Lesson XVIII: Astra Schedule Resources

Welcome to Ad Astra’s lesson on managing resources and services in Astra Schedule! Using resources can enhance the experience in Astra Schedule for event scheduling and even section scheduling.

Equipment is typically physical items such as tables, chairs, A/V components, furniture, computer. Services are typically people-drive activity tracked in Astra Schedule, such as catering, security officers, custodians, etc. Collections are multiple resources grouped together for scheduling purposes, but collections are not recommended in Astra Schedule 8 due to lack of functionality.

Resource List Page

The Resource List can give a comprehensive look into the current resource inventory an Astra Schedule Site. To view your Resource List, click the Settings tab and the Equipment and Services link.

The Resource Name column is where an individual resource can be selected to edit its configuration. The resource type will be Equipment, Service, or Collection. The Category Names displayed will be specific to an institution. The quantity is the total inventory of the individual resource. The Active and Description column can also be brought in to indicate if it is Active (True) or Inactive (False) and display any text that is associated with that resource in its optional Description field.

Configuring Equipment

To create an equipment, click “Add a Resource” and select “Equipment.” The key components for a piece of equipment is the following:

• Resource Name: Have a consistent naming convention across resources. If you are going to have multiple resources for different areas on campus, make sure the location is indicated in the Resource Name as well.
• Resource Category: Only one resource category can be associated with a resource; the Category can aid in filtering and reporting purposes. The Resource Categories can be updated in the Master List.
• Resource Group Tags: Multiple group tags can be associated with a resource. A group tag will be needed for workflow purposes if this resource is to be associated with an Approver or Notification group. The Resource Groups can be updated in the Master List.
• Quantity is the available amount of this type of equipment. This will update for requestors and schedulers as they are requesting and scheduling resources. If 5/10 tables are already associated with an Incomplete, Pending, or Scheduled event, then only 5 will be available for requesting and scheduling during the time those 5 tables are in use.
• The description is an optional field but can help end-users know more information about the piece of equipment they are associating with their event.

There are additional option fields that can leveraged if Astra Schedule is your primary system of record for that equipment. Equipment Details can be used to track specific details associated to that equipment. If each individual piece of equipment is be noted in Astra Schedule, then select the “Track Individual Items” and each item’s serial number and make/model can be added to the resource page.

Pieces of equipment and services can be restricted by location so that resources cannot be associated with events that are happening in certain spaces on campus. For example, if the service of Catering should only be scheduled in the Mid-Campus Building on campus, then select “+ Add Location”, Group by Building, Select Campus, Select Building: MID-CAMPUS, Select OK.

To track the physical storage location for this equipment, that information can be added under Storage Location by selecting from the drop-down menus, the Campus it is associated with, the Building it is in, and the Room it is located. If the resource is permanently assigned to the room, consider adding this as a Feature instead.

Default Setup Windows and Teardown Windows can be leveraged if the resource is needed in a space prior to the start time of the event or requires time after the end of the event for service. Prior to adding a Setup or Teardown Service to an Equipment or a Service, a service must first be created.

When you are finished creating the equipment, click Save or Save and Close.

Configuring a Service

Configuring a service is very similar to configuring equipment. You’ll select Add a Resource and Service from the Resource page, and you’ll fill out the same key components: Resource Name, Resource Category, Resource Group Tags, Quantity, and Description. Quantity may be a little different, as even though you may have 20 security officers in your employment, maybe only 10 can be used for events at any one time. Keep that in mind when setting up the quantities for services.

There are no equipment details here, but you do still have the location options. The big different here is the Resource Service Duration Settings. The Resource Service Duration Settings defaults to “Default to Meeting Duration.” If this a standard service, such as Catering Service that is needed for the full duration for an event, then leave “Default to Meeting Duration” flagged.

If you're setting up a Setup service to be associated with Equipment, select “Is Setup Service” and update the default duration and the minimum duration for the setup service. When the Is Setup Service is flagged, the option to Add Setup/Teardown Service is removed as an option, since we wouldn't have a setup service window associated with a setup service window. If this a setup service that would require the room to be unavailable for other scheduling, then also select “Duration Reserves Room.” Select Save or Save and Close.

When you are finished configuring your service, click Save or Save and Close.

Now that you have all the information needed to create equipment and services, start meeting with these departments on campus to see how Astra Schedule can help your workflow process on campus!

If you haven't already, you can review the foundational elements of Astra Schedule or dive into the Academic section of our guide.