System Settings

Owned by Robin Rodrigue
Last updated: Aug 12, 2021 by Nora Kinal
13 min read



Overview

Overview

System Settings is where the client will set the parameters that will be utilized throughout the system.

For the initial setup, please use the Setup Checklist to record when each section is complete.

Opening System Settings

This procedure is used to access all processes in the System Settings section.

From the Admin and Maintenance tab, select System Settings.

For changes in multiple areas click Apply after completing modifications in each tab. Clicking Ok will save changes and close the window.

District Info

The District Information Section is where you tell the system about your District.

Select the District Info tab to enter District information.

District Name - Your District Name will be auto-filled when you select your District from the list next to District ID. You may edit the name after you have selected your District from the list.
District Code/District ID - The abbreviated code and the numeric identifier for your District (Not editable). Click the ellipsis icon and select your District from the list.
Address Line 1 - District's mailing address.
Address Line 2 - District's mailing address continued or P.O. Box.
City - District's city.
State - District's state.
Zip Code - District's zip code.
HSS District ID -District's HSS ID.
NCES District ID - District's NCES ID.

Miscellaneous

The Miscellaneous section contains information that does not fall under the other categories.

Select the Miscellaneous tab to enter miscellaneous setup information.

Backup Path Relative to Client

Some users may not have a backup path relative to client due to rights established by the District.

Backup Path Relative to Server

If a network path is used, be sure the SQL server user login being utilized has the appropriate permissions to write to the chosen network location.

Current School Year - Select the current school year from the drop-down menu.
Backup Path Relative to Client - Enter the location where the system will place backups relative to the workstation (local or network drive).
Backup Path Relative to Server - Enter the location where the system will place backups relative to the servers (usually a folder on the server's local drive).
Skip alert check for users that cannot see details - Select this option to skip Check Alerts at startup for users without permissions to view alert details.
MySchoolApps Integration ID - If your District utilizes the ApplyForLunch service, enter the Integration ID number (supplied by Heartland).
Database GUID - The GUID for the current database (Not editable).
Max Parallel Database Connections - Enter the maximum number of database connections to use when processing parallel operations against the database.
Show News and Announcements at Startup - Select this option if you want News and Announcements to be displayed at startup.
Sort Schools by Name instead of Number - Sorts schools by their school identification number instead of the school name.
Shrink the log after database upgrades - By default, the database and log files are shrunk after upgrades.
Target Log Space Available (MB) - Specify the maximum space allowed for database shrinkage. In most cases, the default value, 1024 (1 GB), is sufficient.

Reports

The Reports section allows you to set a default Confidentiality Statement and custom Headers that will appear in all reports.

Select the Reports tab to establish appropriate reports options.

Report Title 1 - Enter the first default title that will appear on all reports.
Report Title 2 - Enter the second default title that will appear on all reports.
Report Title 3 - Enter the third default title that will appear on all reports.
Confidential Data Statement - Enter the default confidentiality statement that will appear on all reports containing confidential data.
Show Names as Last, First - Select this option to list students in last name, first name order.
Hide Site Code/School Number - Suppresses all site codes and school numbers from reports.
Sort Schools by Name instead of Number - Sorts schools by their school identification number instead of the name of the school.

Application Processing

The Application Processing section allows you to configure how applications are handled in the system.

Select the Application Processing tab to establish appropriate application processing options.

Alpha-Numeric and Numeric Case Number Configurations

  1. Click the gear icon to the left of the drop-down menu.

  2. Establish Minimum Length, Maximum Length, and Alternate Length (0 for no alternate length). Then, click Ok.

     

Regular Expression Case Number Configurations

  1. Click the gear icon to the left of the drop-down menu.

  2. Establish a JavaScript Regular Expression and determine if the expression is Case Sensitive.
    JavaScript Regular Expression The JavaScript Regular Expression statement entered should also be the Regular Expression statement used in your Free & Reduced and Point of Sale software in order to ensure information is properly communicated across all systems.

  3. Enter a number of different expressions in the Test cell and click Test to ensure the expression entered is correct. You should enter valid and non-valid possibilities when testing. Then, click Ok.

     



  1. Click the gear icon to the left of the drop-down menu.

  2. Establish a JavaScript Regular Expression.

  3. Enter a number of different expressions in the Test cell and click Test to ensure the expression entered is correct. You should enter valid and non-valid possibilities when testing. Then, click Ok.

