For the latest updates and releases for Anthology Illuminate Reporting visit and follow Anthology Illuminate – Release Notes page

 


Archived release notes

Keep track of what we've released in the past.

Data Tier - Canonical Data Model changes as of 7 January 2022

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 07 January 2022

Removed features, CDM Changes

 

Blackboard Learn SaaS CD Releases
Date (YYY-MM-DD) Status Entry Source Description
2022-01-07 Removed BBD_REPORTING   Baseline reporting submodel (database schema) used for the legacy BRS
"Learning Tools Activity and Use" report.
2022-01-07 Removed BBD_REPORTING.
COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR
 

Table with basic aggregations for report COURSE - TOOL activity. Granularity is on the login level. (https://data.blackboard.com/dictionary/entries/entry/BBD_REPORTING-COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR)

We published the query used for calculated measures in this table, which is available to clients in the Blackboard Data Queries GitHub.

2022-01-07 Removed BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.TOOL_ID CDM_LMS.COURSE_TOOL.ID Foreign key that references the primary key of the CDM_LMS.COURSE_TOOL table.
2022-01-07 Removed BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.PERSON_COURSE_ID CDM_LMS.COURSE.ID Foreign key that references the primary key of the CDM_LMS.COURSE table.
2022-01-07 Removed BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.TOOL_ID CDM_LMS.TOOL.ID Foreign key that references the primary key of the CDM_LMS.TOOL table.
2022-01-07 Removed BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.PERSON_ID CDM_LMS.PERSON.ID Foreign key that references the primary key of the CDM_LMS.PERSON table.
2022-01-07 Removed BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.PERSON_COURSE_ID CDM_LMS.PERSON_COURSE.ID Foreign key that references the primary key of the CDM_LMS.PERSON_COURSE table.
2022-01-07 Removed BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.ACTIVITY_TIME CDM_LMS.ACTIVITY.ACCESSED_TIME Date and time an activity was performed on the course tool.
2022-01-07 Removed BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.COURSE_NAME CDM_LMS.COURSE.NAME Name of the course.
2022-01-07 Removed BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.TOOL_NAME CDM_LMS.TOOL.NAME Name of the tool.
2022-01-07 Removed BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.PERSON_COURSE_ROLE CDM_LMS.PERSON_COURSE.COURSE_ROLE_SOURCE_DESC Name of the role of a person in the course.
2022-01-07 Removed BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.COURSE_AVAILABLE_IND CDM_LMS.COURSE.AVAILABLE_IND Shows if the course is available.
2022-01-07 Removed BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.TOOL_AVAILABLE_IND CDM_LMS.COURSE_TOOL.AVAILABLE_IND Shows if the tool is available in the course.
2022-01-07 Removed BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.PERSON_AVAILABLE_IND CDM_LMS.PERSON.AVAILABLE_IND Shows if the tool is available in the course.
2022-01-07 Removed BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.ACTIVITY_DURATION_SUM CDM_LMS.ACTIVITY.DURATION_SUM Length of time a person spent in the course in seconds.
2022-01-07 Removed BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.COURSE_SOURCE_ID CDM_LMS.COURSE_TOOL.COURSE_SOURCE_ID Primary key of the course.
2022-01-07 Removed BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.TOOL_SOURCE_ID CDM_LMS.COURSE_TOOL.TOOL_SOURCE_ID Primary key of the source system.
2022-01-07 Removed BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.ROW_OVERWRITTEN_TIME CDM_LMS.COURSE_TOOL.TOOL_SOURCE_ID Date and time the record was overwritten in the table.

Data Tier - Canonical Data Model changes as of 14 December 2021

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 14 December 2021

Updated features, CDM Changes

 

Blackboard Learn SaaS CD Releases
Date (YYY-MM-DD) Status Entry Source Description
2021-12-14 Added COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.COURSE_ROLE_DESC CDM_LMS.PERSON_COURSE.COURSE_ROLE_DESC Description of a person's role in a course such as student or instructor.  (This is the the canonical course role description, in addition to the source course role description.)

Course Role Data - Canonical Data Model changes as of 20 Oct. 2021

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 20 October 2021
Updated features, CDM Changes

We want to inform you of the changes made to the Course Role data in the Blackboard Data CDM as of 20 October 2021.

These changes may impact some of your queries and reports.

The changes made to the Course Role data are:

  1. Updated logic behind the CDM_LMS.PERSON_COURSE.COURSE_ROLE column: this change better aligns with settings available in Blackboard Learn, and includes mapping for custom course roles from Blackboard Learn.
  2. New Course Role Description column: COURSE_ROLE_DESC, added to CDM_LMS.PERSON_COURSE.

