staff > Staff Functions – Legacy Index Query
Use the values on this page to conduct a search based on the information that
you know about the person. Click Search. This is a name search.
The Results tab appears after you have submitted a search. It provides you with the
relevant information from the pre-2001 equivalent of the Campus Community > Personal
Information pages. This includes:




Student ID numbers (9 digits long)
Names
Dates of Birth
A ‘Comments’ field. The Comment field can hold extra useful information such as
“WAS SMITH”, “NOW BROWN”, “CONVOC” etc. Note that the legacy index was
not effective-dated, so this Comments field was often used to help maintain a
history of changes. Staff members would add a line each time something
changed, for example:
Page 79
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Legacy ID
Name
Date of
Birth
Comment
123456789
Citizen, Mary
20/10/1949
WAS SMITH
123456789
Smith, Mary
20/10/1949
NOW CITIZEN
000456789
Citizen, Jane
29/12/1953
000456789
Smith, Jane
29/12/1953
000456789
Jones, Jane
29/12/1953
WAS SMITH NOW
JONES
WAS CITIZEN NOW
JONES
WAS CITIZEN THEN
SMITH
Select
Student
Select
Student
Select
Student
Select
Student
Select
Student
Select
Student
Original name
1st name change
Current
If you click on the Select Student it will display a computerised academic transcript for
this student, if there is one. It is possible that you will not find a computerised transcript
as UQ only computerised in 1974 and nothing prior can be computerised. If required a
pre 1974 transcript can be requested from Archives.
Legacy System – academic history.
The Legacy System page displays the legacy version of a studies report. This is
especially useful if the student was not actively studying during the 1990’s. While such
students will usually be in SI-net as a person, their academic history will not necessarily
have been moved into SI-net. You may be able to find some other useful information
such their high school or other admission information. If a student from this period
returns to study, please contact the Student Functional Group. We can move their
previous computerised enrolment details into SI-net if necessary.
Step
1.
2.



Action
Navigate to: mySI-net Staff > Staff Functions – Legacy System
Use the values on this page to conduct a search based on the information that
you know about the person. Click Search. This is a name search.
ID = current 8 digit id number
Legacy ID = original 9 digit id number
First & Last Name will be the name that is currently in SI-net
If a student has studied prior to 2001 and again currently their legacy academic history
will appear as below:
Page 80
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Advanced Search/Match




This is not commonly used, and most staff members will not need this option.
It allows you to conduct your search using additional fields, including middle name,
address, email address, etc. Middle name can be particularly useful in those cases
where a person’s commonly used name (and preferred name) is actually their legal
middle name.
However, note that some search fields on this page are case sensitive.
o First Name, Last Name and Email Address can be entered in any case and
will be converted to all UPPER CASE before searching
o However, Middle Name and all of the Address fields must be entered in
Sentence Case (i.e., First character in upper case, remaining characters in
lower case). If the values in the Middle Name, Address Line 1, Address Line
2 or City fields are entered in all lower case or all upper case, the Advanced
Search/Match will generally not return any results.
It also allows you to change the ‘operand’ from ‘begins with’ to ‘contains’ or ‘equals’
if required. The ‘contains’ operator can be particularly useful, and operates in the
same way as the ‘%’ wildcard mentioned on page 13.
To set up an Advanced Search:
Step
Action
1.
Navigate to: Campus Community > Personal Information >
Search/Match
2.
Enter or select the:
Search Type:
Search Parameter:
Person
ADVANCED
3.
Click Save Search Criteria.
4.
Name your saved search (e.g., “Advanced”).
5.
Click Save. (Note that you can delete a saved search later if you wish)
6.
Click Return to Advanced Search to return to the original screen.
7.
Click the Search button.
The Search Criteria page appears. This is the page which will be used
to actually conduct the Advanced Search/Match once you have finished
specifying the search settings.
8.
The Search Result Code, at the top of the page needs to be specified
to determine the format of the results that will be returned from your
search. Rather than specifying this code every time you perform a
Search/Match, you can set this up as a default value.
Click the User Default link, and then use the look-up button to select
UQ_PERS_RES from the Search Result Code. Click OK.
9.
You have now completed the process for setting up your Advanced
Search/Match.
To use your newly set-up Advanced Search, access the Search/Match
page again via the menu and then select the ‘Advanced’ option from
your Use Saved Search list.
Page 81
Training Guide
Fundamentals
Page 82