Microsoft Word - import_export

Select a Group
Importing and Enrollment Dates
Student Number Field
Enroll Status Field
Field Names
Special Export Codes
Data Versus Reports
Import Maps
Student Table
Attendance Table
Comment Bank Table
Courses Table
Historical Grades Table
Meal Transactions Table
Sections Table
Standards Table
Student Schedules Table
Teachers Table
Test Scores Table

Import and Export User Guide

PowerSchool

Student Information System

Import and Export User Guide

Introduction

Document Properties

of Apple Computer, Inc. and is for reference only. It is not to be reproduced or

distributed in any way without the express written consent of Apple Computer,

Inc. Other brands and names are the property of their respective owners.

Owner

Technical Communication and Documentation

Last Updated

8/10/2004

Version

4.0

Please send comments, suggestions, or requests for this document to manuals@powerschool.com

Your feedback is appreciated.

Import and Export User Guide

Introduction

Contents

Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Legend ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 6

Audience................................................................................................................................................................................ 6

Import and Export .......................................................................................................................................................... 7

Import.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 8

Quick Import........................................................................................................................................................................ 8

How to Use Quick Import ..................................................................................................................................... 8

How to Enter a New Value in a Field for All Records in the Import File .....................................11

Templates for Importing..............................................................................................................................................11

How to Add an Import Template....................................................................................................................12

How to Edit an Import Template ....................................................................................................................14

How to Delete an Import Template ..............................................................................................................17

How to Import Using a Template...................................................................................................................19

How to Export a Template .................................................................................................................................21

Advanced Import Options ..........................................................................................................................................23

AutoComm Setup ...........................................................................................................................................................26

How to Add an AutoComm Record...............................................................................................................27

How to Edit an AutoComm Record ...............................................................................................................30

How to Delete an AutoComm Record .........................................................................................................34

How to Run an AutoComm Record...............................................................................................................35

Export ............................................................................................................................................................................................36

Quick Export.......................................................................................................................................................................36

How to Use Quick Export....................................................................................................................................36

Templates for Exporting ..............................................................................................................................................38

How to Create an Export Template ...............................................................................................................38

How to Add Template Columns......................................................................................................................41

How to Edit a Template.......................................................................................................................................44

How to Edit Template Columns.......................................................................................................................46

How to Delete a Template .................................................................................................................................49

How to Delete Template Columns.................................................................................................................50

How to Export Using a Template....................................................................................................................52

AutoSend Setup...............................................................................................................................................................53

Import and Export User Guide

Introduction

How to Add an AutoSend Record..................................................................................................................54

How to Edit an AutoSend Record...................................................................................................................58

How to Delete an AutoSend Record.............................................................................................................61

How to Run an AutoSend Record...................................................................................................................62

Direct Database Export.................................................................................................................................................63

How to Select Records for Export-List View..............................................................................................64

How to Select Records for Export-Table View..........................................................................................66

How to Format the DDE Table View .............................................................................................................68

How to Match Selections for Export .............................................................................................................70

How to Export Records ........................................................................................................................................71

Import and Export User Guide

Introduction

Use PowerSchool Help to learn the PowerSchool Student Information System (SIS) and to serve as a

reference for your daily work. However, before you can begin using PowerSchool, the PowerSchool

administrator at your school must set up the system and import the data from your previous

system. Once those steps are complete, you can start using PowerSchool. Use PowerSchool Help to

assist you in navigating in PowerSchool.

PowerSchool Help is updated as PowerSchool is updated. Not all versions of PowerSchool Help are

available in a printable guide. For the most up-to-date information, click Help on any page in

PowerSchool.

There are user guides available that include the same information as PowerSchool Help for each

major release of PowerSchool. These user guides include instructions for certain user roles, though

these roles will vary depending on your school or district's circumstances. For the most recent

version of the printable guides, visit the PowerSchool Customer Support web site at

https://www.powerschool.com/support/documentation/userguides/

. This URL is case-

sensitive.

Note: You need a username and password to view anything on the PowerSchool Customer Support

web site. Contact your PowerSchool administrator for access.

You are encouraged to read each section of the help that pertains to you. While the introductory

sections build a foundation of knowledge that you will use every time you log on to PowerSchool,

the remaining sections are independent of each other and can be read in any order. However, if

you have never used PowerSchool before, it will be most helpful if you start with the section

“

Introduction to PowerSchool

.” Whenever you read this guide, keep the following points in

mind:

•

The actions you can perform in PowerSchool depend on your job responsibilities and

subsequently on your level of access to PowerSchool. Some users only have viewing rights

to some pages. Others can view or edit any page. Still other users can view or edit any page,

and create new ones as well. Finally, some pages are view-only for everyone. This guide

outlines viewing, editing, and creating options for most pages. Depending on your needs

and your level of access, only certain options will be applicable and available to you. If you

find that your work requires a greater level of access, contact the system administrator at

your school.