Updated logic behind the CDM_LMS.PERSON_COURSE.COURSE_ROLE column: 

Up until now, we have used the following mapping between Course Role Source (Blackboard Learn) and Canonical Course Role (Blackboard Data):

 

Course Role Data Changes as of 20 October 2021
Source Code (Blackboard Learn) Canonical Code (Blackboard Data)

G (Grader)

P (Instructor)

T (Teaching Assistant)

BB_FACILITATOR (Facilitator)

I (Instructor)
B (Course Builder) O (Other)

Custom Role

N/A

 

We have added a new column called CDM_LMS.PERSON_COURSE.ACT_AS_INSTRUCTOR_IND that stores a flag (true/false) in case a Source Course Role (from Blackboard Learn) has been set to act as an instructor.

This change better aligns with the settings available for course roles in Blackboard Learn.

The modified logic for the COURSE_ROLE column mapping is: 

Course Role Data Changes as of 20 October 2021
Source Code (Blackboard Learn) ACT_AS_INSTRUCTOR_IND  Canonical Code (Blackboard Data)
P (Instructor) TRUE I (Instructor)
P (Instructor) FALSE I (Instructor)

G (Grader)

T (Teaching Assistant)

BB_FACILITATOR (Facilitator)

TRUE I (Instructor)

G (Grader)

T (Teaching Assistant)

BB_FACILITATOR (Facilitator)

FALSE O (Other)
Custom Role TRUE I (Instructor)
Custom Role FALSE O (Other)

 

New Course Role Description column

We have added a new column, COURSE_ROLE_DESC, to CDM_LMS.PERSON_COURSE, which serves to describe existing Canonical Course Role Codes.

Course Role Data Changes as of 20 October 2021
Canonical Code Description 
S Student
I Instructor
O Other
U Guest

 

Questions? please reach out to us via the Community Site.

 


Snowflake Account Settings

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 22 September 2021
New features

 

We’re excited to announce that Blackboard Data now has a Snowflake Account Settings panel from which you can manage your service account. Blackboard Data service accounts allow you to perform Machine to Machine connections to your Snowflake Reader Account via the supported Snowflake Connectors & Drivers. Institutions that use Blackboard Data automatically get a service account provisioned. You can now access it through Blackboard Data's (data.blackboard.com) new Settings menu.  

 

Blackboard Data's Menu Panel with Settings option selected. Snowflake Account Settings on the screen.

 

To access this page, you'll need a Blackboard Data Account (Auth0) or have your institutional account setup (BbSSO). 

Service accounts have a fixed password expiration date of 60 days. On the Settings page, you can check the status of the account password as well as a link to change your password. 

Each institution will get one (1) service account with the following characteristics: 

  • Limited to an XS Warehouse with a credit limit of 350 Snowflake credits(!) per month. 

    A Snowflake Credit is approximately 1 hour of usage of Snowflake.

More on Blackboard Data’s Snowflake Account Settings


Blackboard Achieve and Reporting Tier

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 09 Sep 2021  
New features, Blackboard Achieve, Reporting 

 

New Language Selector

We’re excited to announce that Blackboard Data now has a language selector. You can select your preferred language from the available language pack. This pack has 14 languages. Blackboard Data initially appears in the default language, English (United States), until you select another language. The platform then reloads in your selected language.

 

Blackboard Data Homepage. Cursor moving towards right top corner to where the Language Selector is. Cursor drops-down languages and selected Spanish.

Note: There are terms that aren’t currently localized and will remain in English after you’ve selected another language. The localized version of these terms will be delivered in a progressive manner throughout 2021 and 2022. 

More on Blackboard Data’s Language Settings


Data Tier
Canonical Data Model changes as of 20 Aug 2021

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 10 Aug 2021
Updated features, CDM Changes

 

Date (YYY-MM-DD) Status Entry Source Description
2021-08-20 Added CDM_LMS.PERSON_COURSE.ACT_AS_INSTRUCTOR_IND LEARN.COURSE_ROLES.ACT_AS_INSTRUCTOR_IND

If TRUE then this role should be treated similarly to the default Instructor role.

If FALSE then this is not an instructor-like role.


Data Tier
Canonical Data Model changes as of 10 Aug 2021

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 10 Aug 2021
Updated features, CDM Changes

