Banner Frequently Asked Questions

Banner Frequently Asked Questions

Listed below are some of our most frequently asked questions.  Please see the related Banner FAQs to the right for additional information.  We hope you will find an answer to your question here.  If not, please send us an e-mail at Banner@bridgew.edu.

1. What is Banner®?

Banner is a suite of administrative software applications developed specifically for higher education institutions by Systems and Computer Technology Corporation (SCT).
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2. Who do I contact when I have a problem or question?

Questions and/or problems regarding the Banner systems may be submitted via email to the Banner Support Team at Banner@bridgew.edu. Information Technology staff will provide timely acknowledgement and responses to questions after seeking answers from the appropriate personnel working on the project. 
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3. How do I get a Banner ID?

Banner accounts are automatically created within 2 business days of completion of the second level Banner course (Banner 111 – Intro to Banner Finance or Banner 121 – Intro to Banner Student). Depending on what you will be using Banner for you should enroll in the next level course. The Banner 101 Navigation course is a prerequisite for both Banner 111 and 121. If you need a refresher, you are welcome to enroll in the Banner 101 class again or review the class materials on the web at http://it.bridgew.edu/Banner/Documentation.cfm.

Banner training classes are open for registration via Element K. Classes are offered each month throughout the year. These training classes run from approximately two to three hours and will provide you with all the technical skills and procedural knowledge you need to use Banner.
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4. Can faculty members obtain access to the form-based version of Banner?

Access to the form-based version of Banner is currently limited to Department Chairs and Program Coordinators.  This restriction is necessary to control the availability of potentially sensitive data.  The Banner Development team will make additional modifications in the future to the Web for Faculty product to ensure that most faculty members have access to all the data necessary to manage their students, classes, and advisees.  For more information on the Web for Faculty version of Banner, please see the related Faculty Self Service FAQ.
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5. How do I start using Banner?

After receiving your Banner login name and password, please open your browser to http://banner This will open the page that allows you to log into the Banner production database.
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6. How do I log on to Banner?

After receiving your Banner login name and password, review the Banner 101 manual on the Banner Training Documents Web Page http://it.bridgew.edu/Banner/Documentation.cfm for instructions on how to log on to Banner.
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7. When are the Banner training sessions and how do I sign up?

Please login to Element K to view the upcoming Banner Training sessions on the schedule.  Login to Element K with your BSC login credentials at : https://bridgew.edu/elementk/.
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8. What if I'm unable to attend a Banner training course that I signed up for?

You can drop or register for a new session through Element K.   Login to Element K with your BSC login credentials at : https://bridgew.edu/elementk/.  Go to the course you would like to drop and click the registered sessions tab.  Click the drop button tu unenroll from that session.  Then register for one that meets your schedule.
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9. What if I can not sign up for Banner Training on the Banner Training web page?

If you are not able to register for training on the Banner Training web page (http://it.bridgew.edu/Banner/Training/) it may be because you do not have an Element K account created yet.  If you try to login to Element K with your BSC login credentials at : https://bridgew.edu/elementk/ and it does not work, follow the instructions at the bottom of that page.  If you are still not able to login when going to Element K directly, please contact IT Support Services at ITSupport@bridgew.edu or 508.531.2555 and let them know you need an account created for you. 

Student employees are not allowed to use Banner.  In extenuating circumstances, the department head may send email to the Banner Review Committee (BaRC) via Banner@bridgew.edu explaining what they need the student to have viewing access to in Banner and why.  BaRC discourages the practice of giving students security rights in Banner and most requests for access are resolved with features available in Web for Faculty or Web for Students.
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10. How do I change my Banner password?

You may change your Banner password in the Oracle Password Change Form (GUAPSWD).
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11. How come I cannot log in?

There are a myriad of reasons that an individual may not be able to log in.  Some common reasons are as follows:  the user is logged into the wrong database;  the user has not completed the necessary/required training; the user forgot their password or logged in with an incorrect password; and it is also possible that the Banner userid was not set up the same as the network userid. 