     

SNAP Case Number Validation Rules - Use the drop-down menu to select the SNAP validation type.
TANF Case Number Validation Rules - Use the drop-down menu to select the TANF validation type.
FDPIR Case Number Validation Rules - Use the drop-down menu to select the FDPIR validation type.
Share SNAP Case Numbers - Use the drop-down menu to select when to share SNAP case numbers of students on the same application (Always, When No Income, Never).
Share TANF Case Numbers - Use the drop-down menu to select when to share TANF case numbers of students on the same application.
Share FDPIR Case Numbers - Use the drop-down menu to select when to share FDPIR case numbers of students on the same application.
Case Number Recipient Name Validation - Use the drop-down menu to select how recipient names are verified (Must be non-blank, No validation required, Regular Expression, At least two letter first and last names).
Require Income - Use the drop-down menu to select how to handle income (Do not require, At least one household member or student, Every household member, Every household member and student ).
Apply Special Circumstance from Application - Select if Special Circumstances are noted on an application and you wish to keep a record of those circumstances.

Application Review

This section allows you to configure the application review process. Application types can be set for a review hold and various review tolerances can be adjusted depending on the District's needs.

Select the Application Review tab to establish application review options.

Hold Applications for Review - Place a checkmark in the boxes to select when applications should automatically be held for review. Click in the box to deselect defaults.

Hold Annual Income - Use the drop-down menu to select how to handle applications with annual income (When Only Annual Income Exists, When Any Annual Income Exists, Do not hold annual income for review).

High Member Totals - Holds the application if the household is equal to/above XX persons.
High Total Income - Holds the application if the total household income exceeds XX $/yr.
Second Application too Soon - Holds the application if a second application is received within XX days of the first application.
High Zero-Income Count - Holds the application if the amount of zero-income applicants is equal to/above XX applications.
Confident Match Rules - Use the drop-down menu to select which rules are considered confident during a fuzzy match ( (Select All), Low Second Score, Exact Birthdate, Exact School).
Confident Match High Score - The high score must be above the set number for a fuzzy match to be considered confident.
Confident Match Low Schore - The second highest score must be below the set number for a fuzzy match to be considered confident.

Application Reference Number - Select to make the reference number read-only.
Automatically enter Edit-Mode when no students have been processed yet - Select to automatically toggle to Edit Mode during Application Review (without prompting for comments) if none of the students on the application have been processed.
Auto-Accept Ignorable Problems for DC Students - Ignorable problems (such as incomplete, suspicious income, etc.) will not cause the application to be held if the student is Directly Certified.

Automatic Review Queue Rules - Click the ellipsis icon to enter a User-Defined Formula to establish custom Automatic Review Queue Rules.
Knowledge of SQL language is required in order to define formulas. Contact someone familiar with SQL language or your IT department to assist you if you choose to utilize this function.

Scanning

The scanning section allows you to set options utilized when scanning in applications.

Select the Scanning tab to establish appropriate scanning options.

Batch Size - Enter the number of scanned applications per batch.
Recognize Student ID as Numeric-Only - Select this option to only recognize numeric values in the Student ID.
Recognize Case Numbers as Numeric-Only - Select this option to only recognize numeric values in benefit case numbers such as SNAP, TANF, and FDPIR.
Skip Q/A of 'I Do Not Quality' Apps without Income  - Skips the Q/A process when an applicant has chosen "I Do Not Quality" and leaves income values blank or noted as "0".
Auto-Select Confident Fuzzy Matches  - Select to automatically accept confident fuzzy matched without prompting the user.
Auto-Process after Q/A - Set to automatically process batches after completing the Scanning Q/! process.
High-Quality Scaling in Q/A - Set to display cleaner images when showing the large application image in Scanning Q/A (may decrease performance on some workstations).
Scan contents after counting delivery bags - Set to automatically move to the Delivery Bag Contents screen and start scanning after entering the delivery bag counts.
Prompt for Delivery Bag Fields - USe the drop-down menu to select which prompts to look for when completing delivery bag details.
Require Total Members if Zoned - Holds the application for review if selected. The application will still process if blank.

Email

The Email section allows you to configure your email settings. Contact your IT department for SMTP setup details.

Select the Email tab to establish appropriate email options.