•

Almost all of the activities described in this guide begin by selecting the appropriate

student or group; thus, it is imperative that you understand how to search for and select a

student. For detailed instructions on how to do this, refer to the section "

Search and

Select

•

The school and student records used in this guide differ from those displayed on your page

as you work. You will work with real data based on student records at your school. The

graphics in this guide are only examples.

•

In PowerSchool, different pages provide some of the same information because you view

the same data from a different place each time. If you add, change, or delete data on one

page, it will be added, changed, or deleted on other pages that contain the same field(s) of

data.

Import and Export User Guide

Introduction

•

The reporting features described in this guide are some of the most important you will use

in the system. A PowerSchool report is a statement of student or staff records that is

produced for viewing or printing and can include information text in addition to the report

listings. PowerSchool reports include report cards, lists of class schedules, lunch balance

sheets, mailing labels, lists of current staff members, and attendance records.

•

Use PowerSchool to create numerous types of reports that pull selected data quickly and

easily. Select from a list of pre-configured reports that have preset parameters or create a

custom report to include parameters needed for a specific task. You should read the

sections "

Custom Reports

" and "

Pre-Configured Reports

" before creating a report.

Legend

•

This guide uses the > symbol to move down a menu path. Thus, if instructed to "Click File >

New > Window", begin by clicking the File menu. Then, click New and Window. The option

noted after the > symbol will always be on the menu that results from your previous

selection.

•

It is easy to identify notes because they are indented and prefaced by the text Notes:.

Audience

This document is intended for school administrators and system administrators.

Import and Export User Guide

Import and Export

Use PowerSchool's importing functions to submit large amounts of information into the system.

Use the exporting functions to retrieve large amounts of information from the system. Before

importing or exporting, keep the following concepts in mind.

Select a Group

Before you can import or export, you must select a group of students whose records you want to

review. For more information, see the section "

Search and Select

Importing and Enrollment Dates

You can import student information into PowerSchool using

Quick Import

AutoComm

. When

you import a student record that has an enrollment date prior to or "less than" the current date, the

student record is considered "historical." Historical student records are considered inactive students.

Therefore, when searching for such students, your search criteria must start with a slash ("/") to

search all student records.

Student Number Field

The student number field is essential to moving all of the data in PowerSchool. This field matches

student data to the correct student with absolute certainty. Each student has only one number, and

everything in PowerSchool is linked to this number. Thus, you are strongly encouraged to include

the student_number field in all documents that you export. You must include the student number

in any document that includes data you want to import into PowerSchool. Keep this in mind when

exporting, especially if you will want to import the data back into PowerSchool after you have

worked with it in your spreadsheet application.

Enroll Status Field

The enroll status field indicates a student's current enrollment status, which defines the student's

entire basis in school. Enroll status codes include:

•

0 = Active

•

1 = Inactive (Pre-registered student. Entry date is in the future.)

•

2 = Inactive (Students who transferred out of the current school.)

•

3 = Graduated Students (Students moved to "Graduated Students" school.)

•

4 = Imported as Historical

More often that not, the only time you will see this code is if you are working within the database.

However, you may encounter the code within the student pages of the application for students

with a enroll status other than Active, such as Inactive, Graduated Students, or Imported as

Historical. In which case, the code appears at the top of the page. This field is used throughout the

application and is a key element in searching or querying students.

Import and Export User Guide

Import and Export

Field Names

The importance of spelling field names correctly is noted in other sections. Case is unimportant in

field names, but spelling must be exactly as noted on the field list. If you omit the underscore,

misspell words, or enter a field name that is different than what exists in the field list, then

PowerSchool cannot find the field and it will not be imported into or exported from the

PowerSchool database. If you do not know how a specific field name is written, click View Field List

on the PowerSchool start page.

Special Export Codes

Use special export codes to include a student's GPA or other calculated value in your import or

export. For a list of codes, see the following website:

http://help.powerschool.com/viewtopic.html?t=codelist

Data Versus Reports

Importing or exporting data is different than importing or exporting report templates. When you

import or export data, you move information between a spreadsheet application and your

PowerSchool database. When importing or exporting a report template, you are copying report

parameters from one PowerSchool system to another PowerSchool system. For more information

on importing and exporting report templates, see the sections "

Alternate Ways to Create

Reports

" and "

Report Templates

Import

Quick Import

Use the Quick Import function to enter a large amount of data into PowerSchool. Before

completing this procedure, you must have an ASCII text file that contains the data to import and is

preferably delimited by tabs. For information on importing test scores, see the section "

How to

Import Test Scores

How to Use Quick Import

1. On the start page, choose Special Functions from the main menu.

2. On the Special Functions page, click Importing & Exporting. The Importing & Exporting page

appears.

