Extended Properties

Use the Extended Properties page to add, edit, delete, or deactivate custom properties that your institution chooses to include in the data entities.

The SyExtendedPropertyValue table has been restructured to eliminate its centralized design to dedicated tables created for each entity utilizing extended properties. This architectural enhancement significantly boosts the platform’s performance and scalability in managing extended property values. It reflects Anthology's continued commitment to optimizing system efficiency and long-term maintainability. See Architectural Change to Extended Properties in Anthology Student 25.3

You must open an individual record to add or edit an extended property for each entity in following table.

Module or Category Entity Type Access
Academic Records Area of Study Configuration > Academic Records > Area of Study > select or add an area of study name
Buildings Configuration > Academic Records > Buildings
Course Book Configuration > Academic Records > Courses
Course Book List Configuration > Academic Records > Courses
Location Configuration > Academic Records > Locations
Program Configuration > Academic Records > Programs
Program Version Configuration > Academic Records > Programs > select or add a program version
Student Academic Status History Students > select the student > Academic Records > Student Status History
Student Course Students > select the student > Academic Records > Student Courses
Student Enrollment Period Students > select the student > Academic Records > Enrollments
Admissions College and College Courses Configuration > Admissions > Colleges
High School Configuration > Admissions > High Schools
Applicant Students > select the student > Admissions > Student Applications  
Student Previous Education Students > select the student > Admissions > Previous Education
Career Services Skill Configuration > Career Services > Skills
Certification Configuration > Career Services > Certifications
Contact Manager Student Agency Branch Students > select the student > Contact Manager > Agency Affiliations
Student Groups Membership Students > select the student > Contact Manager > Group Memberships
Document Type Configuration > Contact Manager > Documents
Document Students > select the student > Contact Manager > Documents
Financial Aid Student Award Students > select the student > Financial Aid > Awarding > Awards
Fund Source Configuration > Financial Aid > Fund Sources
Student Accounts Student Ledger Card Transaction Students > select the student > Student Accounts > Ledger Card
Student Subsidiary Account Transaction Students > select the student > Student Accounts > Subsidiary
Student Bank Account Students > select the student > Student Accounts > Payment Information
Student Credit Card Students > select the student > Student Accounts > Payment Information
Transaction Code Configuration > Student Accounts > Transaction Codes
System Campus Settings > System > Campuses
Staff Settings > System > Staff
Scheduling Class Section Class Scheduling
Student Services Student Indicators Students > select the student > Student Services > Indicators

For example, you can define an extended property for: 

  • Area of Study to gather and store an additional value in the database that is not already in Anthology Student

  • Programs to gather and store an additional value in the database that is not already in Anthology Student

The extended property you specify here for entities like Area of Study and Programs can be selected respectively when you configure:

  • Area of Study (Configuration > Academic Records > Areas of Study)

  • Programs (Configuration > Academic Records > Programs)

You can also specify that the extended properties require authorization.

There are two options for creating custom fields in Anthology Student. The method you select depends on the type of custom field and the level of security you want to define for the custom field.

Option in Settings > System Type of Custom Field Where Used How Field is Secured
School Defined Fields Fields for student information School Fields tiles from the Student Profile

View and edit authorizations are configured for modules when the field is added. For example, if only View is specified for Academic Records, the field can only be viewed on the School Fields tile under Academic Records.

For a staff member to view and edit, the staff member must also have view or edit authorization for the School Fields page.
Extended Properties Fields for properties for specific entities (such as fields for student enrollments, staff, program versions, and document types) Varies by entity type. For example, a property for student enrollment is displayed when you add or edit a student enrollment from the Enrollments tile.

If the property is configured to require authorization, the view and edit authorizations are specified for the groups of staff members defined in the Security Console.

For a staff member to view and edit, the staff member must:

  • Have view and edit authorization for the page
  • Be in one or more groups with view or edit authorization

Prerequisites

Authorizations:

  • System - Settings - Extended Properties - Manage

Access

Settings > System > Extended Properties

Display Records That Use Extended Properties

  1. Select an Entity TypeClosed Select an entity for which you want to add and manage the extended property..

    Extended Proprties

  2. Select a record.

  3. Select Field Usage on the toolbar.

    If there are values specified for the field, Anthology Student displays a dialog with the details where the value is specified.

  4. Review the following values.

    Field ValueClosed The value specified in the extended property for the entity.

    NameClosed The name of the item (e.g., data set, batch, job, process, task, person, organization, entity, file).

