--- schema_version: "1" id: 416041c644dc832578641d14f08dd56e0f4ee31aa0cc029ba27f945f9bba9426 title: Set Up Topic-Based Availability collection: admin version: current locale: en-us portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/sfdo/264-0-0/ssh_setup_availability_topic.md canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sfdo.ssh_setup_availability_topic.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 source_site: help.salesforce.com content_type: documentation content_hash: 8f7384ce352e83cd01307d330d4d7d58ea365d127841fdca13934d73d0641bf6 description: Complete these tasks to get Topic-based availability up and running in your Student Success Hub org. products: - Nonprofit - Education release: "264" --- # Set Up Topic-Based Availability Complete these tasks to get Topic-based availability up and running in your Student Success Hub org. ![Note](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-sfdo-student_success_hub-264-0-0-production-enus/b7ac11a0-381d-499e-afd5-05e856602032/images/icon_note.png) Note Requires a Customer Community Plus or Customer Community Plus Login license, such as through Experience Cloud for Learner Success. - **[Learn About Topic-Based Availability](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sfdo.ssh_setup_availability_topic.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)** No one likes to talk about Christmas in June, and support staff typically don't conduct graduation audits in September. Help support staff optimize their scheduling through the seasons by using Topic-based availability, which lets them associate their recurring availability blocks with appointment Topics and Subtopics. - **[Topic-Based Availability Release Information](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sfdo.ssh_setup_availability_topic.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)** The Availability Topic object was released with Student Success Hub 2.46 (Winter '21). - **[Topic-Based Availability Requirements and Limits](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sfdo.ssh_setup_availability_topic.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)** Topic-based availability requires the location-based availability data model. Make sure it's set up first. - **[Set or Verify Object and Field Permissions for Topic-Based Availability](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sfdo.ssh_setup_availability_topic.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)** Topic-based availability requires access to the Availability Topic object. - **[Configure Sharing Settings for Topic-Based Availability](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sfdo.ssh_setup_availability_topic.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)** Verify your default organization-wide sharing settings for the Availability Topic object. - **[Understand the Support Staff Experience with Topic-Based Availability](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sfdo.ssh_setup_availability_topic.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)** After permissions and sharing settings are configured for Availability Topic, support staff can choose from a multi-select Topic picklist on the New Availability form. The Topic picklist displays Topic:Subtopic pairs; support staff can select one, some, all, or none of the items. Choosing no Topics in the picklist is equivalent to selecting all Topics. As with selecting from the Location multi-select picklist in the New Availability form, support staff must save their selections before specifying the times and frequency of the recurring availability block. ## Learn About Topic-Based Availability No one likes to talk about Christmas in June, and support staff typically don't conduct graduation audits in September. Help support staff optimize their scheduling through the seasons by using Topic-based availability, which lets them associate their recurring availability blocks with appointment Topics and Subtopics. For example, support staff can set up a recurring block during August and September dedicated to scheduling, and a different block for March through May dedicated to graduation audits. They can add additional Topics to those availability blocks as desired, so they can also be available to discuss study abroad planning, for example, whenever it's a hot topic with students. Topic-based availability uses the Availability Topic custom object, a junction object that relates a support staff member's Availability and Topic records. Here's how the Availability Topic object relates to Availability and Topic, as well as to the standard Salesforce Event and User objects, shown in blue. ![A diagram showing the lookup relationships between the Availability, Availability Topic, and Topic custom objects and the Event and User standard objects](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-sfdo-student_success_hub-264-0-0-production-enus/b7ac11a0-381d-499e-afd5-05e856602032/student_success_hub/images/ssh_erd_topic_based_avail.png) ![Important](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-sfdo-student_success_hub-264-0-0-production-enus/b7ac11a0-381d-499e-afd5-05e856602032/images/icon_important.png) Important To ensure that topic-based availability works as expected, do _not_ customize the Availability Topic object beyond what's described in this setup article. ## Topic-Based Availability Release Information The Availability Topic object was released with Student Success Hub 2.46 (Winter '21). To get Topic-based availability up and running in your org, complete the tasks in this article. Unless otherwise noted at the beginning of the task, all setup tasks are required regardless of the version of Student Success Hub that you originally installed. If you don't know which version you started with, see [Keep Student Success Hub Up-to-Date](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sfdo.ssh_setup_keep_up_to_date.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Stay informed about Salesforce.org product updates and release schedule."). ## Topic-Based Availability Requirements and Limits Topic-based availability requires the location-based availability data model. Make sure it's set up first. Relate fewer than 200 Availability Topics with each Availability. Exceeding this limit prevents you from deleting the Availability due to Salesforce platform query limits. See [Set Up Location-Based Availability](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sfdo.ssh_setup_availability_loc.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Complete these tasks to get location-based availability (flex scheduling) up and running in your Student Success Hub org.") for everything you need to do before continuing. ## Set or Verify Object and Field Permissions for Topic-Based Availability Topic-based availability requires access to the Availability Topic object. See [Configure Higher Ed Support Staff Permissions](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sfdo.ssh_setup_security_perms_staff_hed_configure.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Give higher ed support staff the object and field permissions they need to work in Student Success Hub.") and [Configure Student Permissions](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sfdo.ssh_setup_security_perms_student_hed_configure.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Give students the object and field permissions they need to use Student Success Hub from the portal."). ## Configure Sharing Settings for Topic-Based Availability Verify your default organization-wide sharing settings for the Availability Topic object. See [Student Success Hub Sharing Settings](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sfdo.ssh_sharing_settings.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Review and edit the org-wide default sharing settings for the objects that Student Success Hub uses."). ## Understand the Support Staff Experience with Topic-Based Availability After permissions and sharing settings are configured for Availability Topic, support staff can choose from a multi-select Topic picklist on the New Availability form. The Topic picklist displays Topic:Subtopic pairs; support staff can select one, some, all, or none of the items. Choosing no Topics in the picklist is equivalent to selecting all Topics. As with selecting from the Location multi-select picklist in the New Availability form, support staff must save their selections before specifying the times and frequency of the recurring availability block. ![The Topic multi-select picklist with the Academic:Scheduling and Academic:Study Abroad pairs selected, and saved.](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-sfdo-student_success_hub-264-0-0-production-enus/b7ac11a0-381d-499e-afd5-05e856602032/student_success_hub/images/ssh_setup_availability_topic_picklists.png) When support staff schedule appointments using the Predefined Availability tab in the New Appointment form, they can choose any time slot in their recurring availability blocks, regardless of which Topics (and locations) they've associated with the blocks. This ability to override their defined Availability Settings gives support staff the greatest amount of flexibility and control over their scheduling. Students, however, _can't_ override a staff member's Availability Settings when scheduling appointments in the portal. When you enable Topic-based availability, encourage your support staff to review existing recurring availability blocks and update them with the appropriate Topics and Subtopics. By default, existing availability blocks are associated with all Topic and Subtopics.