Academic Analytics Platform

CSC 317 — Group Project Milestone 4

A full-stack web application for managing and visualizing academic transcript data.

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Installation & Setup

For detailed setup instructions, see SETUP.md.

Quick start:

1. Clone repository: git clone <repository-url>
2. Install dependencies: npm install
3. Set up PostgreSQL database
4. Copy .env.example to .env and configure
5. Run migrations: node db/reset.js
6. Start server: node server.js

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Environment Variables

See .env.example for template. Required variables:

Variable	Description	Example
DB_HOST or PGHOST	PostgreSQL host	localhost
DB_PORT or PGPORT	PostgreSQL port	5432
DB_USER or PGUSER	Database user	your_db_user
DB_PASS or PGPASSWORD	Database password	your_password
DB_NAME or PGDATABASE	Database name	academic_dashboard
JWT_SECRET	Secret key for JWT tokens	Generate with: node -e "console.log(require('crypto').randomBytes(32).toString('hex'))"
PORT	Server port (optional)	3001

Note: The project supports both DB_* and PG* environment variable formats. Use one format consistently.

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Database Schema

Tables

users

• id (SERIAL PRIMARY KEY) - User ID
• email (VARCHAR(255) UNIQUE NOT NULL) - User email
• password_hash (VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL) - Hashed password
• name (VARCHAR(255)) - User's full name

transcripts

• id (SERIAL PRIMARY KEY) - Transcript ID
• user_id (INTEGER UNIQUE NOT NULL) - Foreign key to users.id
• degree (VARCHAR(255)) - Degree program

terms

• id (SERIAL PRIMARY KEY) - Term ID
• transcript_id (INTEGER NOT NULL) - Foreign key to transcripts.id
• term_code (VARCHAR(50)) - Term code (e.g., "SP2024")
• term_name (VARCHAR(255)) - Term name
• term_gpa (DECIMAL(3,2)) - Term GPA
• credits (DECIMAL(5,2)) - Total credits
• earned_credits (DECIMAL(5,2)) - Earned credits
• points (DECIMAL(6,2)) - GPA points
• is_planned (BOOLEAN DEFAULT FALSE) - Whether term is planned

courses

• id (SERIAL PRIMARY KEY) - Course ID
• term_id (INTEGER NOT NULL) - Foreign key to terms.id
• code (VARCHAR(50)) - Course code
• name (VARCHAR(255)) - Course name
• units (DECIMAL(4,2)) - Course units
• earned_units (DECIMAL(4,2)) - Earned units
• grade (VARCHAR(10)) - Course grade
• points (DECIMAL(5,2)) - GPA points for course

Relationships

• users → transcripts (1:1) - One transcript per user
• transcripts → terms (1:many) - Multiple terms per transcript
• terms → courses (1:many) - Multiple courses per term

Indexes

• idx_transcripts_user_id on transcripts(user_id)
• idx_terms_transcript_id on terms(transcript_id)
• idx_courses_term_id on courses(term_id)
• idx_terms_term_code on terms(term_code)

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API Endpoints

Authentication Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description	Auth Required	Request Body	Response
POST	/api/auth/register	Register new user	No	{ email, password, name? }	{ success: true, data: { user, token } }
POST	/api/auth/login	Login user	No	{ email, password }	{ success: true, data: { user, token } }
POST	/api/auth/logout	Logout user	No	None	{ success: true, message }
PUT	/api/auth/profile	Update user profile	Yes	{ email?, name?, password? }	{ success: true, data: { user } }
PUT	/api/auth/password	Change password	Yes	{ currentPassword, newPassword }	{ success: true, message }

Authentication: Protected endpoints require Authorization: Bearer <token> header.

Transcript Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description	Auth Required	Request Body	Response
GET	/api/transcripts	Get user's transcript	Yes	None	{ success: true, data: transcript | null }
POST	/api/transcripts	Save new transcript	Yes	Transcript data object	{ success: true, data: transcript }
PUT	/api/transcripts	Update transcript	Yes	Transcript data object	{ success: true, data: transcript }

Transcript Data Structure:

{
  "studentInfo": {
    "name": "Student Name",
    "degree": "Degree Program"
  },
  "terms": [
    {
      "term": "SP2024",
      "termName": "Spring 2024",
      "termGPA": 3.5,
      "credits": 15.0,
      "earnedCredits": 15.0,
      "points": 52.5,
      "isPlanned": false,
      "courses": [
        {
          "code": "CSC 317",
          "name": "Web Development",
          "units": 3.0,
          "earnedUnits": 3.0,
          "grade": "A",
          "points": 12.0
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

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Feature Overview

Implemented Features

1. User Authentication

   • Registration with email validation
   • Login with JWT tokens (4-hour expiry)
   • Profile management (email, name)
   • Secure password change

2. Transcript Management

   • PDF parsing (client-side)
   • Text file import
   • JSON import
   • Manual editing interface
   • Data sanitization
   • Chronological term sorting

3. Dashboard & Analytics

   • Cumulative GPA calculation
   • Semester-by-semester breakdown
   • Interactive charts (GPA trends, grade distribution, credits)
   • Course breakdown table
   • Strength analysis
   • On-going semester support

4. Data Visualization

   • Customizable plot controls
   • Responsive charts (Chart.js)
   • Dynamic updates

5. User Interface

   • Responsive design
   • Protected routes
   • Real-time notifications
   • Loading states
   • Error handling

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Known Limitations

1. PDF Parser: Basic parser may not handle all transcript formats; complex layouts may require manual entry.

2. Mobile Responsiveness: Chart visualizations may not be optimal on very small screens.

3. Error Recovery: No partial data recovery if PDF parsing fails.

4. Data Validation: Some edge cases in transcript formats may not be caught.

5. Performance: Large transcript files (100+ courses) may take longer to parse and render.

6. Accessibility: Some interactive elements could benefit from better keyboard navigation; screen reader support for charts could be enhanced.

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Database Export

A database backup file is included in the repository: backup-2025-11-19.tar

To export a fresh backup:

node export-database.js

To import the included backup:

pg_restore -U your_db_user -d academic_dashboard backup-2025-11-19.tar

Or for SQL format:

psql -U your_db_user -d academic_dashboard < backup.sql