SFTP Sync Setup and Importing Students

Learn how to setup a SFTP connection in Sync Service and import students.

What's included in this article?

• Setting up the SFTP
• Creating the SFTP Connection
• Assign the SFTP Connection to your School(s)
• Importing Students
• Download SchoolMint Field Codes
• Field Mapping
• Sending a Test Record
• Scheduling the SFTP Sync

Setting up the SFTP

A SFTP (secure file transfer protocol) provides a secure connection between Enroll and a remote server to transfer files over a network. This is particularly important when dealing with sensitive data as a SFTP provides encryption and authentication. SFTP allows users to not only transfer files but also manage files on the remote server, such as listing directories, creating directories, and deleting files. 

If your organization does not already have an SFTP in use, SchoolMint will create one for you and provide you with the credentials to access it. 

Sample SFTP credentials:

• SFTP address: sftp.schoolmint.com
• SFTP path: /SISData
• SFTP username: <unique>
• SFTP password: <unique>

1. Download Cyberduck or Filezilla (platforms that allows users to upload, download, and manage files on remote servers and cloud storage services)
2. Click “Open Connection” and select SFTP
3. Enter the Server, Username, and Password
4. Click Connect
5. Double-click the /SISData Folder
6. Create a new folder named "imports" (lowercase) and another for "exports"
   • (in Cyberduck - Click “>>” link > Action > Select New Folder) 
   • SFTP is case sensitive, a folder named “Imports" is not the same as a folder named "imports". 

7. Note: All files need to be in the imports folder for Sync Service to detect them

   • 

Creating the SFTP Connection

From within Enroll, navigate to Settings > Sync Service and click on the "Log into Sync Service" button

• Permissions Note: Only Admins with "Sync Service Full Access" are permitted to create connections.

1. Click the "Add Sync Connection" button and Agree that you are adding a new connection

1. Add a Name for this connection: "SFTP"
2. Select Connection Type: SFTP

1. You are then given the option to set up an SFTP Sync to your Enroll Sandbox and/or an SFTP Sync to your Enroll Production instance
2. Enter your SFTP credentials and click "Connect"
   • Note: Credentials are case sensitive (Ex: SFTP path: /SISData)

SFTP Path: 

• If the SFTP Path is left blank, files will be saved to or imported from the root level of your SFTP server. 
• If you have a different path you would like files to be saved to/imported from, enter that location. 
  • Make sure the folder path exists on your SFTP server before scheduling imports or exports from Sync Service.
  • Example: Entering “/Enroll” in the Path field will set the “Enroll” folder on your SFTP server as the base import/export folder. Do not add a forward slash “/” at the end of the path name.
  • Sync Service Exports: When exporting files Sync Service automatically creates the path “/exports/file_name.csv”. If you have entered “/ENROLL” in the Path field, the path on your server will be “ENROLL/exports/file_name.csv”.
  • Sync Service Imports: When importing files Sync Service looks for an import folder in the path you specify. If you have entered “/ENROLL” in the Path field, Sync Service will look for your import file at the path “ENROLL/imports”.

Assign your SFTP Connection to a School(s)

To assign this sync connection to a school, navigate to Settings > Schools/Programs > Manage Schools > Primary settings tab for a School. Use the "Sync Connection" dropdown field to select your SFTP connection.

You also have the option to assign the same connection to several schools at once using the Bulk Action > Set Sync Connection option.

Importing Students

Once the Connection to your SFTP is established, the left sidebar will display the types of data that can be imported or exported via this SFTP connection:

• Import Students
• Import Seat Tracker Mapping
• Export Students

Clicking on an import/export type in the left sidebar surfaces configuration fields to be completed.

Note: The field mapping for a connection does not save from one import/export to the next unless the file name is identical to the file name used when the mapping was created.

Student Import

• Select your file using the SFTP Files to Import dropdown
• Specify files encoding: this allows special characters (apostrophes, accent marks, etc.) to be imported correctly. File encoding choices are only available for SFTP imports.
  • By default, UTF-8 will be used (it is the most common encoding type)
  • Windows-1252 encoding option is now available for Windows users
• Enter the Student Unique ID Field name (must match the column header in the file exactly)
• Enter the Student First Name Field name (must match the column header in the file exactly)
• Enter the Student Last Name Field name (must match the column header in the file exactly)

Student Examples: entering the Student Unique ID for up to five sample students allows you to view how the data will be displayed during the Field Mapping step

SAVE!

Download SchoolMint Field Codes

The "SchoolMint Field Codes" button in the upper righthand corner of the page is available as a resource when creating Match Codes and transformations.

Sample of Field Codes: custom fields from your forms, states, countries, languages, etc.:

Field Mapping

The Field Mapping tab is where you will select which fields from your import file correspond to the related field in Enroll. Transformations are available to format the data from your file to store it in Enroll in your desired state.

Use the down arrow next to each category of data to expand the section to view all fields available for mapping:

• Student Information
• Guardian Information
• Emergency Contacts Information
• Custom Mapping

At a minimum, you must map the following student fields when importing:

• students.student_district_id
• students.fname
• students.lname
• students.DOB - (Must be in YYYY-MM-DD format. Use the “Date”  transformation when mapping if the source date is in a different format)
• students.sis_school_year (If this field is not in your CSV file, Use the “Enroll School Year” or “Value Input” Transformations to input the current year).
• students_annual.sis_entrydate (If this field is not in your CSV file, Use the  “Today” Transformation to input the current year)

Mapping Type column: Select if the data in the file will be mapped (included in the import/export) and how it should be mapped:

• Direct: data will be sent to Enroll exactly as it is formatted in the import file
• Transformation: data needs to be re-formatted in a specific way
• Match Codes: The values being imported are part of a set and each value in the file should be displayed as its corresponding/matched value
• Do Not Map: the field is not included in the import/export

Mapped Value column: This column previews how the data will be imported/exported based on the Mapping Type selected. This is a useful column to check your work on how you want the data formatted.

Overwrite column: If this is enabled (checked) for a field, the import will insert a null value in Enroll, replacing the existing field value in Enroll with a blank for each student in the import file. This is a useful option when correcting or removing erroneous data in a specific field for many students.

SAVE!

Sending a Test Record

Use the “Send Record” button to test one student record before processing all students in your import file. The test record is the one being displayed in the “Mapped Value” column.

Preview the data to be imported. If it looks accurate, click “OK, Continue”.

• If you receive an error: "Organization does not accept Imports at this time" confirm in Enroll (Settings > General) that you have enabled importing of data for this school year.

• 

Scheduling the SFTP Import

Once you have successfully imported a student record, you are ready to schedule the rest of the data import. 

1. Navigate back to the Sync Service Login page in Enroll
2. Use the slider to enable “Schedule Import: Students” to import the file nightly
3. Set the time of day for the import
4. Click Save

Note: 

• If testing the scheduling of imports/exports in your Sandbox site, confirm with Technical Support or Customer Experience that "Scheduled Jobs" are enabled for your non-production (sandbox) environment.
• To turn on a non-production import (ex: testing your import in sandbox), use the slider on the SFTP connection card, confirming that it is pointing to Sandbox. The scheduled import to the non-production environment will turn off after one import.