Upgrade from PowerPro to CourseSales.com

Saturday, Apr 13, 2019

PowerPro is a computer based based student management system, similar to CourseSales.com in some ways, but where CourseSales.com has an easy to use user interface, with an advanced workflow management system and API in built at the entry level license PowerPro requires you to have a more expensive license. When training companies are looking at integrating with Moodle CourseSales.com is the preferred alternative to PowerPro. Within PowerPro it is possible to export data as NAT files that can be used to do the migration. In fact our experience says that migration is quite painless and most data can reliably be transferred into CourseSales.com. If you have access it can also be useful to get an enrollment export file that includes the AVETMISS data, so when it comes to the time for AVETMISS reporting it will be painless and straight forward.

Why do customers move from PowerPro to CourseSales.com?

Easy to use

things are where you expect them, menus are simple, easy to navigate and easy on the eye.

Sensible display

Display of items does not drift into the ether by having pages with too much on them.

Clear and concise

Some of the naming convention can be confusing and they don’t necessarily link together - we see many organizations that are crippled by the confusion associated with this. CourseSales.com has Course Masters, Course Dates, Topics and Modules - and they all link together, in a hierarchy, easy as pie.

Automation

Most licenses for Vettrak have no automation. No action ‘triggers’ for automated and customised workflow, so you have to remember when things are different for different courses. In CourseSales.com you can build it into the configuration. You also have to do things they way they have you do them.

Save money

The license fees are quite huge when large organisations start to pay for licensing, correspondingly larger training organisations will see a significant decrease in operational costs by switching to CourseSales.com

Preparing your data

Keep in mind the following when exporting NAT files from PowerPro:

  • NAT00020 Does not display the Training organisation identifier correctly, it should be left aligned with padding spacing but this value is right aligned with padded zeros.

  • NAT00080 Does not display the Client identifier correctly, it should be left aligned with padding spacing but this value is right aligned with padded zeros. Also space for Statistical area (1 or 2) is included even if not required. Should declare ‘not specified’ when Address street number is not specified, but does not.

  • NAT00085 Address fields are not included; Address building/property name, Address flat/unit details, Address street number, Address street name,

  • NAT00100 Does not display the Client identifier correctly, it should be left aligned with padding spacing but this value is right aligned with padded zeros.

  • NAT00120 Does not display the Client identifier correctly, it should be left aligned with padding spacing but this value is right aligned with padded zeros. Does not display Client tuition fee correctly: should be right aligned with padding of zeros but is not.

  • NAT00130 Does not display the Training organisation identifier correctly, it should be left aligned with padding spacing but this value is right aligned with padded zeros. Does not display the Client identifier correctly, it should be left aligned with padding spacing but this value is right aligned with padded zeros.

Standard naming

Keeping names constant between items, using keywords to group items you can be sure that your items will be recognizable once they are imported into CourseSales.com

  • Cleaning up data. By cleaning up your data prior to the migration you will ensure that the data imported will be as clean as possible

  • Active only. The import scripts will only import the active items, not inactive ones. If you don’t wish to import some data then make it inactive. If you wish to import inactive data make it active!

  • Remove stuff you don’t need. If you have students you don’t need any more or courses that were canceled but have not been marked as this then remove them - the cleaner and leaner it is the better!

The CourseSales.com Form Builder delivers flexibility

Many legacy software systems like PowerPro have a fixed way to collect data, namely they make measured assumptions about what information you are gathering given the parameters expected to be used within. CourseSales also does this to a degree. However we also include a form builder, allowing you to customise what data you collect and therefore increase the data gathered to make the system flexible. Effectively we supply you with a skeleton to manage time based delivery of services, and through modifications and editing you can enable it to run your training training company as you want to. This means continuous adding of functions, CRICOS, AVETMISS, USI and each state's own legislation does not mean you are burdened with those fields and functions if you don't use them. Flexible, scalable, and future proof (for the next thing that comes along needing another set of data)!