Managing Linked Records

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In some instances, users on your campus may collaborate on the same scholarly activity. When this happens, the user who first creates the record for the scholarly activity can use the Record Linking feature to link other faculty members as collaborators and make themselves the record owner. The record will then appear in the activities of linked collaborators with a locked icon, indicating a linked record.  

The reason the record becomes locked is due to the default behavior of the Record Linking feature, which prevents linked collaborators from editing, deleting, or removing themselves from the record. Only the record owner, who is the user that created the record, can make changes. To learn more about the Record Linking behavior see, User Reference

However, if you have access to the Manage Data utility, you can perform the following actions, with steps outlined for each in the corresponding sections of this article: 

  1. Identifying the Record Owner of a Linked Record 
  2. Editing a Linked Record 
  3. Changing the Record Owner of a Linked Record 

Identifying the Record Owner of a Linked Record

The record owner can be identified by utilizing the columns in the Summary Screen for an activity screen that displays the linked record. This method requires access to the Manage Data utility and to learn more about summary screens, see Summary Screens

Follow these steps to identify the record owner: 

  1. In Faculty Success, navigate to the Manage Data utility. 
  2. Once in the Manage Data utility, type the name of the user whose linked record you want to view in the User field within the Manage Data for Users box. Select the user from the drop-down menu and click on the Continue button. 
  3. After clicking Continue, you will be taken to a new tab with a grey banner under the navigation bar indicating that your are now managing data for the user. 
  4. Navigate to the activity screen that contains the linked record you want to identify the record owner for. 
  5. On the activity screen, click on the Select Columns button at the top of the summary screen. 
  6. A drawer will appear on the right-hand side, allowing you to modify the columns that appear in the summary screen. Check the box next to "Record Owner" and click the "Update" button to display the Record Owner column in the summary screen. 
  7. After the columns have updated, use the arrow buttons to navigate to the Record Owner column. This column will display the name of the individual who is the record owner for the linked record. 
  8. Once you have identified the record owner, you can revert the change you had made to the columns by clicking on the "Select Columns" button again and unchecking the box by "Record Owner." To stop managing data for the user, click the "x" symbol within the grey banner under the navigation bar and select "Stop Managing Data" from the pop-up window. You will then be returned to your Faculty Success account. 

Editing a Linked Record 

A linked record can be edited when changes are needed, but linked collaborators cannot edit it, and the record owner is not able to do so. If the record owner has left the campus, it would be best to change the record owner instead. For steps on how to do this, see the Changing the Record Owner of a Linked Record section of this article.

Follow these steps to edit a linked record: 

  1. First, identify the record owner of the linked record. The steps to do this are outlined in the Identifying the Record Owner of a Linked Record section of this article. 
  2. Once you have determined the record owner, use the Manage Data utility to manage their data. While managing the data for the record owner, navigate to the activity screen that contains the record you wish to edit. 
  3. On the activity screen, find and click on the record to open it. Make your desired edits and click on the "Save" button to save the changes. Please note that if certain fields are locked and not editable, it may be due to field restrictions. Data for these fields may then only be added via a CSV Data Import or through the Web Services API. For more information on field restrictions, refer to Data Access Settings, Descriptors and Restrictions

    To stop managing data for the user, click the "x" symbol within the grey banner under the navigation bar and select "Stop Managing Data" from the pop-up window. You will then be returned to your Faculty Success account. 

Changing the Record Owner of a Linked Record 

You may need to change the record owner if: 

  • The record owner has left the university and you want to give control of the record to a user who is still with your campus. 
  • The record owner cannot update the record as needed.

This process involves duplicating the linked record for the new owner and then deleting the original record, which will permanently remove it and this action cannot be undone. If you prefer to not delete the original record, refer to the Editing a Linked Record instead to make any necessary modifications to the record instead. 

To change the record owner, follow these steps where User A is the original record owner and User B is the new record owner: 

  1. In Faculty Success, navigate to the Manage Data utility. 
  2. In the Manage Data utility, type in the name of User B (the new record owner) in the User field within the Manage Data for Users box. Select  from the drop-down menu and click on the Continue button. 
  3. After clicking Continue, you will be taken to a new tab with a grey banner under the navigation bar indicating that your are now managing data for User B.
  4. Navigate to the activity screen that contains the linked record. 
  5. Locate the record you wish to transfer ownership of, check the box next to the record and click on the "Duplicate" button to duplicate the record.
  6. Make any necessary edits to the duplicated record and click "Save." The copied record should appear in User B's summary screen without a lock icon. If a lock icon appears, ensure you have properly duplicated the record by repeating steps 5-7. 
  7. Once the record is duplicated and unlocked for User B, click the "x" symbol within the grey banner and select "Stop Managing Data" to return to your Faculty Success account. 
  8. Navigate again to the Manage Data utility and type in the name of User A (the original record owner) in the User field within the Manage Data for Users box. Select  from the drop-down menu and click on the Continue button. 
  9. After clicking "Continue," you will be taken to a new tab with a grey banner indicating that you are now managing data for User A. 
  10. Navigate to the activity screen that contains the linked record. 
  11. Locate the original linked record, which should appear unlocked for User A.
  12. Check the box next to the original linked record and click the red trash can icon to delete the record permanently, thereby removing User A as the record owner. The only record that should remain is the duplicated one under User B. After making these changes, click the "x" symbol within the grey banner under the navigation bar and select "Stop Managing Data" from the pop-up window. You will then be returned to your Faculty Success account. 

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