Before you can import data into the Data Manager, you must format the data in your input files to match the structure required by the system. Creating a template is the easiest way to do this: Export information from Data Manager, and then use the exported file as a template for importing new data into Data Manager.
Important: In order to import staff and student data, you must also perform a preliminary export of your organizational hierarchy to obtain organizational IDs. (For detailed directions, see the steps for exporting data below.) You can then enter the IDs into your import files to identify the organizations to which the data belongs.
To export data to a file that can be used as a template for importing your data:
1. From the Import/Export menu, select Export. The Export page opens.
2. Select the group you will eventually be importing.
– Organization—Select this option if you will be importing organization data, whether for purposes of updating the organization or as a preliminary step to gathering ID numbers for Staff or Student imports.
– Staff—Select this option if you will be importing staff information.
– Students—Select this option if you will be importing student data.
3. Click 
to expand the
hierarchy list; then select the level of your organization to
specify the scope of the information to be exported.
4. Specify the file delimiter you will be using for your import.
Important: For identifying columns and fields in the next step, it is highly recommended that you choose Comma delineation with a spreadsheet application.
– Tab—Select this option if you are using a plain text application, such as Microsoft Notepad, to organize the data you will be importing.
– Comma—Select this option if you are using a spreadsheet application, such as Microsoft Excel, to organize the data you will be importing.
5. Click the Export File button, and follow your browser's prompts to open or save the file on your hard drive.
6. If you have not opened the file, locate it on your hard drive, open it, and do the following:
a. For the preliminary Organization export that supplies the organization IDs, keep the notepad or spreadsheet file open for copying and pasting ID numbers. See the sample below for tips on where to look for relevant information.
b. For template files (exported Organization, Staff, or Student files to be modified and then imported), delete all rows of data beyond the first row (heading) and the second row (first line of data). Then replace the first line of data with the data to be imported. Continue for all rows of data to be added.
Note: You only need to update the data in the fields specified below.
○ For Staff imports/template:
Column |
Field Name |
Description |
| A | External ID | Create a unique ID for each staff member. |
| C | Level Description | Enter the level where this staff person resides or needs to be added. This will be based on how you have labeled your levels (for example, school, class, or agency). |
| D | User ID | Enter a unique user ID (what the staff user will use to log in). |
| E | Password | Enter a password for each staff to use. |
| F | Title ID | 1 – Teacher, 2 - Teacher's Assistant, 3 - Disability Coordinator, 4 - Early Childhood Specialist, 5 – Examiner, 6 - Other |
| H | First name | Enter the first name of the staff user. |
| I | Last name | Enter the last name of the staff user. |
| S | Organizational ID | Enter the External ID of the organizational level to which this person should be assigned (the specific location ID found in Column A or the first column of the Organization export file). |
| AJ | Enter =”” in this field to signify that this is the end of the file. |
○ For Student imports/template:
Column |
Information Needed |
Options |
| A (NOT required) | Child ID (NOT required) | If no information is included in this column, put ”” in the column for the first child to whom this applies. Leave all subsequent Child ID fields blank for additional children without IDs. |
| C | First name | |
| D | Last name | |
| E | Date of Birth | Formatted as mm/dd/yyyy. |
| F | Disability | 1 - None, 2 - Orthopedic Impairment, 3 - Autism, 4 - Emotional Disturbance, 5 - Mental Retardation, 6 - Hearing Impairment, 7 - Language Impairment, 8 - Speech Impairment, 9 - Visual Impairment, 10 - Multiple Disabilities, 11 - Traumatic Brain Injury, 12 - Other Health Impairment, 13 - Specific Language Disab., 14 - Developmental Delay, 15 - ADHD, 16 - Other State Definition |
| H | Language | 1 - English, 2 - Spanish, 3 - African Languages, 4 - Arabic, 5 - Armenian, 6 - Chinese, 7 - French, 8 - German, 9 - Greek, 10 - Haitian Creole, 11 - Hebrew, 12 - Hindi, 13 - Hungarian, 14 - Italian, 15 - Japanese, 16 - Korean, 17 - Laotian, 18 - Miao, Hmong, 19 - Mon-Khmer, Cambodian, 20 - Navajo, 21 - Other Asian Languages, 22 - Other Indo-European Languages, 23 - Other Pacific Island Languages, 24 - Other Slavic Languages, 25 - Other West Germanic Languages, 26 - Other Unspecified Languages, 27 - Polish, 28 - Portuguese, 29 - Russian, 30 - Scandinavian Languages, 31 - Serbo-Croatian, 32 - Thai, 33 - Vietnamese, 34 - Yiddish, 35 - American Sign Language |
| J | Gender | 1 - Female, 2 - Male, 3 - Unknown |
| AN | Second from bottom level Organization External ID 1 | This is the school, team, or otherwise-labelled location directly above the bottom level to which you are assigning the child. Obtain this ID number from the Organization file that you exported (Column A) or the first column. |
| AO | Bottom level Organization External ID 1 | This is the class in the school to which the child is assigned. Obtain this ID number from the Organization file that you exported (Column A) or the second column. |
| BX - CD | Race | One of these columns needs a 1 to identify the child’s racial/ethnic group. All other columns can be 0. |
| CK | FamilyRaceNotSelected | If you don’t have data to enter in this column, enter 0. |
c. (Optional) When all rows of data have been added or updated, you can save the file as a template for future use.
d. Delete the header row.
e. Save the file with a .csv extension in a location where you can easily browse to it.
Once you have completed the preparation, you can import the files(s) into Data Manager.