Date (YYY-MM-DD) Status Entry Source Description
2021-08-10 Changed CDM_CLB.PERSON.ROLE_TYPE JANUS_APOLLO_USER.ROLE This attribute will now be based on the janus_apollo_user.role table from Blackboard Collaborate's source data
2021-08-10 Added CDM_CLB.PERSON.USER_TYPE JANUS_APOLLO_USER.APOLLO_USER_TYPE The type of user in Blackboard Collaborate
2021-08-10 Added CDM_CLB.PERSON.EMAIL JANUS_APOLLO_USER.EMAIL User's email address
2021-08-10 Added CDM_CLB.PERSON.STAGE:USER_UID JANUS_APOLLO_USER.APOLLO_USER_UID Blackboard Collaborate user's Universal ID
2021-08-10 Added CDM_CLB.ROOM.DELETED_IND JANUS_APOLLO_SESSION_IS_DELETED Indicator that shows if the Session was deleted
2021-08-10 Added CDM_CLB.ROOM.ALLOW_GUEST_IND JANUS_APOLLO_SESSION.ALLOW_GUEST Indicator that shows if guest access is allowed in the Session
2021-08-10 Added CDM_CLB.ROOM.LARGE_SESSION_IND JANUS_APOLLO_SESSION.LARGE_SESSION_ENABLE Indicator that shows if the Session is a Large Session
2021-08-10 Added CDM_CLB.MEDIA.PLAYBACK_CNT JANUS_APOLLO_MEDIA.PLAYBACK_COUNT Number of playbacks for the Recording
2021-08-10 Added CDM_CLB.MEDIA.DOWNLOAD_CNT JANUS_APOLLO_MEDIA.DOWNLOAD_COUNT Number of downloads for the Recording
2021-08-10 Added CDM_CLB.MEDIA.LAST_DOWNLOAD_TIME JANUS_APOLLO_MEDIA.LAST_DOWNLOAD_TS Timestamp representing when the Recording was last downloaded
2021-08-10 Added CDM_CLB.MEDIA.PUBLIC_ACCESS_IND JANUS_APOLLO_MEDIA.PUBLIC_LINK_ALLOWED Indicator that represents if the Recording is public or not
2021-08-10 Added CDM_CLB.MEDIA.STAGE:MEDIA_UID JANUS_APOLLO_MEDIA.MEDIA_UID Media Universal ID.

Can be used in API calls
2021-08-10 Added CDM_CLB.ATTENDANCE.USER_TYPE JANUS_APOLLO_ATTENDEE.USER_TYPE Canonical code for user type
2021-08-10 Added CDM_CLB.ATTENDANCE.STAGE:CACHE_UID JANUS_APOLLO_ATTENDEE_CACHE_UID Cache Universal ID
2021-08-10 Added CDM_CLB.SESSION.STAGE:SESSION_INSTANCE_UID JANUS_APOLLO_SESSION_INSTANCE.UID Session Instance Universal ID.

Can be used with session_uid in API calls against collab API

 

 


Blackboard Achieve – New Detailed Data filtered by Institutional Hierarchy Node, Course, and/or Student.

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 29 June 2021

New features, Blackboard Achieve

 

This feature is only available to clients with the Blackboard Achieve license.

We are excited to announce the addition of detail-level data, with the grains of institutional hierarchy node, course, and/or student, in all reports and report tabs. We have added new tables with disaggregated data and relevant measures to support your operational needs. These tables provide actionable insights that enable your decisions and interventions with individual academic units/programs, courses/instructors, and/or students. 

This feature is now available to clients participating in our early adopters cohort for Blackboard Achieve. With the early input from cohort participants, we plan to continue iterating on this feature to improve the presentation and the scope of measures on instructional practices and student engagement and performance.


Blackboard Achieve 

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 01 Jun 2021 
New features, Blackboard Achieve 

This feature is only available to clients with the Blackboard Achieve license. 

We are excited to announce the second stage of Blackboard Achieve, our solution powered by the Blackboard Data platform, to enable institutions’ academic leaders to inform strategy and policy in online learning by surfacing actionable insights into student engagement, instructor presence, and student performance at department and institution levels. 

For the second release of Achieve, we picked a cohort of early adopters who have mature adoption of the Blackboard platform. These institutions will have early access to the solution and will provide feedback to inform the development of the product.  

Later this year, we plan to offer Blackboard Achieve to more clients in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa; and then roll out across other regions eligible for Blackboard Data. 

Blackboard Achieve will help you identify student engagement measures you should be tracking and then put these insights directly into your hands so you can know what’s working and what’s not down to the department, program, term, course, and learner. 

More on Blackboard Achieve 


Reporting Tier

Blackboard Reporting General Availability in US and EU

We're excited to announce that Blackboard Reporting will be moving into General Availability and expanding into the EU-Central-1 (Frankfurt) hosting region. This gives our users in both the US and the EU access to interactive and visual reports that help them measure how tools are being used across the Blackboard SaaS platform. This also means that Blackboard Reporting is moving away from a "preview" state, closing the Insider Program which allowed 150+ US institutions to preview the Reporting Tier before its release and provide us with feedback that helped us improve the product. 

Blackboard Data Account Sign In. Plus, Learning SaaS Hosting region selection between US and EU.

