I’ve always contested that one of the most significant impacts that Slate has had on the world of enrollment management is democratization of data access. Thinking back to my first implementation in 2017, senior leadership and end users were enamored with the ease with which they could answer questions about our data, thanks in no small part to the ever-growing Slate Template Library, providing ready-made exports and filters for nearly all of the types of data we needed.
But, as the selfish, data-hungry enrollment managers we are, the more we got, the more we wanted. As an admin (with hardly any SQL writing skill), I started to get asked for data that wasn’t so readily available. Material metadata to be joined with application scoped information, information about the rank 2 or 3 school to be aggregated between datasets, and edits to our integration query that would return data based on custom formulas. My answer…sorry, no can do.
Enter Configurable Joins – and my steadfast belief that this would ruin the very thing that made Slate great: easy access to data for non-technical users. For a solid few years, I successfully resisted configurable joins, thinking they would not substantially enhance my life in any meaningful way. Slowly, though, I felt my tried and true Slate Template Library filters and exports failing to meet my needs more and more, and frankly, the option to use them disappeared from more and more places in Slate.
In September 2022 (way later than I care to admit) – I caved. I couldn’t batch update an application bin in an instance using workflows. I was embarrassed, and knew it was now or never. That was the last time I used a Slate Template Library query base, and I’ll never go back. I was crazy to think Configurable Joins were a curse on the Slate name. Today…I’ll go so far as to say it is the single-greatest enhancement to Slate to date, and if you’re not using them yet, let today be your day of reckoning.
3 Reasons You Should Quit Slate Template Library Cold-Turkey…TODAY:
- You can start saying “Yes” again, and dust off your Slate hero cape.
Remember that feeling you had delivering your first Slate query to your team, providing them a way to send that mailing they’ve always wanted to, but have never been able to? If it has been a while since you’ve had that feeling, learning configurable joins is the single most important thing you can do to relive those days again…wowing your leadership with advanced conversion metrics that join Ping data to form submissions, and event attendance information to yield predictions.
- Nobody has time for spinning blue dots.
Configurable joins queries are leaner, meaner and more efficient. Query just the data you need, from literally anywhere in Slate, in exactly the format you want. You’ll get substantially faster execution times on queries returning the same results from CJ queries versus STL…giving you more time in your day to find ways to figure out which students used ChatGPT to write their admission essays.
- Your Slate future depends on it.
Okay, maybe it isn’t that dramatic, but there is some truth here. Your ability to leverage Workflows, Datasets and Entities, Portals, and just about 90% of the new features released at Summit will require you to be proficient in creating Configurable Joins queries.
Our team has conversations weekly with clients where we say “unfortunately, you’ll need to use a CJ base to do that now.” The good news is it will help you understand your database like never before, enhancing your ability to contribute to the growth of your instance.
I’m convinced…but where do I start?
- DO: Rip off the band aid. Take a fairly basic Prospect and Applicant scoped query that is regularly used, and try to copy it, starting with a Person scoped CJ query.
Add a join to applications and sprinkle in some subquery exports. It will be slow, and painful…but oh so worth it. Commit to exclusively using CJ base queries going forward.
- DON’T: Use “Extended Filters” and “Extended Exports.” These tempting options will create a one-to-one join at the main-level.
Sometimes…this is okay, but more often than not, you need a one-to-many join to accomplish your goals, and using extended filters and exports can lead to wrong results that are difficult to spot.
- DO: Use Subquery Exports and Subquery Filters to create your joins.
You’ll be able to fully configure your join and results, giving you more control and helping you better understand the capabilities of Configurable Joins.
- DO: Add the “Commonly Used Person-Scoped Exports and Filters” and the “Commonly Used Application-Scoped Exports and Filters” query libraries to your database.
These will give you STL-familiar exports and filters pre-built by Technolutions that you can reference or pull apart to better understand how to replicate your trusty favorites.
- DON’T: Be afraid to ask for help. CJs are hard at first, and it can be frustrating as an admin who is very comfortable navigating in Slate to feel so lost.
But we were ALL there, and we are ALL here to help. Take advantage of the community forums, Slack or Facebook groups, the regular Community Conversations hosted by Technolutions dedicated to Configurable Joins…or reach out to us – we’ll be happy to help get you started!
Our go-to CJ secret weapons:
Coalesce – Use a Coalesce function with existence subquery exports in a formula export to electrify your integration queries.
Dictionary output – Amp your communications by creating an array for liquid looping, great for upcoming event details, checklist comms, and more.
Create linkable exports: Use literals to create HTML links to records in your query results to event registrations, form submissions, and more.
.png)
Connect with Us
Other Insights