Import and Export User Guide

Import and Export

3. Click Quick Import. The Quick Import page appears.

Note: If the school is incorrect, click School at the top of the page to choose a new school.

Restart this procedure.

4. Use the following table to enter information in the fields:

Import and Export User Guide

Import and Export

Field

Description

Table

Choose the table to which the data will be imported from the

pop-up menu.

If you choose Sections, be sure the target term is selected. For

more information, see the section "

How to Change Terms

Note: When importing multiple section records, the sections'

expressions as defined by your school are required. An

expression is the combination of the periods and days in which

the section meets. Though PowerSchool creates internal values

for periods and days, you are to import the actual values that

you want to appear when the system displays expressions. Also,

an invalid expression causes an error for that record, which

results in the record not being imported.

Field delimiter

Choose the field delimiter from the pop-up menu. This refers to

the item that will separate the fields in the exported data. If you

choose Other, enter the delimiter in the blank field.

End-of-line marker

Choose the end-of-line marker from the pop-up menu. This

refers to the item that will separate the records in the exported

data. If you choose Other, enter the delimiter in the blank field.

•

CR: Carriage return

•

CRLF: Carriage return line feed

•

LF: Line feed

File to import

Either enter the file path and name of the file to import or click

Browse next to the "File to import" field, navigate to the data

file, and click Open.

Suggest field map

Select this checkbox to have the system suggest into which

PowerSchool field each piece of data in the data file is saved.

These are just suggestions and can be changed before saving.

5. Click Import.

Note: When importing test score data, the Select Test page appears instead. For more

information, see the section "

How to Import Test Scores

On the "Import Records from an ASCII Text File" page, determine into which PowerSchool

fields the system will import each field of data from the file.

Import and Export User Guide

Import and Export

Import Maps

An import map is a set of directions that the system follows to find a place for each piece of data in

your PowerSchool system. Create an import map to determine into which PowerSchool fields the

system will import each field of data from the file. Determine what the system will do with records

that contain a student number that already exists in your PowerSchool system.

On the left side of the page, the "From your file" column displays the fields of the first record in the

import file.

•

If you select the "Suggest field map" checkbox on the Quick Import page, the To

PowerSchool column displays the PowerSchool fields suggested for each piece of data

imported.

•

If you do not select the "Suggest field map" checkbox or you need to change the fields, use

the pop-up menu to choose the PowerSchool field into which the system imports the data

from the import file.

How to Enter a New Value in a Field for All Records in the Import File

On the "Import Records from an ASCII Text File" page, determine whether you want to enter a new

value or update an existing value in a PowerSchool field for all records from the import file. For

example, you can enter the same city for all student records in an import file.

1. Choose the PowerSchool field into which you want to enter each value from the To

PowerSchool pop-up menu.

2. Enter the imported value for unmapped fields that you want to use, such as the city name,

and choose the PowerSchool field from the pop-up menu.

3. Either click Submit or, if applicable, select any combination of the advanced import options.

For more information, see the section "

Advanced Import Options

The Import Progress page displays the records that were successfully imported and those

that the system could not import because of your specifications. The system imports the

data into the selected table. Depending on the type of data, you can view, edit, and report

on it.

Templates for Importing

If you often import the same fields of data, you can create a template so that you don't have to

define the import parameters and field import map every time you perform an import.

For example, if you often import an update from the school nurse with immunization information,

create a template that includes the fields and format for immunization-related fields.

Import and Export User Guide

Import and Export

How to Add an Import Template

Create an import template to use each time you import the same data into your PowerSchool

system.

1. On the start page, choose Special Functions from the main menu.

2. Click Importing & Exporting. The Importing & Exporting page appears.

3. Click "Templates for Importing." The "Templates for Importing" page appears.

4. Click New. The New Import Template page appears.

Import and Export User Guide

Import and Export

5. Use the following table to enter information in the fields:

Field

Description

Name of this template

Enter a name for the template.

Import into this table

Choose the Students, Courses, or Teachers table from the pop-

up menu.

Delimited or fixed-

length?

Choose Delimited or "Fixed-field length" for the data format

from the pop-up menu.