 

 

For more information about features and availability, please visit the Blackboard Reporting page on our Help Site


Data Tier
Canonical Data Model changes as of 27 May 2021

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 27 May 2021
Updated features, CDM Changes

Blackboard Learn SaaS CD Releases
Date (YYY-MM-DD) Status Entry Source Description
2021-05-27 Added CDM_TLM.ULTRA_EVENTS Blackboard Learn Ultra Ultra telemetry events table
2021-05-27 Added CDM_TLM.ULTRA_EVENTS.EVENT_TYPE Blackboard Learn Ultra Type of telemetry event
2021-05-27 Added CDM_TLM.ULTRA_EVENTS.EVENT_TIME Blackboard Learn Ultra Date and time of the telemetry event
2021-05-27 Added CDM_TLM.ULTRA_EVENTS.DATA Blackboard Learn Ultra Data of the telemetry event in JSON structure

Learning Platform Adoption Report

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 15 February 2021
New features, Reporting

This feature is only available to participants of the Blackboard Data Insider Program. For more information about the program & eligibility, please visit Blackboard Data Insider Program.

The new Learning Platform Adoption Report allows users to see, at a glance, how is the Blackboard Learning Platform being used. The initial release of this report helps users understand:

  • How many users are active?
  • How many courses and collaboration* rooms are there?
  • How much are the Accessibility and Originality Learning Tools used?*
  • When is the peak usage of the LMS and Collaboration* tool?

*Data availability depends on the products that the client licenses (Blackboard Collaborate, Blackboard Ally, and Blackboard SafeAssign)

More on the Learning Report Adoption Report

 


Blackboard Achieve report updates

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 15 December 2020
Updated features, Blackboard Achieve

This feature is only available to clients with the Blackboard Achieve license.

In this release we updated filters, calculations, and dimensions in the Blackboard Achieve reports to improve the experience and data presented.

Filters

We’ve narrowed the options in the Course role filter to exclude the guest role. Now you can choose from roles like instructors and graders or roles like course builders. You can also now filter by more than one course ID in the Course ID filter.

More on report filters

Learner engagement dimensions

The learner engagement dimensions used in the Learner Activity and Performance Alignment report were updated to align with the Learner Activity & Performance report.

  • Time in tools is now Time in course materials. This dimension captures the minutes learners engage with course materials.
  • Interaction count is now Social and collaborative interactions. This dimension captures the learner interactions in social and collaborative learning activities.

More on learner engagement dimensions


Canonical Data Model changes as of 15 December 2020

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 15 December 2020
Updated features, CDM Changes

Blackboard Learn SaaS CD Releases
Date (YYY-MM-DD) Status Entry Source Description
2020-12-15 Changed CDM_META.CANON_CODE LMS PERSON, CLB PERSON The BB_FACILITATOR role is now mapping to the Instructor ('I') role from Learn.

Blackboard Achieve SQL Views

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 23 November 2020
New features, Blackboard Achieve

This feature is only available to clients with the Blackboard Achieve license.

Now early adopters in the Blackboard Achieve cohort have access to the set of SQL views used in the Blackboard Achieve reports. A BBD_ACHIEVE database schema is now available to these client that includes the 10 SQL views used.

Those in the cohort will receive sample SQL scripts that use the views in the BBD_ACHIEVE schema. These scripts can be run to query disaggregated data used for Blackboard Achieve reports and visualizations.


Blackboard Achieve

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 17 November 2020
New features, Blackboard Achieve

This feature is only available to clients with the Blackboard Achieve license.

We are excited to announce the availability of Blackboard Achieve, a new solution powered by the Blackboard Data platform, to enable institutions’ academic leaders to inform strategy and policy in online learning by surfacing actionable insights into student engagement, instructor presence and student performance at department and institution levels, and highlights the factors that align with academic performance.

Blackboard Achieve will help you identify student engagement measures you should be tracking and then put these insights directly into your hands so you can know what’s working and what’s not down to the department, program, term, course and learner.

For the first release, we picked a cohort of early adopters who have mature adoption of the Blackboard platform. These institutions will have 60-days’ access to the solution and will provide feedback to inform development of the product throughout this period. After the new year, we plan to offer Blackboard Achieve to more clients in the United States and then roll out across other regions eligible for Blackboard Data.

More on Blackboard Achieve


Secondary navigation for reporting

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 11 November 2020
New features, Reporting

This feature is only available to participants of the Blackboard Data Insider Program. For more information about the program & eligibility, please visit Blackboard Data Insider Program.

We have improved the Navigation System of the Blackboard Dara UI by adding a new secondary navigation. This new navigation will allow users to switch between Blackboard Reporting reports with ease.


Secondary navigation for Data Dictionary

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 11& November 2020
New features

We have improved the Navigation System of the Blackboard Dara UI by adding a new secondary navigation. This new navigation replaces the previous tab navigation on the Data Dictionary and it provides more space for the content, as it can be easily closed if it's not being used.


