Articles in this section

See more

Batch Import Data Using Tab-delimited and Comma-separated Files

  • Updated
 
 Batch import large sets of data directly into your domain anywhere you see an Import button in the Admin app. Select Import, then upload a tab-delimited or comma-separated file with your data.
**Some options such as Delete may not be available for all types of imports.  Deleting data is permanent and should be used with caution.
image showing dropdown option of import on main menu in admin app

 

What can you import?

Types of data you can import include:

  • Course data
  • Enrollment data
  • Objective data
  • Observer data
  • Permissions data
  • User data

 

Formatting tab-delimited and comma-separated files

You can set up courses, users, enrollments, and other data by importing a tab-delimited values text file (.txt) or a comma-separated values file (.csv). These file types use plain text and pre-determined (according to the type of imported data) fields to organize data as tables. Review the sections below to learn more about each type of import and the supported fields associated with each.

Although the required fields in your file vary based on the type of data you're importing (e.g., users, enrollments, courses, etc.), the formatting rules remain the same.

Note: If an invalid date format error message displays, ensure your date is in YYYY-MM-DD order instead of MM-DD-YYYY.

To format a tab-delimited or comma-separated file:

  1. On the first line, list the supported fields to define. Think of these as your table headers. List the fields in the order (top-to-bottom) outlined in the tables below, separating each with only a comma (no spaces). For example, to create a course import file that defines the Action, Title, and Course Id fields, your first line would look like this:
Action,Title,Course Id
  1. On the next line, provide content about a course for each of the fields you entered on the first line. To add a course titled Geometry 1 with "course_1" as its course ID, your second like would look like this:
Action,Title,Course Id
Add,Geometry 1,course_1
  1. Repeat step two for every course you want to edit with this import. You can indicate no edits to a field in the middle of a line by entering no content between commas (see line three below). If you don't want to make changes to the field at the end of the line, leave it out (see line four).
Action,Title,Course Id
Add,Geometry 1,course_1
Edit,,course_3
Delete,Geometry 3

 

Importing course data

Importing course data allows you to edit many courses in one process.

The table below lists and describes the supported fields you can include in your tab-delimited or comma-separated file when importing course information.

 

Supported fields for course imports

The entries under Column Header represent your options in editing data. The first two column entries (Action and Copy Action) represent actions, the remaining represent types of data.

On the first line of your file, list those column entries you want to define, separated by commas. On the remaining lines, enter the information for each entry. Your file will look something like this:

Action,Copy Action,Title,Course Id,Base Id
Add,Sibling,Geometry 1,course_1,Master_Course_1
Edit,,,course_3
Delete,,Geometry 3

 

Column Header                                                             Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                
Action                                                                  

Enter one of the following values: Add (default), Delete*, or Edit.

*Delete not available for courses.                                                                                                                                                                                  
Copy Action                                                               Use the Add action to build a course from an existing Base Course. To do so, include the Base ID and specify how the new course relates to it by including a copy action field in your file and entering one of the following copy action values: Copy (static), Child (default), or Sibling. To learn how these copy actions differ, visit How do Master and Derivative Courses work?.

If you do not include a Base ID, this action will create a new blank course. 
Title                                                                     Course title.                                                                                                                                                                                                              
Type                                                                     Range or Continuous.                                                                                                                                                                                                        
Start Date                                                               Start date of a range course. Please use the Year/Month/Day format, such as 2009/1/30 or 1999/10/03.                                                                                                                                                                                              
End Date                                                                 End date of a range course.  Please use the Year/Month/Day format, such as 2009/1/30 or 1999/10/03.                                                                                                                                                                                               
Days                                                                     Number of days in a continuous course.                                                                                                                                                                                      
Term                                                                     Term for this course.                                                                                                                                                                                                      
Course ID                                                                 ID for the course.                                                                                                                                                                                              
Course Guid                                                               Guid for the course.                                                                                                                                                                                                      
Course Reference or Course External Id                                   External ID (reference) for the course.                                                                                                                                                                                    
Base ID                                                                   The ID for the Base Course. The add action requires an ID for the base course, if you want to start with an existing course. The ID can be either base ID, base guid, or base reference

If you do not include a Base ID when using the Copy Action, you will create a new blank course.                  
Base Guid                                                                 Guid for the base course.                                                                                                                                                                                                  
Base Reference or Base External Id                                       External ID (reference) for the base course.                                                                                                                                                                              
Base Domain ID or Base Domain Guid or Base Userspace or Base Login Prefix Domain identifiers if the base course is in a different domain. See Domain Identifiers for more information.                                                                                                              
 

Notes

  • We recommend that all batch imports of courses specify an external ID for courses in the import file. The external ID property is specified by the user and should contain a unique ID for the item. Typically, the external ID corresponds to the course's ID in another system at your institution.
  • Pearson Connexus does not enforce uniqueness of the Course External IDs, so you must verify that they are unique when you create the import file.
  • If an invalid date format error message displays, ensure your date is in YYYY-MM-DD order instead of MM-DD-YYYY.
  • Ensure that all Required fields are complete in the spreadsheet or an error will result during the import.

