Dataloads

On a regular basis every semester/quarter, we will import data from your “student information system.” The import consists of a few simple reports for activities related to your students and faculty, and the set of courses taught at the unit. Full details for this import can be found in the Tk20 documents Dataload Guidelines and, if using HigherEd, Field Experience Dataload Guidelines.

Engineering services will work with your IT personnel, for their convenience, to define the format of the reports. The program for import of the data is written entirely by Tk20. Apart from giving us these reports; there is no additional involvement on the part of your campus IT department. This data is imported into the system at periodic intervals so that your system contains the latest data about the college of education. The frequency of data import is based on your requirements.

Once we receive the data files, engineering services will analyze the files and work with you to better understand the contents and formats. Once the analysis process is complete, services creates mapping files, called metafiles that defines the mappings between the column headers and table columns. Dataload is thoroughly tested out to ensure all the data is loaded accurately and reflects correctly in the corresponding reports. The idea here is that unless your IT changes the format of these reports, services never has to change the metafiles, which means the time it takes for loading the data in similar format in the future is much less than the first time the metafiles have to be setup and tested. Engineering services will work with your campus IT to train them on loading and verifying the data at your request.