New home page

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 11 November 2020
New features

We have included a new home page for the Blackboard Data User Interface, which will be the face of our Blackboard Data products moving forward. This new page includes:

  • A link to the Data Dictionary, which remains public for any user to understand what the data means, how to use the data, and if there are any privacy implications.
  • A link to the Release Notes section, so our users can stay up-to-date with the latest changes to our products and data model.
  • A link to an information page about the Blackboard Data Insider Program

New sign in modal

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 11& November 2020
New features

Parts of this feature are only available to participants of the Blackboard Data Insider Program. For more information about the program & eligibility, please visit Blackboard Data Insider Program.

As we move towards our new Authentication System to Support the setup of SSO for Institutional Accounts, we have added a new modal that includes two "Sign In" options:

Blackboard Data Log in method screen. First option is Sign in with your institutional account and the second option is to Sign in with your Blackboard Data Account.

Canonical Data Model changes as of 29 October 2020

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 29 October 2020
Updated features, CDM Changes

Blackboard Learn SaaS CD Releases
Date (YYY-MM-DD) Status Entry Source Description
2020-10-29 Added CDM_LMS.COURSE_ITEM.AVAILABLE_IND LEARN.COURSE_CONTENTS.AVAILABLE_IND, LEARN.FORUM_MAIN.AVAILABLE_IND, LEARN.CONFERENCE_MAIN.AVAILABLE_IND, LEARN.BLOGS.AVAILABLE_IND, LEARN.WIKI.IS_AVAILABLE, LEARN.STAFFINFORMATION.AVAILABLE_IND, LEARN.COLLAB_SESSION.IS_AVAILABLE Shows if course item is available
2020-10-29 Added CDM_LMS.COURSE_ITEM.AVAILABLE_START_TIME LEARN.COURSE_CONTENTS.START_DATE, LEARN.FORUM_MAIN.START_DATE, LEARN.BLOGS.START_DATE, LEARN.WIKI.START_DATE, LEARN.ANNOUNCEMENTS.START_DATE Time the course item started or became available
2020-10-29 Added CDM_LMS.COURSE_ITEM.AVAILABLE_END_TIME LEARN.COURSE_CONTENTS.END_DATE, LEARN.FORUM_MAIN.END_DATE, LEARN.BLOGS.END_DATE, LEARN.WIKI.END_DATE, LEARN.ANNOUNCEMENTS.END_DATE Time the course item ended or became unavailable

Canonical Data Model changes as of 18 September 2020

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 18 September 2020
Updated features, CDM Changes