 

Importing enrollment data

Importing enrollment data allows you to assign many students to specific courses in a single process.

Each enrollment row in the file assigns a user to a course. Users are identified by their User External ID, and courses are identified by their Course External ID. Both fields are set by the administrator and should contain a unique ID for the item. Often the External ID is the ID of the item from an external system.

The following table lists and describes the supported fields you can include in your tab-delimited or comma-separated file when importing enrollments.

Supported fields for enrollment imports

The entries under Column Header represent your options in editing data. The first column entry (Action) represents an action, the remaining represent types of data.

On the first line of your file, list those column entries to define, separated by commas. On the remaining lines, enter the information for each entry. Your file will look something like this:

Action,Role,Enrollment Id,Course Id
Edit,Student,student_1,course_1
Add,,student_2,course_3
Add,,student_3,course_3

 

Column Header Description
Action Add, Delete, or Edit. Defaults to Add.
Flags Numeric number of the privilege flags for the enrollment. Use either Flags or Role.
Role Role for the user, as defined by domain administrator, see Roles and Permissions. This defaults to Student for the Add action.
Role ID You can also use the Role ID to reference Roles. 
Status Active, Withdrawn No Score, Withdrawn Failed, Transferred, Completed, Completed No Credit, Suspended, or Inactive. Defaults to Active.
Start Date First day of enrollment. Defaults to course start date. Please use the Year/Month/Day format, such as 2009/1/30 or 1999/10/03.
End Date Last day of enrollment. Defaults to course end date. Please use the Year/Month/Day format, such as 2009/1/30 or 1999/10/03.
Enrollment Id Pearson Connexus ID of the enrollment. The Edit and Delete action requires an ID for the enrollment that can be either enrollment ID, enrollment guid, or reference.
Enrollment Guid Guid for the enrollment.
Reference or External Id or Enrollment External Id External ID (reference) for the enrollment.
User ID Pearson Connexus ID for the user to enroll. The Add action requires an ID for the user that can be either user ID, user guid, username, or user reference.
User Guid Guid for the user to enroll.
Username Username for the user to enroll.
User Reference or User External ID External ID (reference) for the user to enroll.
User Domain ID or User Domain Guid or User Userspace or User Login Prefix Domain identifiers if the user is in a different domain. See Domain Identifiers for more information.
Course ID Pearson Connexus ID for the course to enroll in.  The Add action requires an ID for the course that can be either course ID, course guid, or course reference.
Course Guid Guid for the course to enroll in.
Course Reference or Course External ID External ID (reference) for the course to enroll in.
Course Domain ID or Course Domain Guid or Course Userspace or Course Login Prefix Domain identifiers if the course is in a different domain. See Domain Identifiers for more information.

Notes

  • We recommend that all batch import enrollments specify an Enrollment External ID, which can be used later to edit or delete enrollments.
  • Pearson Connexus does not enforce uniqueness of the Enrollment External IDs, so you must verify that they are unique when you create the import file.
  • Ensure that all Required fields are complete in the spreadsheet or an error will result during the import. 

Importing objective data

Importing objective data allows you to create large sets of objectives in one process.

The following table lists and describes the supported fields you can include in your tab-delimited or comma-separated file when importing objectives.

Supported fields for objective imports

The entries under Column Header represent your options in editing data. The first column entry (Action) represents an action, the remaining represent types of data.

On the first line of your file, list those column entries you want to define, separated by commas. On the remaining lines, enter the information for each entry. Your file will look something like this:

Action,Guid,Id,Title,Grades,Subject
Edit,######,1.1,Determine whether a solution is reasonable in the context of the original situation.,30720,Mathematics
Add,######,1.2,"Identify chords, tangents, radii, and great circles of spheres.",30720,Mathematics
Add,######,1.3,Solve real-world problems involving right triangles.,30720,Mathematics

 

Column Header Description
Action Add, Delete, or Edit. Defaults to Add.
Set ID The map set to import into. If you've selected the map set in the Admin app, you don't need to provide this.
Guid The globally unique identifier for the objective.
ID The ID string that the external objective-set source assigns to this objective.
Title The title or description of the objective.
Reference A field that identifies the objective in other systems such as ASN.
Grades A *bit-wise OR of GradeLevels that indicates the applicable grades for this objective.
Subject The academic subject for this objective.
Parent The unique identifier of the parent objective, if any.

 

Importing observer data

Importing observer data allows you to edit observer roles in one process.

The following table lists and describes the supported fields you can include in your tab-delimited or comma-separated file when importing observers.

Supported fields for observer imports

The entries under Column Header represent your options in editing data. The first column entry (Action) represents an action, the remaining represent types of data.

