Why are there data elements with “zz-something “ and “Dummy” appearing as names for Categories, Grading Periods, etc.? Where did they come from? What am I supposed to do with them?
First the answer to why you need them and where do they come from…
G&P requires that certain data elements exist before it can run. For example, you must have at least one Year in the database. And, if you have a Year then it must have at least one Grading Period, and if you have a Grading Period it must have at least one Class, etc. When your database is initially set up, e.g., when you first install G&P, or when you add certain new data element (e.g., a new Grading Period, etc.) G&P must add the required elements, and it must call them something. It’s unlikely “zz-…” or “Dummy” will conflict with actual names you wish to use, so they were chosen as temporary names for these items.Now, to answer the “what should I do with them?” question…
First, you should not delete them if they are the only “thing” of their type… i.e., if they are the only Year in your data, or the last (i.e., only) Grading Period in a Year, or the only Class in a Grading Period, etc. This isn’t much of a restriction since you will always want at least one Year in your data, and a Grading Period in that Year, and a Class in that Grading Period, etc. But you don’t want it called “zz-…” or “Dummy…”? So, edit it to be a name you do want. If the program creates a Grading Period with the name“Dummy Gr. Period" simply edit the name to be a name you need… e.g., “Q1”, or whatever makes sense to you. You do likewise with items like “Dummy Class”, “Dummy Category”, etc.Can you ever delete one of these “Dummy…” or “zz-…” elements?
Sure, so long as they are not the “last of their kind… i.e., the last GP in a Year, the last Class in a GP, the last Category in a Class, etc. Ideally the program would not allow you delete the “last” of one of these types of data elements but it can’t always tell sometimes, so you need to be vigilant.Lastly, if you do inadvertently delete one of these and your program no longer runs, you have the following choices…
- You can restore the latest backup of your database (that you know ran) and proceed from there. You will, of course lose any data you’ve entered since the backup was made. To do that, see the appropriate sections in the User’s Manual. (You’ll likely have to run the “Bkup_restore” program manually.)
- You can make a backup of the corrupted database and email it to us for repair. Again, see the User’s Manual on how to do this since you’ll likely have to run the “Bkup” program manually.