Blackboard Learn SaaS CD Releases
Date (YYY-MM-DD) Status Entry Source Description
2020-09-17 Added CDM_LMS.GRADE.MODIFIER_ROLE LEARN.GRADEBOOK_LOG.MODIFIER_ROLE Grader role
2020-09-17 Added CDM_LMS.GRADE.MODIFIER_PERSON_ID CDM_LMS.PERSON.ID Foreign key that references the primary key of the CDM_LMS.PERSON table for the person who modified the grade
2020-09-17 Added CDM_LMS.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY LEARN.MI_NODE Table that holds information about the hierarchy management user interface designed to allow administrators to create a multi-level framework within Blackboard Learn that mirrors their institution.
2020-09-17 Added CDM_LMS.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY.ID Derived from CDM Surrogate primary key for the table
2020-09-17 Added CDM_LMS.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY.INSTANCE_ID Derived from CDM foreign key that references the primary key of the CDM_LMS.INSTANCE table
2020-09-17 Added CDM_LMS.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY_PARENT_ID LEARN.MI_NODE.PARENT_PK1 Foreign key that references a parent key in the table
2020-09-17 Added CDM_LMS.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY.SOURCE_ID LEARN.MI_NODE.PK1 Primary key of the source system
2020-09-17 Added CDM_LMS.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY.NAME LEARN.MI_NODE.NAME Name of the institution hierarchy node
2020-09-17 Added CDM_LMS.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY.DESCRIPTION LEARN.MI_NODE.DESCRIPTION Description of the institution hierarchy node
2020-09-17 Added CDM_LMS.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY.HIERARCHY_ID_SEQ LEARN.MI_NODE.PK1 List of primary parent nodes of the institution hierarchy node
2020-09-17 Added CDM_LMS.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY.STAGE LEARN.MI_NODE.DOMAIN_PK1, LEARN.MI_NODE.BATCH_UID Auxiliary attributes for the CDM_LMS.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY table
2020-09-17 Added CDM_LMS.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY.ROW_INSERTED_TIME Derived from CDM Date and time the record was inserted to the table
2020-09-17 Added CDM_LMS.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY.ROW_UPDATED_TIME Derived from CDM Date and time the record was modified in the table
2020-09-17 Added CDM_LMS.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY.ROW_DELETED_TIME Derived from CDM Date and time the record was marked as removed
2020-09-17 Added CDM_LMS.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY_COURSE LEARN.MI_NODE, LEARN.COURSE_MAIN, LEARN.DOMAIN_COURSE_COLL Table that holds information about the relation between institutional hierarchy nodes and courses
2020-09-17 Added CDM_LMS.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY_COURSE.ID Derived from CDM Surrogate primary key for the table
2020-09-17 Added CDM_LMS.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY_COURSE.INSTANCE_ID CDM_LMS.INSTANCE.ID Foreign key that references the primary key of the CDM_LMS.INSTANCE table
2020-09-17 Added CDM_LMS.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY_COURSE.COURSE_ID CDM_LMS.COURSE.ID Foreign key that references the primary key of the CDM_LMS.COURSE table
2020-09-17 Added CDM_LMS.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY_COURSE.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY_ID CDM_LMS.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY.ID Foreign key that references the primary key of the CDM_LMS.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY table
2020-09-17 Added CDM_LMS.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY_COURSE.SOURCE_ID LEARN.MI_NODE.PK1, LEARN.DOMAIN_COURSE_COLL.COURSE_MAIN_PK1 Primary key of the source system
2020-09-17 Added CDM_LMS.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY_COURSE.PRIMARY_IND LEARN.DOMAIN_COURSE_COLL.PRIMARY_IND Shows if this association is primary association for the object. Only applicable to direct multi-institution associations.
2020-09-17 Added CDM_LMS.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY_COURSE.STAGE LEARN.MI_NODE.DOMAIN_PK1, LEARN.MI_NODE.BATCH_UID Auxiliary attributes for CDM_LMS.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY_COURSE table
2020-09-17 Added CDM_LMS.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY_COURSE.ROW_INSERTED_TIME Derived from CDM Date and time the record was inserted to the table
2020-09-17 Added CDM_LMS.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY_COURSE.ROW_UPDATED_TIME Derived from CDM Date and time the record was modified in the table
2020-09-17 Added CDM_LMS.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY_COURSE.ROW_DELETED_TIME Derived from CDM Date and time the record was marked as removed
2020-09-17 Added CDM_LMS.INSTITUTION_HIERARCHY_COURSE.HIERARCHY_NAME_SEQ LEARN.MI_NODE.PK1 List of names of parent nodes of the institution hierarchy node

Canonical Data Model changes as of 10 September 2020

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 10 September 2020
Updated features, CDM Changes