On the first line of your file, list those column entries to define, separated by commas. On the remaining lines, enter the information for each entry. Your file will look something like this:

Action,User Id,Observee Id
Add,career_coach_2,student_1
Add,career_coach_2,student_2
Add,career_coach_3,student_3

 

Column header     Description                                        
Action          

Add or Delete                                      
User ID, Username, User Reference, or User External Id          Identifier of the user who will observe another user.
Observee ID, Observee Username, Observee Reference, or Observee External ID OR Enrollment ID, Enrollment Reference, or Enrollment External ID Identifier of the user or enrollment who will be observed.          
User Domain ID or User Domain Guid or User Userspace or User Login  Prefix           Domain identifiers if the user is in a different domain. See Domain Identifiers for more information.          
Observee Domain ID or Observee Domain Guid or Observee Userspace or Observee Login  Prefix           Domain identifiers if the observee is in a different domain. See Domain Identifiers for more information.

Importing permissions data

Importing permissions data allows you to update multiple permissions associated with users, entities, roles, and flags.

The table below lists and describes the supported fields you can include in your tab-delimited or comma-separated file when importing permissions information.

 

Column Header Description
Action Add, Edit, or Delete. Defaults to Add. 
User ID This user’s permissions are impacted. 
Entity ID This entity’s permissions are impacted.
Role ID This roles’ permissions are impacted.
Flags Indicates individual privilege flags for the rights. Use Role ID whenever possible with this action.

Importing user data

Importing user data allows you to set up many users in one process.

The following table lists and describes the supported fields you can include in your tab-delimited or comma-separated file when importing user data. The third column indicates which fields can be used for editing users.

Supported fields for user imports

The entries under Column Header represent your options in editing data. The first column entry (Action) represents an action, the remaining represent types of data.

On the first line of your file, list those column entries you want to define, separated by commas. On the remaining lines, enter the information for each entry. Your file will look something like this:

Action,First name,Last name,Username,Password
Add,Jane,Doe,JaneDoe,jdoe123
Add,John,Doe,JonDoe,jdoe123

 

Column header Description Allow edit
Action Add, Delete, or Edit. Defaults to Add. N/A
First name User's first name Yes
Last name User's last name. Yes
Username Name user will use when logging in to the system. Yes
Password User password. No
External ID or Reference External ID of user. Yes
Email User email address (this will be used for resetting passwords as well as for communications from course instructors). Yes
Password Question Security question asked when requesting to reset a password. No
Password Answer Answer to security question. No
Description Long text description. Yes
User ID Internal User ID. You cannot set this value, but you can use it to reference users for Edit and Delete actions. No
User Guid Internal User Guid. You cannot set this value, but you can use it to reference users for Edit and Delete actions. No
Flags RightsFlags for the user in the domain. Enables you to automatically grant domain rights to the new user. No
Role Role for the user in the domain, as defined by domain administrator, see BrainHoney Roles and Permissions. Enables you to automatically grant domain rights to the new user. No
Status Status of user. Valid values are Active and Inactive. Yes
meta-xyz Use to add or edit custom user metadata. Replace xyz with the desired metadata identifier (it is case sensitive). If you want to add a title as metadata, use meta-Title. If these correlate with User Metadata admins add in Domain Settings > User Options, they appear in the UI after import; use the same value you enter in the Title field. Yes

Notes

  • The Username for each user must be unique. In addition, all users have an External ID which should contain an additional unique ID for the user. Normally the External ID is the ID of the user from a third-party system, such as a student information system. We recommend that all user batch imports specify a User External ID.
  • Pearson Connexus does not enforce uniqueness of the Enrollment External ID. You must verify that the external IDs are unique when you create the import file.
  • Ensure that all Required fields are complete in the spreadsheet or an error will result during the import. 

Domain Identifiers for Batch Importing

When working with multiple domains, you sometimes need to specify which domain to use for enrollments.

You don't need to specify the domain when:

  • Referencing users or courses in the current working domain.
  • The ID of the item is globally unique, as is the case with internal IDs.

You need to specify the domain when:

  • You reference users or courses in a different domain than the working domain.

All domain identifiers in this case have a User, Course, or Enrollment prefix. You could, for example, create an enrollment in one domain, with a user from a second domain, and a course from a third domain.

To specify a domain, use one of these fields with the appropriate identifiers with this syntax:

[Type Identifier] [Domain Identifier]

Type Identifier

The Type Identifier indicates the type of the entity for which to specify a domain. The value is one of the following: CcC

Name Description
Course Specify the domain for a course.
Base Specify the domain for a base course.
Enrollment Specify the domain for an enrollment.
User Specify the domain for an user.

 

Domain Identifier

The Domain Identifier specifies the key to use for the domain. Domain Identifiers can be one of the following:

Name Description
Domain ID Specify the domain by using the internal domain ID.
Domain Guid Specify the domain by using the domain guid.
Userspace Specify the domain by using the domain userspace (login prefix).
Login Prefix Specify the domain by using the domain userspace (login prefix).

 

Domain Identifiers Example

The following example specifies a user in the domain with login prefix myschool, by using the username and login prefix for the user.

UserName,Login Prefix
jsmith,myschool

Additional articles

Was this article helpful?
0 out of 0 found this helpful
Return to top

Related articles