Setting Up Staff Alerts

To modify program records, you must be assigned permission 754 (Update program records). To modify section records, you must be assigned permission 764 (Update section records). See Permissions Used by Sierra for more information.

The system sends staff alert emails to the program's operator and supervisor to facilitate the maintenance of programs and the registration list and waitlist. To use these alerts, specify the operator's email address in the Email Operator field of the program record, and specify the supervisor's email address in the Email Supervisor field of the program record. (If staff do not want to receive any of the supervisor and/or operator emails, you can leave the related fields blank.)

The system sends the following emails to staff if an alert is triggered by entries in the program and section records:

In addition, the system automatically sends advisory emails to the program operator.

Section Filling Alert

If the program supervisor wants to receive a Section Filling alert email when registrations for a section are close to the number of maximum seats specified:

  1. Retrieve the program record associated with the section for which the program supervisor wants to receive an alert.
  2. In the MAXALERT S field, enter the number of vacant seats remaining in a section that you want to trigger the Section Filling alert email. When the number of registrations in a section has increased to the point where the number of vacancies is decremented to the number specified in this field, the system sends a Section Filling alert email. (Note that if a patron creates multiple registrations, the number of vacancies can decrement to a number smaller than the number of vacancies specified before the Section Filling alert email is triggered.)
  3. Retrieve the section record for which the program supervisor wants to receive an alert.
  4. Verify that the MAX SEATS field contains the maximum number of registrations possible for the section.

The first time the number of vacant seats in a section decreases to (or below) the number in the MAXALERT S field, the system:

For example, if you specify the following:

When the number of registrations reaches or exceeds 8 (and therefore the number of vacant seats is 2 or fewer), the system sends a Section Filling alert email to the program supervisor and displays the date and time the email was sent (for example, "05-04-2011 2:00 AM") in the MAXALRTSNT field of the section record.

Section Filling alert emails resemble the following:

To: izacarias@north.lib.edu
Subject: Program Registration (Tango: May 06 2006 07:00:00PM) Section Filling Alert 

Program Name: Tango
Instructor: Arendal, Lila
Start Date: May 06 2006 07:00:00PM
Location: Music Library
Room: 
Cost: $15.00
Program Staff Note: 
Section Staff Note: 
Currently Registered: 8
Maximum Seats: 10
Minimum Seats: 8
Section Record: s1000015
Program Record: g1000015

This section is filling up.  Out of 10 seats, 8 have been taken.
One Section Filling Alert Email Per Section

After the system sends a Section Filling alert email and displays the email date and time in the MAXALRTSNT field, the system does not send any more Section Filling alert emails for that section.

If the program supervisor wants to receive another Section Filling alert email for the same section (for example, if registrations for the section are later cancelled and therefore the number of vacant seats increases), delete the date and time of the previous Section Filling alert email from the MAXALRTSNT field of the section record. The system sends another Section Filling alert email when the number of vacant seats again reaches the number specified in the MAXALERT S field.

You can delete the date and time from the MAXALRTSNT field as many times as necessary.

Minimum Alert

If the program supervisor wants to receive a Minimum alert email when the number of registrations is lower than the number of minimum seats specified:

  1. Retrieve the program record associated with the section for which the program supervisor wants to receive an alert.
  2. In the MINALERT D field, enter the number of days before the first session of each section that you want the system to send a Minimum alert email if the number of registrations is below the minimum seats specified for the section.
  3. Retrieve the section record for which the program supervisor wants to receive an alert.
  4. Verify that the MIN SEATS field contains the minimum number of registrations for the section.

When the current date is the number of days before the first session as specified in the MINALERT D field, the system checks the MIN SEATS and CUR REGIST fixed-length fields in the section record:

For example, if you specify the following:

When the current date is "05-01-2011" (5 days before "05-06-2011"), the system checks that the number in the CUR REGIST field is 8 or higher. If 8 or more registrations exist for the section on 05-01-2011, the system does not send an alert email. If 7 or fewer registrations exist for the section on 05-01-2011, the system sends a Minimum alert email to the program supervisor and displays the time and date sent, e.g., "05-01-2011 2:00 AM" in the MINALRTSNT field of the section record.

Minimum alert emails resemble the following:

To: izacarias@north.lib.edu
Subject: Program Registration (Tango: May 06 2006 04:00:00PM) Minimum Registration Alert 

Program Name: Tango
Instructor: Perez, Yanina
Start Date: May 06 2006 04:00:00PM
Location: Music Library
Room: 
Cost: $15.00
Program Staff Note: 
Section Staff Note: 
Currently Registered: 2
Maximum Seats: 10
Minimum Seats: 8
Section Record: s1000015
Program Record: g1000015

This section is beginning soon and has not met minimum registration.
One Minimum Alert Email Per Section

After the system sends a Minimum alert email and displays the email date and time in the MINALRTSNT field, the system does not send any more Minimum alert emails for that section.

If the program supervisor wants to receive another Minimum alert email for the same section (for example, if registrations for the section increase above the minimum registrations specified and the program supervisor wants to verify that registrations do not fall below the minimum requirement due to last-minute cancellations), delete the date and time of the previous Minimum alert email from the MINALRTSNT field of the section record. The system sends another Minimum alert email if the number of registrations again falls below the number specified in the MIN SEATS field.

You can delete the date and time from the MINALRTSNT field as many times as necessary.

Section Starting Soon Alert

If the program operator wants to receive a Section Starting Soon alert email before the first session of a section starts:

  1. Retrieve the program record associated with the section for which the program operator wants to receive an alert.
  2. In the TICKL DAYS field, enter the number of days before the first session of each section that you want the system to send a Section Starting Soon alert email.

When the current date is the number of days before the first session as specified in the TICKL DAYS field, the system:

For example, if you specify the following:

When the current date is "05-04-2011" (2 days before "05-06-2011"), the system sends a Section Starting Soon alert email to the program operator and displays the time and date sent, e.g., "05-04-2006 2:00 AM" in the TICKL SENT field of the section record.

The system also uses the TICKL DAYS field to send reminder emails to the instructor and patrons. If you enter a value in this field, the instructor and all patrons who are registered for a section of this program will receive a reminder email before the start of the first session. For information on this feature, see Setting up Email Reminders for Patrons and Instructors.

Section Starting Soon alert emails resemble the following:

To: etakayama@north.lib.edu
Subject: Program Registration (Tango: May 06 2006 09:00:00PM) Section Starting Soon Alert 

Program Name: Tango
Instructor: Gardel, Carlos
Start Date: May 06 2006 09:00:00PM
Location: Music Library
Room: 
Cost: $25.00
Program Staff Note: 
Section Staff Note: 
Currently Registered: 10
Maximum Seats: 10
Minimum Seats: 8
Section Record: s1000015
Program Record: g1000015

This section is starting soon.
One Section Starting Soon Alert Email Per Section

After the system sends a Section Starting Soon alert email and displays the email date and time in the TICKL SENT field, the system does not send any more Section Starting Soon alert emails for that section.

If the program operator wants to receive another Section Starting Soon alert email for the same section (for example, if the operator is unable to set up the room right away and wants another reminder), delete the date and time of the previous Section Starting Soon alert email from the TICKL SENT field of the section record. The system sends another Section Starting Soon alert email the next day.

You can delete the date and time from the TICKL SENT field as many times as necessary. Note, however, that the instructor and patrons registered for that section will receive another email reminder that the program is starting soon.

See also:
Advisory Emails Sent to the Operator