Remember:  the first time you log in, you will be asked to change your password (and only your password - not your userid).  This new password is the one you will log in with from this point on.
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12. What do I need to do if I try to log in and get a blank screen?

The most likely reason for this is that the Oracle J-Initiator (java) has not been installed onto your machine.  If you have never installed Banner before you will first need to complete this installation before you can login.  Once the J-Initiator has been installed, you should be able to access Banner with your userid and password.
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13. What if I can not install the Oracle J-Initiator (java) on my computer?

In order to install the Oracle J-Initiator, you must be the administrator for your machine.  You can contact IT Support Services at 508.531.2555 for help with this if you are not.  Installation instructions can be found on pages 4 and 5 of the Banner 101 manual.  The manual is located on the Banner Training site at http://it.bridgew.edu/Banner/Documentation.cfm.  Once the J-Initiator has been installed, you should be able to access Banner with your user id and password.
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14. Why can’t I login to Banner from my home computer?

For security reasons, the Banner Production database (BANP) can only be accessed from on-campus.
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15. How do I build or copy a Personal Menu in Banner?

In Banner, you can create a personal menu associated with your User ID. This menu may contain forms, jobs, menus, and QuickFlows important to your daily tasks in Banner.

  1. Begin by making a list of the objects you would like to see on your personal menu.
  2. Open the My Banner Maintenance form (GUAPMNU).
  3. Select the forms from the menu on the left.  To select multiple forms hold down the ctrl key as you select from the menu.
  4. Click the single-headed arrow to insert the selected forms in your personal Banner menu.
  5. To add jobs, menus or quickflows to your personal menu click the drop down arrow under the form title bar.
  6. Choose from the drop down list and repeat the steps above.
  7. Once you have completed building your personal menu, click the save icon on the Banner toolbar and exit the form.

For additional information on building personal menus, see the Banner 101 Manual on the Banner Training Documents Web Page (http://it.bridgew.edu/Banner/Documentation.cfm)
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16. What if I can not view all the forms in the main menu (GUAGMNU)?

Your Banner security class determines which forms will be visible from the main menu.  You may also receive an error message when you type certain form names into the Go/Direct Access Box.  If you need access to additional Banner forms for your job, send e-mail to Banner@bridgew.edu.  Some security access will need special approval from the Banner Review Committee (BaRC).
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17. Why can’t I access a Banner form?

There is a possibility that you do not have the proper security access for the forms necessary to perform your job assignments.  Please send email to banner@bridgew.edu and it will be forwarded to the appropriate personnel responsible for security.  Try to be as specific as possible when stating what you were attempting to do, what form you were in, what message, if any, you received, etc.  The more information provided, the better likelihood of an early resolution.
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18. Why does it take so long to get additional form security added to my Banner account?

Because form security requests must be approved by various departments on campus before IT can implement the permission changes, there may sometimes be a lag while IT awaits approval from the various departments or committees.

The table below provides a general guideline of which departments approve access to different form security requests.  The first letters of the form name usually indicate which office provides approval.  However, there are some exceptions. 

Form Name

Department

F Finance

Finance

G General

BaRC, IT

S Student

Registrar’s office

SA Student Admissions

Admissions office

SI  Student Instructor

Registrar, HR

SL Student Location

Housing

P HR/Payroll/Personnel

HR

R Financial Aid

Fin Aid

T Accounts Receivable

AR

*PAIDEN, *PERS

BaRC, HR, Registrar

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19. What if Banner is running extremely slowly?

There are two reasons to explain your very slow BANNER response time.  First, you may have multiple PC320 (FRED) or SIS sessions open.  BANNER does not run well with multiple PC320 sessions open so to prevent problems, please verify you do not have multiple sessions running at the same time you are running Banner.   

If that’s not the case, then the second reason is that your profile may have become corrupt.  To resolve a corrupt profile, please contact the IT Support Center at 508.531.2555.
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20. Who do I blame if I hate Banner?

You can blame Tom Groh. He's the one who got us in to this mess.
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Last Modified: May 16, 2008

Related FAQs


Banner FAQ
Banner Finance FAQ
Banner Student FAQ
Faculty Self Service FAQ
Banner Reporting FAQ