Introduction

1. Introduction • University of Mississippi at a glance • Admissions (Before and After ISR) • Technical Components • Admissions Process Overview • SAP Workflow (Business Objects, Tasks, Rules and Agents) • Business Workplace Inbox • Online Status Checks • Prospect Tracking

2. UM at a Glance • Located in Oxford, MS about 80 miles south of Memphis, TN • About 14,000 students • Converted to SAP’s HR, Finance, Plant Maintenance modules in 1999 & 2000 • North American pilot for SAP’s student system, Campus Management; went live in April 2003

3. Admissions @ UM: Before • Prior to CM implementation, processing of applications was completely manual other than a batch program to load application data • Issues • Data was faulty • Difficult to know the status of an application • Inconsistent processing • Misplaced applications • Lengthy processing

4. Admissions @ UM: After • Processing of applications driven by SAP workflow • Features • No duplicate data entry • Data checks at front-end improve data quality • Consistent processing • Always know the status of an application • Web-based credit card payment of application fee • Customer fields to capture additional admissions data • Document tracking

5. Implementation Decision • ALL applications would be entered into the system via the Web application form. This led to the need for multiple “flavors” of applications. • Internal • External “Resident vs. Non-resident” • Re-Admit “Built in Logic” • Domestic vs. International • Undergraduate vs. Grad vs. Law • Campus location

6. Technical Components • SAP ISR “Internet Service Request” • On-line applications • SAP business object • Workflow • Task or Activity items (For Example: Create Admissions application, Create student master data) • SAP Business Connector • Touchnet Payment Gateway

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9. Admissions Process Overview • Student submits admissions application and credit card payment over the web • Information off of the application is stored as XML in an area within SAP called the BDS [Business Data Structure] • Depending on the particular scenario the application represents, the appropriate workflow is started

11. Admissions Process Overview Cont. • The workflow routes the application to the SAP Workplace Inbox of one or more Admissions Specialists • The Admissions Specialists opens the notification and executes task items to pull data out of the BDS and enter it into Campus Management • If the student is admitted, the last step of the workflow creates the students’ CM account, webID, and email address • Pre-population of data and identification of prior program of study for readmit applicants

12. Admissions Process Overview Cont. • An ABAP batch program runs nightly to check for the arrival of the required documents for all applicants with an incomplete application status. New Digital Imaging Functionality is going to replace manual transcript header update in SAP • ABAP program is executed every Monday and Thursday to mail an admissions certificate to all newly admitted students • Information Technology Helpdesk runs a program to mail all newly admitted Graduate and Law students information on their webID, student number/CM access code, and Ole Miss email account. For Undergraduate students, this information is included in the admissions certificate • Orientation Office runs a program to mail all newly admitted students informing them of the date that the Orientation Web Interface will open so that they can register for an Orientation session

13. Business Object • The admissions application is represented by a business object within SAP • The business object contains events, methods, and attributes • The work flow uses the methods and events of the business object to route the application

16. Admissions Application and Work Flow • Three different admissions offices each with multiple applications • Applications are distinguished by an attribute of the business object called “scenario”

17. Workflows • Three separate workflows are utilized to route the applications • Each workflow listens for the creation of a new instance of the Z01BUS7051 business object “Created Event” and the particular scenario the application represents • Agent assignments and routing rules/roles on the particular steps of the workflow determine to whom the application is routed

24. SAP Business Workplace Inbox • Each agent accesses the application through his or her workplace inbox • There is a sub inbox for each step in the workflow

26. Task Items • The agent opens the application in the workplace inbox and processes it via the execution of task items • Each task item has a terminating event which causes the application to route to the next step in the workflow • Many task items have follow up SAP functions for the purpose of setting holds and statuses (Example: Student health hold, Advisor hold etc.)

29. Online Status Check for Graduate Students

31. Interim Solution - Prospective Student Information For Admissions

33. Summary • Faster processing of admissions application due to multiple agent assignments and automated data entry • Fewer errors due to the elimination of manual data entry and built-in application checks for data consistency • Simplified and consistent application processing via action inbox task items • Ability to check application status online • “There were initial concerns with respect to the functionality when SAP’s Campus Management system was introduced. But the concerns are not as great now since the admissions personnel know how to get or update appropriate student data and the system performance is lot faster” – Jennifer Simmons (Assistant Director Of Admissions)

34. Future Work • With the future upgrade of SAP system to SAP 2005, the Internet Transaction Server (ITS) will be integrated, eliminating the need for a separate ITS • SAP’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Implementation would remove the need for any external prospect data tracking system • SAP’s reporting solution Business Warehousing would be implemented soon to provide efficient reporting solution to the end users • UM is about to implement a project to initiate and track academic dishonesty process using SAP’s Workflow technology

35. Questions? • Anil Vinjamur vinjamur@olemiss.edu • Tim McCready tmccread@olemiss.edu