SLR Extension

The Scheduling Optimizer provides a Section Load Restriction (SLR) operation to specify that a selected set of students may be assigned to a designated course-section from which a Restrict SLR would otherwise exclude them while also permitting other students into the designated course-section. Because the standard Schedule Pro loader will interpret the "Override Restrict" SLR type differently than the Scheduling Optimizer, this extended feature should be used with care in the combined Schedule Pro/Scheduling Optimizer environment; see the Notes section.

Follow these steps to define "Override Restrict" type SLRs.

Add a specially designated student group code to the list in the Group table.

Use the Tables atom to add an entry to the "GRP" (Groups) table. The new entry MUST define the code "%OVR" (percent sign, uppercase letters O, V,R). Use the description "Override Restr SLR".

Note: This entry will appear ahead of any other nonblank entries when the selection list for the Student Group field is displayed in the Section Load Restrictions atom.

Use the special group code to identify allocate SLRs as Restrict Override operations.

  • In the Course atom, open the course.
  • Go to the Schedule Pro page.
  • Click the Load Rstr button. The Section Load Restrictions screen opens.
  • Define Override Restrict SLRs by defining an SLR entry with the "Alloc/Restr" field set to "Allocate" and other data as required, then enter the code "%OVR" in any of the available Group fields by selecting it from the field's dropdown selection list.

Notes

  • The Scheduling Optimizer will interpret the Section Load Restriction entries shown above to mean that students in Group S05 may be assigned to only section 11 or section 12 of the course while other students may be assigned to any section, including sections 11 and 12.
  • The Scheduling Optimizer ignores the special "%OVR" group code if it is present in a Restrict type SLR. Adding the "%OVR" group code to the Restrict entry in line 1 of the above example would produce the identical simulation results.
  • The Schedule Pro loader will treat the "%OVR" group in the same way as any other student group. If you are using both the Schedule Pro loader and the Scheduling Optimizer, you can maintain as much compatibility as possible by using the Student Groups atom to assign all students in the school to the special student group "%OVR". Schedule Pro will treat an "Allocate" type SLR as an exclusive allocate (i.e. students are excluded from the specified course-section if they do not match the selection criteria defined in the SLR entry) regardless of the presence or absence of the "%OVR" group code. However, if all students in the school are assigned  to this group, Schedule Pro will apply its SLR processing to the intended set of students rather than ignoring it completely.

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