Blackboard Learn SaaS CD Releases
Date (YYY-MM-DD) Status Entry Source Description
2020-09-09 Added BBD_REPORTING Derived from CDM New submodel that includes the metrics and calculations for Blackboard Reporting Tier
2020-09-09 Added BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR Derived from CDM Basic aggregations for report COURSE - TOOL activity. Granularity is on login level.
2020-09-09 Added BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.COURSE_TOOL_ID CDM_LMS.COURSE_TOOL.ID Foreign key that references the primary key of the CDM_LMS.COURSE_TOOL table
2020-09-09 Added BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.COURSE_ID CDM_LMS.COURSE.ID Foreign key that references the primary key of the CDM_LMS.COURSE table
2020-09-09 Added BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.TOOL_ID CDM_LMS.TOOL.ID Foreign key that references the primary key of the CDM_LMS.TOOL table
2020-09-09 Added BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.PERSON_ID CDM_LMS.PERSON.ID Foreign key that references the primary key of the CDM_LMS.PERSON table
2020-09-09 Added BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.PERSON_COURSE_ID CDM_LMS.PERSON_COURSE.ID Foreign key that references the primary key of the CDM_LMS.PERSON_COURSE table
2020-09-09 Added BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.ACTIVITY_TIME CDM_LMS.ACTIVITY.ACCESSED_TIME Date and time an activity was performed on the course tool
2020-09-09 Added BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.COURSE_NAME CDM_LMS.COURSE.NAME Name of the course
2020-09-09 Added BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.TOOL_NAME CDM_LMS.TOOL.NAME Name of the tool
2020-09-09 Added BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.PERSON_COURSE_ROLE CDM_LMS.PERSON_COURSE.COURSE_ROLE_SOURCE_DESC Name of the role of a person in the course
2020-09-09 Added BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.COURSE_AVAILABLE_IND CDM_LMS.COURSE.AVAILABLE_IND Shows if the course is available
2020-09-09 Added BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.TOOL_AVAILABLE_IND CDM_LMS.COURSE_TOOL.AVAILABLE_IND Shows if the tool is available in the course
2020-09-09 Added BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.PERSON_AVAILABLE_IND CDM_LMS.PERSON.AVAILABLE_IND Shows if the person is available
2020-09-09 Added BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.ACTIVITY_DURATION_SUM CDM_LMS.ACTIVITY.DURATION_SUM Length of time a person spent in the course in seconds
2020-09-09 Added BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.COURSE_SOURCE_ID CDM_LMS.COURSE_TOOL.COURSE_SOURCE_ID Primary key of the course
2020-09-09 Added BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.TOOL_SOURCE_ID CDM_LMS.COURSE_TOOL.TOOL_SOURCE_ID Primary key of the source system
2020-09-09 Added BBD_REPORTING.COURSE_TOOL_ACTIVITY_HOUR.ROW_OVERWRITTEN_TIME Derived from CDM Date and time the record was overwritten in the table
2020-08-05 Added CDM_LMS.TRANSLATION Derived from CDM Translations for tools and course roles to es_ES and en_US locales. One row per locale, bundle name and translation key.
2020-08-05 Added CDM_LMS.TRANSLATION.ID Derived from CDM Surrogate primary key for the table
2020-08-05 Added CDM_LMS.TRANSLATION.INSTANCE_ID CDM_LMS.INSTANCE.ID Foreign key that references the primary key of the CDM_LMS.INSTANCE table
2020-08-05 Added CDM_LMS.TRANSLATION.SOURCE_ID LEARN.RESOURCE_STRINGS.LOCALE, LEARN.RESOURCE_STRINGS.BUNDLE_NAME, LEARN.RESOURCE_STRINGS.TRANSLATION_KEY Primary keys of the source system. Keys are separated by semicolon. List begins with the locale, followed by bundle_name and resource_key.
2020-08-05 Added CDM_LMS.TRANSLATION.LOCALE LEARN.RESOURCE_STRINGS.LOCALE Translations locales in a form of language_TERRITORY, e.g. en_US
2020-08-05 Added CDM_LMS.TRANSLATION.BUNDLE_NAME LEARN.RESOURCE_STRINGS.BUNDLE_NAME Bundle name
2020-08-05 Added CDM_LMS.TRANSLATION.TRANSLATION_KEY LEARN.RESOURCE_STRINGS.RESOURCE_KEY Universal string from source system to be translated
2020-08-05 Added CDM_LMS.TRANSLATION.TRANSLATION_VALUE LEARN.RESOURCE_STRINGS.RESOURCE_VALUE Translation of translation key to given locale
2020-08-05 Added CDM_LMS.TRANSLATION.ENABLED_IND LEARN.LOCALES.IS_ENABLED Shows if the locale is generally enabled in source system
2020-08-05 Added CDM_LMS.TRANSLATION.COURSE_ENABLED_IND LEARN.LOCALES.IS_ENABLED_COURSE Shows if the locale is enabled for courses in source system
2020-08-05 Added CDM_LMS.TRANSLATION.ORGANIZATION_ENABLED_IND LEARN.LOCALES.IS_ENABLED_ORGANIZATION Shows if the locale is enabled for organizations in source system
2020-08-05 Added CDM_LMS.TRANSLATION.USER_ENABLED_IND LEARN.LOCALES.IS_ENABLED_USER Shows if the locale is enabled for users in source system
2020-08-05 Added CDM_LMS.TRANSLATION.STAGE Derived from CDM Auxiliary attributes for the CDM_LMS.TRANSLATION table
2020-08-05 Added CDM_LMS.TRANSLATION.ROW_INSERTED_TIME Derived from CDM Date and time the record was added to the table
2020-08-05 Added CDM_LMS.TRANSLATION.ROW_UPDATED_TIME Derived from CDM Date and time the record was modified in the table
2020-08-05 Added CDM_LMS.TRANSLATION.ROW_DELETED_TIME Derived from CDM Date and time the record was marked as removed

Global Filter by Tool

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 10 September 2020
New features, Reporting

This feature is only available to participants of the Blackboard Data Insider Program. For more information about the program & eligibility, please visit Blackboard Data Insider Program.

The Learning Tool Activity report now includes a global filter that allows users to filter the data of the report by a specific Learning Tool. Each tool name includes additional information on whether the tool is being used directly (Application) or is being used through a content handler in the content area (Content Handler).


Learning Tool Activity and Use Report

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 10 September 2020
New features, Reporting

This feature is only available to participants of the Blackboard Data Insider Program. For more information about the program & eligibility, please visit Blackboard Data Insider Program.

The new Learning Tool Activity and Use report allows users to see who uses the learning tools in their LMS and when they are accessing them. The initial release of this report helps users understand:

  • What roles access learning tools?
  • When is the peak use of learning tools?
  • How does learning tool usage change over time?
  • In how many courses is this tool both available and accessed at least once?