Field delimiter

If you chose Delimited, use the pop-up menu to choose which

delimiter to use to separate the fields in the exported data:

•

Tab

•

Comma

•

Other: Enter the type of field delimiter in the adjacent

field.

End-of-line (record)

delimiter

Use the pop-up menu to choose one of the following to

determine how the records are separated in the files you

import using this template:

•

CR: Carriage return

•

CRLF: Carriage return/line feed

•

LF: Line feed

•

Other: Enter the type of end-of-line delimiter in the

adjacent field, such as a semicolon.

Import and Export User Guide

Import and Export

Field

Description

Update Mode

Select this checkbox if you want the data in the file you import

to update any fields with existing data. Otherwise, deselect this

checkbox.

Columns

Create a map to determine into which PowerSchool fields each

field of information in the import file is saved. Enter the fields in

the order they appear in the import file.

If you chose "Fixed-field length," indicate the width of each

column (in characters) and the field name. To separate the

number and field name, enter <tab>. For example, if the first

column in your fixed width file contains the student's phone

number, enter 12<tab>home_phone.

If you chose Delimited, enter each field name and press Return

(Mac) or Enter (Windows).

6. Click Submit. The "Templates for Importing" page displays the new template.

How to Edit an Import Template

Edit an import template to use each time you import the same data into your PowerSchool system.

1. On the start page, choose Special Functions from the main menu.

2. Click Importing & Exporting. The Importing & Exporting page appears.

Import and Export User Guide

Import and Export

3. Click "Templates for Importing." The "Templates for Importing" page appears.

4. Click the name of the template to be edited in the Template Name column. The Edit Import

Template page appears.

Import and Export User Guide

Import and Export

5. Use the following table to edit information in the fields:

Field

Description

Name of this template

Edit a name for the template.

Import into this table

Choose the Students, Courses, or Teachers table from the pop-

up menu.

Delimited or fixed-field

length?

Choose Delimited or "Fixed-field length" for the data format

from the pop-up menu.

Field delimiter

If you chose Delimited, use the pop-up menu to choose which

delimiter to use to separate the fields in the exported data:

•

Tab

•

Comma

•

Other: Enter the type of field delimiter in the adjacent

field.

End-of-line (record)

delimiter

Use the pop-up menu to choose one of the following to

determine how the records are separated in the files you

import using this template:

•

CR: Carriage return

•

CRLF: Carriage return/line feed

•

LF: Line feed

•

Other: Enter the type of end-of-line delimiter in the

Import and Export User Guide

Import and Export

Field

Description

adjacent field, such as a semicolon.

Update Mode

Select this checkbox if you want the data in the file you import

to update any fields with existing data. Otherwise, deselect this

checkbox.

Columns

Edit a map to determine into which PowerSchool fields each

field of information in the import file is saved. Enter the fields in

the order they appear in the import file.

If you chose "Fixed-field length," indicate the width of each

column (in characters) and the field name. To separate the

number and field name, enter <tab>. For example, if the first

column in your fixed width file contains the student's phone

number, enter 12<tab>home_phone.

If you chose Delimited, enter each field name and press Return

(Mac) or Enter (Windows).

6. Click Submit. The "Templates for Importing" page displays the edited template.

How to Delete an Import Template

Delete import templates when they are no longer needed to conserve space on your system and

minimize the possibility of confusion with the templates that are still used.

1. On the start page, choose Special Functions from the main menu.

2. Click Importing & Exporting. The Importing & Exporting page appears.

Import and Export User Guide

Import and Export

3. Click "Templates for Importing." The "Templates for Importing" page appears.

4. Click the name of the template to be deleted in the Template Name column. The Edit

Import Template page appears.

Import and Export User Guide

Import and Export

5. Click Delete. The "Templates for Importing" page displays without the deleted template.

How to Import Using a Template

When importing data using a template, you match the data with the fields defined in the template.

To complete this procedure, you need a data file saved to a local or network location and an import

template. For more information on creating an import template, see the section "

How to Add an

Import Template

1. On the start page, choose Special Functions from the main menu.

2. Click Importing & Exporting. The Importing & Exporting page appears.

Import and Export User Guide

Import and Export

3. Click Import Using Template. The Import Using Template page appears.

4. Use the following table to enter information in the fields:

Field

Description

Import template

Choose the template to use from the pop-up menu.

Note: Click template to link to the "Templates for Importing"

page, where you can view, create, edit, and remove templates

used for importing.

File to import

Either enter the data file path and name in the field, or click

Browse... to select the data file.