Relay to SMTP Server - Select to send email messages utilizing an SMTP Relay Server.
Hostname - Enter the SMTP Relay Server hostname or IP address
Port - Enter the SMTP Relay Port (typically 25 for non-SLL and 465 for SSL).
Enable SSL - Select to enable SSL communication with the SMTP Relay
Authentication Mode - Select an authentication mode.
        Anonymous - Select to use Anonymous Authentication.
        Basic - Select to use Basic Authentication by entering your Username and Password in which emails will be sent and
        received.
        Windows - Select to use Windows Authentication.
Send to Pickup Directory - Select this option to send email to a local or network folder instead of relaying email communication through an SMTP server.
Email on Failure Address - Select this option to send an email to the email address listed when a job fails. You can add multiple addresses by separating them with a comma.

Custom Strings

Custom Strings allows a District to modify/customize up to 30 user-defined information release fields to be used in conjunction with paper and online applications.

Select the Custom Strings tab to establish appropriate user-defined data.
Click the arrow > to expand a section. Next, click in the correct column of Custom Text and enter text, Then, click Apply to save changes.

Mosaic Integration

The Mosaic Integration section allows you to configure communication methods between Mosaic Front of House (FoH) and MSA Client. SFTP details are provided by Mosaic Support.

Mosaic FOH Integration Mode - Select the appropriate Mosaic FOH Integration Mode
Manual/Local Integration - Selected for non-Mosaic users or non-hosted Mosaic FOH users.
Azure File Transfer - Selected for Mosaic customers hosted in Azure.
Note: The Azure File Transfer option requires setting the District's NCES number on the District Info tab.
URL - The URL for the Mosaic Azure provisioner.
Client Secret - Provided by Mosaic support staff.
Destination Folder - The Azure storage destination where the file will be placed.
SFTP File Transfer - Selected for hosted non-Azure Mosaic customers.
Host Name - The name of your Mosaic FOH SFTP for file transfer.
Host Fingerprint - Click the ellipsis icon for the system to establish the SFTP fingerprint associated with your hostname.
Username - Provided by Mosaic support staff.
Password - Provided by Mosaic support staff.
Expected SQL Server Instance (Safety Checks) - Safety checks ensure communication does not occur if the MSA Client database is copied into a test environment.

In order for Mosaic FOH and MySchoolApps Client to function smoothly, additional setup is necessary.

Establish Student Data Imports

  1. From the Admin and Maintenance tab, locate Miscellaneous Setup. Then, select Student Importers.

  2. In the Student Importer Maintenance window, click Add.

  3. Select Mosaic Hosted from the list. Then, click Ok.

  4. Setup Student Importer details. Then, click Configure.

  5. By default, the student data file name has been pre-filled. If the filename differs, enter the new filename provided by Mosaic Support and click Ok.

     

  6. Click Ok in the Setup Student Importer window.

  7. If you would like to run the import file now, select the Mosaic Student Importer task and click Run Now. Otherwise, click Close.

Establish Exports

  1. From the Administration and Maintenance tab, locate Advanced Setup. Then, select Exports.

  2. Click Add New.

  3. Select Mosaic Hosted from the list. Then, click Ok.

  4. Enter an export Description. Then, click Setup.

  5. By default, the Remote Filename Pattern file name has been pre-filled. If the filename differs, enter the new filename provided by Mosaic Support and click Ok.

  6. Click Ok in the Confire Export window.

  7. You should now see your export.

Create a Scheduled Job to Import Student Data

  1. From the Administration and Maintenance tab, locate Advanced Setup. Then, select Scheduled Jobs.

  2. Click Add.

  3. Establish Scheduled Job information. Then, click Add Task.

    1. Description - Enter a description of the new Scheduled Job.

    2. Expected Period - Enter the Expected Period that the work schedule should be performed.

    3. Inactive - Select this option to make the Scheduled Job Inactive. 

    4. Agent Mode Schedule - Use the drop-down menu to establish a frequency and complete details in order for the process(es) to be executed without using the Windows Task Scheduler.

  4. Select Import Student Data from the list. Then, click Ok.

  5. Select Mosaic Student Data or the task name created during imports above. Then, click Ok.

  6. In the Edit Scheduled Job window, click Ok.

  7. You may wish to run the job now. Select the Mosaic Student Import job and click Run Now.

  8. Select where the scheduled job should run. Mosaic FOH Cloud users will select On the server. Mosaic FOH On-Premise users will select On this workstation.