Local Filter by Role

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 10 September 2020
New features, Reporting

This feature is only available to participants of the Blackboard Data Insider Program. For more information about the program & eligibility, please visit Blackboard Data Insider Program.

The Person Activity section of the Learning Tool Activity report now includes a local filter that allows users to filter down the visualizations from this section by a specific role.


Updated Submodel filter

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 27 August 2020
Updated features, Data Dictionary

The Explore Entries by Submodel filter has been transformed into a drop-down menu and is now located next to the search box in both Entries and Entity Relationship tabs. This change provides more space for the interactive ERDs for better usability.


In-app Product Feedback and New Features widget

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 27 August 2020
New features

This feature is only available to participants of the Blackboard Data Insider Program. For more information about the program & eligibility, please visit Blackboard Data Insider Program.

As part of the Blackboard Data Insider Program, we are introducing a new channel to keep you updated on the latest features that we introduce during the Insider Program and hear what you have to say. The new "What's New" side panel will allow you to see the latest updates we share, react to them using the Emoji icons, and provide us with your feedback without having to leave the Blackboard Data UI.


New navigation sidebar

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 27 August 2020
New features

A new navigation system has been introduced to provide a simpler experience when navigating the Blackboard Data User Interface, supported by the new collapsible left navigation bar.


New card-based user interface for Data Dictionary

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 27 August 2020
Updated features, Data Dictionary

We have introduced a new card-based look and feel for the Data Dictionary that supports the new navigation system, providing a fresh and modern look to the interface overall.

Data Dictionary entries table

Updated Report Cards

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 27 August 2020
Updated features, Reporting

This feature is only available to participants of the Blackboard Data Insider Program. For more information about the program & eligibility, please visit Blackboard Data Insider Program.

As part of a general User Interface refresh, the styling of the report cards has been updated to better reflect the Blackboard Data product the report belongs to.


Updated Report Interface

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 27 August 2020
Updated features, Reporting

This feature is only available to participants of the Blackboard Data Insider Program. For more information about the program & eligibility, please visit Blackboard Data Insider Program.

As part of a general User Interface refresh, the Report Interface has been updated to reflect the new card-based style and provide more space for the filters and visualizations.


Reporting tab

Continuous Delivery BRS 1.0 | Release to Production 25 June 2020
New features, Reporting

This feature is only available to participants of the Blackboard Data Insider Program. For more information about the program & eligibility, please visit Blackboard Data Insider Program.

A new Reporting tab has been added to the Blackboard Data UI. This where users will see all the reports they have available and where we will be adding new reports in the future. This view includes the name of the report, as well as the primary and secondary questions the report helps answer.

More on reporting


Data Dictionary mobile support

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 25 June 2020
Updated features, Data Dictionary

The Entry List and Entity Relationship Diagrams are updated to be accessible on smaller devices, like smartphones and tablets.


Collaboration Session Activity report

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 25 June 2020
New features, Reporting

This feature is only available to participants of the Blackboard Data Insider Program. For more information about the program & eligibility, please visit Blackboard Data Insider Program.

The new Collaboration Session Activity report allows users to see who accesses their collaboration tool sessions and when they are accessing them. The initial release of this report helps users understand:

  • How many rooms are currently active?
  • How many sessions were launched per day in a given date range?
  • How much time do users spend in sessions?
  • How many users attend sessions?

Date Filtering

  • Range 1 is the main date range that is shown on the metrics and visualizations. Users can select any length starting with the same day.
  • Range 2 is the comparative date range, used to compare with Range 1. The percentage changes on the numeric (Level 1) metrics are calculated by comparing Range 1 to Range 2.
  • We recommend selecting date ranges of the same length for accurate comparisons.

Export to CSV

Users can export the data from the "Number of sessions launched by date" chart into CSV format for external consumption.

More on the Collaboration Session Activity report


Canonical Data Model changes as of 25 June 2020

Continuous Delivery | Release to Production 25 June 2020
Updated features, CDM Changes

Blackboard Learn SaaS CD Releases
Date (YYY-MM-DD) Status Entry Source Description
2020-05-20 Added CDM_LMS.ATTENDANCE.ROLE   Canonical attendance role
2020-05-20 Added CDM_LMS.ATTENDANCE.ROLE_SOURCE_CODE COLLAB.APOLLO_ATTENDEE.ROLE Enum code of the collaboration tool attendee role
2020-05-20 Added CDM_LMS.ATTENDANCE.ROLE_SOURCE_DESC COLLAB.APOLLO_ATTENDEE.ROLE Description of the collaboration tool attendee role
2020-05-20 Added CDM_LMS.GRADEBOOK.DUE_TIME LEARN.GRADEBOOK_MAIN.DUE_DATE Due date for gradable item
2020-04-01 Added CDM_LMS.TOOL.PLUGIN_HANDLE LEARN.PLUGINS.HANDLE Plugin handle name