​​Upload and update data for your manual import admin guide​

Update and upload data for your manual import  

In SchoolMessenger Communicate, there are many types of imports, but there are two basic categories: Automatic and Manual. If you have a Manual import, you manually manage your contacts and their data through an Excel file in CSV format and upload the changes directly to the program.   

Only System Administrators and other top-level users will have access to the sections of the program needed to perform this function. If you do not have access but need it, refer to System Administrator for help.   

Depending on your situation, you may have elected to have a static CSV file on your workstation to which you maintain and upload your data. Alternatively, you may want to download the CSV from the program, update it, and re-upload it instead. The steps to follow detail the process for downloading the CSV from the program, updating it, and re-uploading it, but you can follow the latter steps for updating and uploading your Manual import if you have a static file. 

Download the CSV data file from the program 

To begin working on the data to update it, you must first acquire the CSV file. Perform the following steps to download the CSV file manually from an existing Manual import:

1. Navigate to the Admin tab, then to the Imports sub-tab. 

2. Here, you will find your imports. To the right, you will see several buttons under the Actions section. Under the Actions section, first, ensure that you are referencing the correct import by following the import name to the buttons, and then click the Download button to download the import CSV file. 

3. A file called data.csv or data(x).csv will be downloaded where (x) is the number of duplicates if the file was downloaded more than once to the same folder. 

4. Open the file. It will be a simple structure, with each column representing one data type. There may be numerous columns, and some may be columns that you don’t even use, which is fine. It must appear in this format: Save the file to your workstation somewhere you can find it, using any name you like.  

• Depending on your situation, you may have elected to have a static CSV file on your workstation to which you maintain and upload your data. Alternatively, you may want to download the CSV from the program, update it, and re-upload it instead. The steps to follow detail the process for downloading the CSV from the program, updating it, and re-uploading it, but you can follow the latter steps for updating and uploading your Manual import if you have a static file. 

• When you save a CSV file in Excel, you will be asked to confirm that you want to save it as a CSV file, as some functionality may be lost. You must click Yes to this, as you want your file to be in the CSV format for the import.  

It is a good idea to include the current date in the name of your CSV file to make it easy to distinguish it from other versions you may have created.  

Update the data in the CSV file 

Once you have the file saved, if applicable, and opened, you can modify the information needed to update your data in the program.   

Belo, you will find information about how to remove contacts, add contacts, change data, and best practices for managing the file and data. 

After completing these steps, you must follow the steps to upload the CSV file to the Manual import to update the contacts. 

Best practices (column order, unique ID, file Format) 

The program uses a Unique ID to establish a system contact and connect it to its data, such as phone numbers and email addresses. When creating new contacts or managing existing contacts, it is essential to remember the following:   

• Every contact must have a Unique ID that is unique to that contact. They should always have the same Unique ID for the entire time that they are in the program.  

• Never reuse the same Unique ID.  

• A Unique ID can be whatever you like, but if you use a naming convention like “STUDENT001” and are unsure if you have used the ID before, you can start with a new convention like “STU0001.” When everything is finished, each piece of data in the CSV file (if used) is eventually mapped to a field in the program. This establishes the connection to the program fields from the CSV file data.   

The mapping is based on the order of the columns. For instance, Column C in your CSV file might have a phone number for your contact. This might be mapped to the Phone 1 field in the program.   For this reason, you should try not to change the order of the columns unless you plan on changing the mapping as well. For instance, if you move the Phone and Email columns around, the Email value could end up in the Phone 1 field in Communicate, or vice versa, which would negatively impact your broadcasts.  

Typically, mapping is done by support technicians, so if you are unsure if what you are changing will affect this or if you think you need to change the order of the columns, contact support for assistance.  

It does not apply to adding new columns as long as you add it to the end of the existing columns. For example, you are fine if you have data in columns A through F and add column G. 

The program only accepts CSV files, which stands for Comma-Delimited Values. Do not save the document you modify in any format other than CSV, or it will not work.  

Delete a contact 

To delete a contact from your data, such as a student who graduated last year or an employee who is no longer with your organization, perform the following steps:

1. Locate the row that contains the contact. 

2. Delete the row entirely. This involves right-clicking on the row number and choosing Delete on most workstations. The in-product help for Excel can usually assist if you have difficulty. 

Add a contact 

To add a new contact to your data, such as a newly enrolled student or a new employee, perform the following steps:

1. Scroll to the bottom of your file and find the next blank row. 

2. Enter the appropriate data into each column, using special care to give the new contact a unique value for their Unique ID. If unsure, you can always use a new naming convention for the Unique ID. 

Change existing data (phone numbers, emails, etc.)  

To change any information, such as phone numbers, emails, and other such information, you need only to replace what is currently in the cell with the new value.  

It is best practice to use the same Unique ID for each contact the entire time they are in the program. You should not change a Unique ID under most circumstances. 

Upload the CSV file to the manual import 

After you have updated and saved the data in your CSV file, you are ready to update the program by uploading the CSV file to Manual import. 

1. In Communicate, click the Admin tab and the Imports sub-tab.

2. Click Upload next to the import that you wish to update. Always ensure that it is the correct import. If a file from one import is accidentally uploaded into another, it can cause data issues.

3. Click Choose File. 

4. Select the CSV file or a ZIP file containing a single CSV you wish to upload and click Open.

5. Click the Upload button. 

6. You will now be on the Import File Mapping screen and can click Submit and Run Now to import the users.  

Clicking Submit and Run Now will update the import. If you are unsure, contact your system administrator (if applicable) or support for assistance. 

You will be taken back to the System Imports screen. In the Status column, you may see the import status change from Queued to Running and finally to Idle status, which means it finished with no errors. You can refresh the screen in your browser to update the statuses or click the Refresh button in the top right of this section if you prefer.  

If you wish to check your Contacts to ensure their data has been updated successfully, navigate to the System tab and then to the Contacts sub-tab. You can search for contacts and click on their ID numbers to open their contact information there. This is not a part of the import process but rather a way to quickly check the data once the import has been updated.