  5. Select OK.

Add or Edit Items

  1. Select an Entity TypeClosed Select an entity for which you want to add and manage the extended property..

  2. To:

    • Add an item, select New

    • Duplicate an item, select it and then select Duplicate

    • Edit an item, select its Name

  3. Review, specify, or change the values.

    ActiveClosed Specifies whether the associated record is active.

    DecimalsClosed Specify the number of decimals. For Billing Services, the number of decimals must be less than or equal to 4. For Extended Properties and School Fields, the Decimals field is enabled only when you select the Numeric option in the Type field. The maximum is 4 and is included in the maximum specified for Length. For example, if you want the maximum to 999.99, specify 5 for Length and 2 for Decimal.

    Help TextClosed Specify any additional information you want displayed for the field when staff members mouse over the field on the page where the field is displayed or editable.

    LengthClosed Specify the maximum length of the value in the extended property. The data length of the string data type is limited to 256 characters. This field is enabled only when you select the String or Numeric option in the Type field. It includes the number of decimal places you specify for Decimal. For example, if you want the maximum to 999.99, specify 5 for Length and 2 for Decimal.

    NameClosed The name of the item (e.g., data set, batch, job, process, task, person, organization, entity, file).

    Requires AuthorizationClosed Indicates whether the extended property requires authorization. If you select Yes, the Property Security grid is enabled.

    TypeClosed Indicates or describes the nature of the extended property. Based on the option selected, the fields like Length, Decimal, and Type Validation are enabled. The options are String, Numeric, Date, and Boolean.

    Type ValidationClosed Specifies the values or type of validation. This field is enabled only when you select String, Numeric, or Date in the Type field. The options are: - None: Select this option if you want the extended property to be without values or validation. - Multi Select List: Select this option if you want the extended property to contain one or more values selected from a list. - Value List: Select this option if you want the extended property to contain a single value selected from a list. - Range: Select this option if you want the extended property to contain a value in a specific range. This option is visible inly if you select Numeric or Date in the Type field.

  4. Take the appropriate action. For Type Validation:

    Value You Selected Action to Take
    Multi Select List or Value List

    You must specify the values in the order you want them to be displayed for the extended property.

    1. If you want to: 

      • Add a new value, select Add
      • Edit a value, select the record

    2. Specify the value in the Value field.

    To remove a value, select the record and select Remove.

    None

    No action required.

    Range Specify the range in the From and To fields.

  5. If you selected Yes in the Requires Authorization field, specify or change the values in the grid under Property Security. Anthology Student displays a list of the groups your institution configured in the Anthology Student Security Console.

    Select the: 

    • View check box to make the field read-only for the group

    • Edit check box to make the field editable for the group

  6. To check how your additions and changes will look on the extended properties section, select Save and then select Preview.

  7. Save your changes.

  8. If you selected Yes in the Requires Authorization field and you want to make the extended properties available to staff members, you must: 

    • First clear the server cache. For information about clearing the cache, refer to Clear the Server Cache.

    • Then, request that the staff members log off and log in again to access the extended properties.

Implications of Editing Specific Extended Property on the Page

There are implications in editing some of the values on the page. For example, changing the value for Type from Date to Numeric. When you select a field to edit it, Anthology Student displays a message showing the number of records where a value is specified. Anthology Student tries to convert the data to the new type. If the data cannot be converted, Anthology Student displays a message, and you can choose to continue or cancel.

If needed, you can cancel and use Field Usage on the toolbar to display the records for the entities where an extended property is specified along with the value.

Delete or Deactivate Extended Properties

You can delete or deactivate the extended properties that your institution configured.

  • Deleting a field permanently removes it along with any of the values specified for a entity. No record of deleted fields or values is maintained in Anthology Student.

  • Deactivating a field item keeps a record of it in Anthology Student (preferred). It can no longer be specified for a entity, but any previously specified values remain in Anthology Student.

Delete Items

  1. To display a list of entities where the extended property is specified along with the value, highlight the field and select Field Usage.

  2. To delete the field, select Delete on the toolbar.

    If the field contains values for entities, Anthology Student displays a message indicating how many.

  3. To continue, select Continue.

Anthology Student removes the item from the list on the page and the list is redisplayed. Any values specified for the entities are also deleted.

Deactivate Items

  1. To display a list of entities where the value is specified along with the value specified for the entities, highlight the item and select Field Usage.

  2. Select a record. Anthology Student displays the details of the selected record.

  3. In the ActiveClosed Specifies whether the associated record is active. field, select No option from the drop-down list.

    The item: 

    • Remains displayed with No in the Active column

    • Is also no longer displayed on the Extended Properties section for the appropriate entities