5. Click Submit. The Import Check: [data file name] page appears.

Import and Export User Guide

Import and Export

6. Verify that the data correlates to the fields from the template. If it doesn't, click the link to

modify the template. For more information, see the section "

How to Edit an Import

Template

." Otherwise, click Import. The Importing: [data file name] page appears, and the

data is imported.

How to Export a Template

Export a template used for importing data to save a backup copy of the template. Though you can

view and modify the exported template using an application such as a web browser, the exported

template can also be sent to a system outside of your PowerSchool system.

1. On the start page, choose Special Functions from the main menu.

2. Click Importing & Exporting. The Importing & Exporting page appears.

3. Click "Templates for Importing." The "Templates for Importing" page appears.

Import and Export User Guide

Import and Export

4. Click the name of the template to be exported in the Template Name column. The Edit

Import Template page appears.

5. Click "Export this template." The File Download dialog appears.

Import and Export User Guide

Import and Export

6. Select Save File As... or "Save this file to disk." The Save or Save As dialog appears.

7. Select a file location.

8. Click Save. The template saves to the selected location.

Advanced Import Options

Depending on the selections made on the Quick Import page, you can opt to use the advance

import options at the bottom of the "Import Records from an ASCII Text File" page.

Student Table

For the Students table, select one of the following options to determine what you want the system

to do when a student record in the import file contains a student ID number that already exists in

PowerSchool:

•

If you do not want the system to import any record with a student number that already

exists, select "Do not process that line from the file being imported."

•

If you want the system to update the matching student’s record with the data in the import

file, select "Update the student's record with the information from the file being imported."

•

If you want the system to create a new record if a student ID number is in the import file,

select "Generate a new, unique student number for the student (from the range specified

below)." Then, select the checkbox below this option, and enter the number range within

which you want the system to generate and assign the new student ID numbers.

Import and Export User Guide

Import and Export

•

If your school uses AutoComm to synchronize your data in PowerSchool with data in

another system, select the Synchronize Mode checkbox to perform an AutoComm import.

Contact your PowerSchool administrator before using this option.

Attendance Table

For the Attendance table, select the "Overwrite existing attendance with the imported attendance"

checkbox if you want the system to use the imported attendance data in cases where attendance

codes already exist for that day or class.

Comment Bank Table

For the Comment Bank table, select the "Update comment bank records" checkbox if you want the

system to use the imported comment bank comments in cases where there are already comment

bank comments with the same code.

Courses Table

For the Courses table, select the "Update course records" checkbox if you want the system to add

course-related information to existing course records in cases where the course numbers are the

same.

Historical Grades Table

For the "Historical grades" table:

•

If you want the system to include more than one score for a student only when the term

and storecode are the same, select the "Allow multiple grades for a student to be stored"

checkbox.

•

If the school year indicated on the import file refers to the beginning of the school year,

select 97-98 from the pop-up menu. If the school year indicated on the import file refers to

the end of the school year, select 96-97 from the pop-up menu.

Import and Export User Guide

Import and Export

•

If the courses in the import file have unrecognized names and you want to specify the

course number range for the imported courses, select the "If a course name is imported that

is not recognized" checkbox and enter the range for the new course numbers in the range

fields. If you do not select this checkbox, the system will assign a random course number in

the 9000 range.

•

If you want to store grades that include neither a letter grade nor any earned credit, select

the "Allow grades to be stored which contain both" checkbox.

Meal Transactions Table

For the "Meal transactions" table, select the "Use PowerSchool’s internal student id numbers"

checkbox if you want the system to reference the ID field versus the student_number field.

Sections Table

For the Sections (master schedule) table:

•

Select the "Update section records" checkbox if you want the system to add section-related

information to existing section records in cases where the course and section numbers are

the same.

•

If your school uses AutoComm to synchronize your data in PowerSchool with data in

another system, select the Synchronize Mode checkbox to perform an AutoComm import.

Contact your PowerSchool administrator before using this option.

Standards Table

For the Standards table, select the "Update standards records" checkbox if you want the system to

add standards-related information to existing standards records in cases where the standard

identifiers are the same.

Import and Export User Guide

Import and Export

Student Schedules Table

For the "Student schedules" table, if your school uses AutoComm to synchronize your data in

PowerSchool with data in another system, select the Synchronize Mode checkbox to perform an

AutoComm import. Contact your PowerSchool administrator before using this option.

Teachers Table

For the Teachers table, select the "Update teacher records" checkbox if you want the system to add

teacher-related information to existing teacher records in cases where the teacher numbers are the

same.

Test Scores Table

For more information about importing test scores, see the section "