| Import/Export > About the import files

About the import files

The import file serves two purposes:

It contains the data you want to import

It helps determine the structure of the template.

The import file may come from another database or system (in which case you may need to edit it) or you may create it using an application such as Microsoft® Excel®.

When creating the import file, ensure that:

The file format is one that PowerSchool SMS can accept. [>>].

Any dates are in the formats required by PowerSchool SMS. [>>].

Any phone numbers are in the formats required by PowerSchool SMS. [>>].

Any addresses are in a format that PowerSchool SMS can accept. [>>].

When your import file is complete, you must save it as a .txt file and copy it to the csl/opendistrictclient/ascii/importfiles folder on the web server.

Available file formats

Records in the import text file can be in any one of the following formats:

variable-length, delimited with commas, where each column in the file is separated by a comma

variable-length, delimited with tabs, where each column in the file is separated by a tab

fixed-length or Standard Data Format (SDF), where each field takes a specific number of characters

If the file is variable-length, it can also have single or double quotation marks as text qualifiers, which indicate the start and end of text fields or strings.

Each field in PowerSchool SMS has a maximum number of characters that it can hold; for example, the Language field can have up to 10 characters. If you import data with more characters than the maximum allowed for the specified field, the data is cut off. Before you run the import, it's a good idea to review the import file to ensure data does not exceed the corresponding PowerSchool SMS field's character limit. For more information about how many characters each field can have, refer to the PowerSchool SMS Data Dictionary.

Available date formats

Before importing a file, ensure all fields with dates in your import file – such as student birthdates – have one of these formats:

Table 76: Date formats

Date Formats
dd/mm/yy dd/yy/mm mm/dd/yy mm/yy/dd	yy/dd/mm ddmmyy dd/mm/yyyy dd/yyyy/mm	mm/dd/yyyy mm/yyyy/dd yyyy/dd/mm yyyy/mm/dd	ddmmyyyy yyyymmdd yyyy-mm-dd m/d/yyyy d/m/yyyy

Date Formats

dd/mm/yy

dd/yy/mm

mm/dd/yy

mm/yy/dd

yy/dd/mm

ddmmyy

dd/mm/yyyy

dd/yyyy/mm

mm/dd/yyyy

mm/yyyy/dd

yyyy/dd/mm

yyyy/mm/dd

ddmmyyyy

yyyymmdd

yyyy-mm-dd

m/d/yyyy

d/m/yyyy

If the data in the date fields in your import file does not match one of these formats, you must edit it before you can import the data.

Available phone number fields and formats

You can import phone numbers in templates using several different record types. The following table identifies the fields that are available for phone numbers in all record types except Student Demographics:

Table 77: Phone number fields

Fields Available in Most Phone Numbers
Type Description Location Description Long Distance Code	Area Code Exchange Suffix	Extension Listed

Fields Available in Most Phone Numbers

Type Description

Location Description

Long Distance Code

Area Code

Exchange

Suffix

Extension

Listed

It's important that all phone numbers in your import file are in one of the following formats:

Table 78: Phone number formats

Phone Number Formats
5551111 555-1111 (604) 555-1111	604 555-1111 1 (604) 555-1111 1 604 555-1111	5551111 555-1111 (604) 555-1111	604 555-1111 1 (604) 555-1111 1 604 555-1111

Phone Number Formats

5551111

555-1111

(604) 555-1111

604 555-1111

1 (604) 555-1111

1 604 555-1111

5551111

555-1111

(604) 555-1111

604 555-1111

1 (604) 555-1111

1 604 555-1111

If the data in the phone number fields in your import file does not match one of these formats, you must edit it before you can import the data.

Note: International phone number format is not currently supported for importing. If your district uses international phone number format, you will be unable to import phone numbers.

Available address fields

You can import many addresses, including those of buildings, students, students' contacts, students' doctors, and staff.

Note: In districts that use the 5-field address format, Apartment Number, Street Number, Street Name, Address Type, and Address Direction for physical address can be imported into any address, but can only be viewed in PowerSchool SMS. For all other addresses, use Address Line 1 and 2 to import addresses.

The following table identifies the fields available for each address:

Table 79: Address fields

Fields Available in All Addresses
Apartment Number Street Number Street Name Address Type Code Address Type Description Address Direction Code Address Direction Description	City Code City Description County Code County Description State Code State Description Zip Code	Country Code Country Description Area Code Area Description Address Line 1 Address Line 2 Address format (see note below)

Fields Available in All Addresses

Apartment Number

Street Number

Street Name

Address Type Code

Address Type Description

Address Direction Code

Address Direction Description

City Code

City Description

County Code

County Description

State Code

State Description

Zip Code

Country Code

Country Description

Area Code

Area Description

Address Line 1

Address Line 2

Address format (see note below)

Note: The address format for the district is specified during the installation of PowerSchool SMS. If your district uses 2-line address format, your import file must indicate this address format by including a column that contains the number "10" beside each address field. You will map this column to the Address Format field in Template Editor when you build the import template. (If your district uses 5-field address format do nothing, as 5-field is the default address format.)

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