Load Data Instantly

Step 1: Prepare Data File for Upload

Requirements for Instant Import:
To increase the likelihood that the Data Import Request feature can instantly import your data, and to ensure that your data is imported as accurately and completely as possible, please ensure that your data import file is formatted as follows:

• The file must be saved as a comma separated values (CSV) file. CSV, also referred to as comma-delimited, is a file format in which each line is one record and the content for individual fields in a record are separated by commas.
• A single CSV file may only contain data for a single data collection screen in Faculty Success.
• You may only include data in your import file for individuals with user accounts set up to track activities in Faculty Success.
• Each column of your CSV file must contain a different piece of information, corresponding to a single input field in Faculty Success.
• The first column of your CSV file must contain a unique user identifier for the user account that will own the record in each row. Examples of identifiers you can use are the Faculty Success username, ID number or email address for the user account.
  Please note: the unique identifier provided within the file must already be associated with accounts in Faculty Success.
• The first row of your CSV file, the header row, must contain the field code in Faculty Success for each field to which you will import data. To find the code in place for each field, please refer to your Configuration Report, which is available on the Dashboard within Faculty Success and on the Data Import Request screen.
• When building your import file be aware of the field type and options accepted for each given field. The data provided in your import file must exactly match these attributes in order for the import to qualify for instant import. Here are a few common examples of cases like this that you may encounter:
  • Drop-down lists: Values provided within an import file for a drop-down field must exactly match the predefined options for that field.
  • Numeric fields: These fields expect data to contain only numbers. Including alpha characters in a value for this type of field will cause the import to error.
  • Integer fields: Integer fields expect whole number values. If your import file contains decimals within the values for this field, the import will fail with a validation error.
  • Date fields: Date fields are often broken apart into components, such as term and year or month, day and year. Each element is then stored separately and is subject to different parameters for acceptable values. For example, term and month fields are drop-down lists, while day and year are numeric fields. Your dates must be parsed into the relevant columns and formatted accordingly.
  Note: Please refer to your Configuration Report to review the attributes of any given field.

When is it better to submit the file to Faculty Success as a work request?

• When you need to modify field attributes in order to import your data.
  Importing new data may require that you add options to a drop-down list or modify other field attributes to accommodate the new data. In such a case please submit the file via a work request and we will make those changes as part of importing your data.
• When you need to import data to a screen with Dynamic Sub-Answers (DSAs).
  At this time, you are able to import data files using the CSV Data Import feature only if your file does not contain fields that reside within DSAs. Data for DSAs can still be imported by submitting a Data Import work request. Please consult your solution specialist for information regarding creating a flat file for screens with checkbox values.
  Note: Data import files submitted to Faculty Success for processing via a work request must contain more than ten records.
• When you need to import data to a screen with a checkbox list.
  Data for checkbox values can still be imported by submitting a Data Import work request. Please consult your solution specialist for information regarding creating a flat file for screens with checkbox values.

Step 2: Uploading File for Import

Once you have a file formatted according to the requirements described above, supply the file as follows:

1. In Faculty Success, select Work Requests in the Left-Hand Menu.
2. Select Data Import from the drop-down list of work request types and select Continue.
   


3. In Step 1 in the Data Import Request page, select Browse and choose the file you want to import.
4. Select the screen to which your data import applies and select Upload File.
   


5. At Step 2 in the Data Import Request page, select the column name that corresponds to the file's unique user identifier and select Check Users.
   
   
   
   • We will compare the contents of the column selected to the existing user account information in Faculty Success.
   • Each person in the file on whose behalf data will be imported must have an Faculty Success user account that is set up to track activities, and the unique user ID in the file must be associated with that person in the Faculty Success instrument.
   • Each person in the file on whose behalf data will be imported must be within a college for which you have the Work Requests permission.
   • If any of the user identifiers fail to match with an Faculty Success account for your campus, or the user is not set up to have activity tracked, Faculty Success will display an error message and stop the file import process.
     
     
     To continue, select Cancel Request and then either create a user account for this user, enable activity tracking for an existing account or delete the row from your CSV file and import the revised file.
6. When the check of the users in your file is successful, you will proceed to Step 3 to select how your import should affect existing records in Faculty Success. Your options are:
   • Do not affect existing records. Create new records from the rows in the file.
   • Update existing records using the content in the file.
   • Update existing records wherever a match exists. If a match is not found, create a new record for the row in the file.
   For the update options, there are two ways to match existing records - using a record ID or using a primary key. If you are importing records to a screen that has a defined primary key, this key will be displayed within Step 3.
   
   
   Note: For those of you already familiar with the Data Import work requests utility, here is a quick map from the old values to the new ones:
   
   

   Old Value	New Value
   Create new activity records	Do not affect existing records. Create new records from the rows in the file.
   Update existing activity records	Update existing records using the content in the file.
   Create new activity records and update existing activity records	Update existing records wherever a match exists. If a match is not found, create a new record for the row in the file.

   
   
7. Upon selecting an option from Step 3, you can choose to Continue to Import or Continue to Submit a Work Request.
   
   
   
   1. Selecting Continue to Import will trigger the validation of your file against your current screen configuration.
      • If no errors are found, Step 4 will quote the number of records to be created and/or updated. Simply select Import and your data will instantly import.
      • If no errors are found in Step 4, but the quote of records to be created and/or updated does not correspond to your expected results, you are able to click within Steps 1-3 to modify the selected options. By clicking through the previous steps, you are also able submit the file as a work request if needed.
      • If there are errors present in the file, error messaging will appear within Step 4 to clarify each issue and possible next steps. You can either modify the file to correct the errors and submit it again or submit a work request.
      • If you select to update existing records within Step 3, it is important to note that you may hit the record limit when importing your file. The import tool will search through a maximum of 20,000 records to find a match for the records in your file. If your file contains too many records, or if the screen to which you are importing contains a significant amount of data, you could hit this 20,000 record limit. A validation error message will display if you hit this limit. To resolve this error, split your file into two or more files so that the number of records for the import is smaller, and import again. Alternately, you can Continue to Submit a Work Request and we will split your file for import when we process the request.
   2. If you select Continue to Submit a Work Request, the utility will prompt you to provide a title for the work request and supply any notes and ancillary files. You can then select Submit Data Import Request to send the file and any additional notes to Faculty Success. By selecting this option, a work request will be created. Please note that the request is subject to the standard turnaround timeframe of up to 10 business days.

How can I view data import files submitted?

• Work requests will only be created for Data Import files sent when selecting Continue to Submit a Work Request. In these cases, you can review the files submitted by accessing the work request created for the import and retrieving the submitted file.
• Files submitted using Continue to Import do not generate a work request, and therefore will not be listed in your log of work requests for later review. If there are any concerns or questions regarding files imported, please contact your Solution Specialist.

Working with Data in CSV Files

Note: The content of this section can also be found in our Faculty Success Administrator's Guide. We have included it here for easy reference.

If you need to edit the content of a CSV file before submitting it – to modify column headers, delete unnecessary columns or data, etc. – watch closely how the CSV editor you have chosen to work with interprets the data in your file. In particular, watch for places where your raw data contains:

• Leading zeroes
• Page ranges
• Field values that contain commas
• Field values that contain quotes

If you have chosen Microsoft Excel for working with CSV files, watch out for the auto-formatting function in the program, as this function impacts how data with leading zeroes and ranges of page numbers are viewed and will be saved in the edited CSV file.