Case Study: Walters State Community College

By Nicole Parker, Degree Works Consultant, David Kent Consulting

The Challenge: Maintain Degree Works Data Integrity

Walters State Community College serves a broad student population across six campuses in East Tennessee. With a mission centered on access, persistence, and completion, the college relies on Ellucian Degree Works to deliver accurate degree audits, advising support, and self-service tools for students and faculty.

After some time on version 5.1.0.2, Walters State sought to modernize its Degree Works environment to take advantage of the functionality, performance, and security improvements available in version 5.1.5. The upgrade required multiple infrastructure adjustments and version-dependent steps, as well as the conversion of more than 295,000 existing audits – all while maintaining data integrity and minimizing downtime for end users.

The Approach

David Kent Consulting implemented a structured, multi-phase Degree Works upgrade process designed to ensure stability and alignment with Walters State’s infrastructure and security standards.

Infrastructure Preparation:

• Validated and upgraded the RHEL8 application servers for both TEST and PROD environments.
• Installed and configured the Oracle client for full database connectivity and validation.
• Upgraded RabbitMQ to version 3.12 and the Erlang client to versions 11 and 13, ensuring compatibility with the Degree Works 5.1.5 architecture.

Confirmed system dependencies, environment variables, and SSL certificates prior to upgrade execution.

Degree Works Upgrade Sequencing (add “Degree Works” when possible)

• Completed sequential version upgrades: 5.1.0.2 → 5.1.1 → 5.1.3 → 5.1.5, satisfying all intermediate prerequisites.

• Executed the Degree Works audit conversion process (convertaudittoblob) between 5.1.3 and 5.1.5, converting approximately 295,000 stored audits to the BLOB format for improved stability and faster performance.

• Coordinated downtime windows strategically to allow conversion processes to run in controlled batches, minimizing impact on advising and registration.

Validated accessibility, SSL performance, and

SSO authentication at each upgrade stage.

Configuration and Optimization

• Reviewed and updated security keys and group permissions (STU, ADV, ADVX, REG) to align with Walters State’s user access structure.

• Refreshed Controller configurations to display student-facing data such as GPA, academic standing, advisor information, financial aid status, graduation information, and holds within the Student Header component.

• Updated configuration tables to manage visibility and streamline user experience.

• Validated What-If audit functionality to ensure correct program mapping and accurate academic rule display.

Verified nightly processes and Transit jobs (RAD30, RAD33, RAD34, RAD35, RAD38) post-upgrade to confirm full system integration.

The Results

Reflecting on the project, Jason Thomas, Senior Technical Consultant at David Kent Consulting, shared: “Sequencing the upgrades strategically allowed us to minimize downtime while improving performance and stability across environments.”

By project completion, Walters State successfully transitioned both TEST and PROD environments to Degree Works 5.1.5, achieving a secure, stable, and fully validated upgrade.

Key results included:

• Enhanced system performance and faster audit load times.
• Strengthened application security and compliance through updated dependencies and key management.

• Modernized student header displaying real-time, student-success-oriented information.
• Reduced legacy audit errors through full BLOB conversion and database cleanup.
• Verified integration with the Banner ERP, ensuring uninterrupted access for students and advisors.

Post-Go-Live Support

David Kent Consulting provided post-go-live support following Walters State’s successful upgrade, monitoring production stability and fine-tuning configuration settings to optimize end-user experience.

The completed project provided a stronger, more efficient foundation for Walters State’s advising and degree audit tools – empowering staff and students alike with improved performance, accuracy, and transparency in their academic planning journey.

Technical Highlights: Degree Works Upgrade

• Operating System: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 (RHEL8)
• Application Versions: Degree Works 5.1.0.2 → 5.1.5
• Middleware: RabbitMQ 3.12, Erlang 13
• Database Connectivity: Oracle Client
• Security Review: Keys including CONTACT, CONTADVR, and note-related access restrictions reviewed and updated
• Data Conversion: 295,000 legacy audits converted to BLOB format
• Authentication: SSL and SSO validated in both environments

Testing: Full regression testing completed in TEST prior to PROD deployment.

Further Ellucian Degree Works Reading from the Kent Blog

If this topic resonates with you, explore a few of our other Degree Works insights:

• Accurate Banner Data: Key to Optimizing Degree Works –  why clean Banner data is the foundation of every reliable audit
• Summer Is the Perfect Time for Degree Works Housekeeping –  a practical guide to off-term cleanup that keeps your Degree Works audits running smoothly
• Common Issues with Degree Works Audits Explained – how to identify, troubleshoot, and fix the problems we see most often
• The Importance of Degree Works in Enhancing Graduation Rates – a closer look at how effective configuration supports student success

Each of these posts builds on the same theme: when technical and functional expertise come together, Ellucian Degree Works becomes more than a compliance tool—it becomes a strategic asset.