Currently System Administration content is relevant to Planning & Self-Study and limited Student Learning & Licensure admins.
System Administration Import Guide
Mechanism for Import
Watermark’s System Administration module allows you to load files manually from the user interface (UI).
File Specifications
The import supports the .csv UTF-8 file type. In order to import the file, click Save As, then select CSV UTF-8.
Note:
- All files must have the correct file extension.
- All fields must be in the header row of each upload.
- Optional fields may be left blank, but all fields in this document and the sample files must be included in the headers.
Some imports are required and some are optional. See the table below for required (in bold) versus optional, as well as the sequence they should be loaded.
Click the CSV import type in the left column for explanations of the requirements for each import (organized by file name).
CSV Import | Required or Optional |
1. Organizations | Required |
2. Programs | Required |
3. People | Required |
4. Terms |
Required for course level assessment;
recommended for program level
assessment
|
5. Courses | Required |
6. Sections |
Required for course level assessment;
optional for program level assessment
|
7. Enrollments |
Required only if using “faculty email
method” for collecting measure results*
|
8. Basic Person Attributes | Optional |
9. Student Term Attributes | Optional |
Required | |
Optional |
Explanations of the requirements for each CSV import can be found below (organized by file name).
1. File: organizations.csv
name
Explanation: Name of the Division, Department, College, or School
Example: College of Business
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255,
Sample file column: A
Import Status: Required
Note: Name must be unique among all Organizations and Programs.
code
Explanation: Abbreviated code value which represents the organization’s name; often the department code in the student information system
Example: The code for the College of Business could be “COB”
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255
Sample file column: B
Import Status: Required
Note: Code must be unique among all Organizations and Programs.
type
Explanation: Type of unit
Accepted Values: “Center”, ”College”, “Department”, ”Division”, ”Institute”, “School”, ”Unit”
Sample file column: C
Import Status: Required
parent_code
Explanation: Value used for assigning parent or child relationship
Example: Say the code for the College of Business is “COB”. The parent_code for the Marketing Department (nested within the College of Business) is COB.
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255
Sample file column: D
Import Status: Required
2. File: programs.csv
name
Explanation: Name of the Program
Example: BS Marketing
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255
Sample file column: A
Import Status: Required
Note: Name must be unique among all Organizations and Programs.
code
Explanation: Abbreviated code value which represents the program’s name; often the program or major code in the student information system
Example: The code for the College of Business could be “COB”
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255
Sample file column: B
Import Status: Required
Note: Code must be unique among all Organizations and Programs.
cip_code
Explanation: The code assigned to the program as per the Classification of Instructional Programs which can be found on the National Center for Education Statistics website, https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/browse.aspx?y=55.
Sample file column: C
Import Status: Optional
sponsoring_organization_code
Explanation: Value used for assigning parent or child relationship
Example: Say the code for the Marketing Department is “DMKTG”. The sponsoring_organization_code for the BS Marketing program (nested within the Marketing Department) is DMKTG.
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255
Sample file column: D
Import Status: Required
3. File: people.csv
person_id
Explanation: ID from the SIS that is usually stored on both students, staff, and faculty
Example: 495960 or zt594034
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255. Special characters allowed listed below.
`,~, !, $, %, ^, &, =, { }, ', comma, ?, _, /, ( ), [ ], <, :, ;, á, é, í, ó, ú, ý, Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, Ý, “, @ |
Sample file column: A
Import Status: Required
Explanation: Account Owner’s Institutional Email Address
Example: rsmith@university.edu
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255.
Sample file column: B
Import Status: Required
Note: This field is the unique identifier for each user. Updates to user accounts will occur based on the value provided for email. Email is NOT case sensitive.
first_name
Explanation: Account Owner's First Name
Example: Robert or Mary Jean
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255. Special characters allowed listed below.
`,~, !, $, %, ^, &, =, { }, ', comma, ?, _, /, ( ), [ ], <, :, ;, á, é, í, ó, ú, ý, Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, Ý, “, @ |
Sample file column: C
Import Status: Required
middle_name
Explanation: Account Owner's Middle Name
Example: Janet or Michael
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255. Special characters allowed listed below
`,~, !, $, %, ^, &, =, { }, ', comma, ?, _, /, ( ), [ ], <, :, ;, á, é, í, ó, ú, ý, Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, Ý, “, @ |
Sample file column: D
Import Status: Optional
last_name
Explanation: Account Owner's Last Name
Example: Smith or Rodriguez
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255. Special characters allowed listed below
`,~, !, $, %, ^, &, =, { }, ', comma, ?, _, /, ( ), [ ], <, :, ;, á, é, í, ó, ú, ý, Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, Ý, “, @ |
Sample file column: E
Import Status: Required
organization_code
Explanation: This value must match the code provided in the organizations import file.
Example: COB for the College of Business
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255
Sample file column: F
Import Status: Required
roles
Explanation: A role authorizes a user with permission to one or more Watermark products
Planning & Self-Study |
For Planning & Self-Study there are two roles- Administrator or Contributor. A user may have multiple roles for this product.
Example: PSS_Administrator or PSS_Contributor |
Student Learning & Licensure |
For Student Learning & Licensure there are three roles- Administrator, Faculty or Student. A user may have only one role for this product.
Example: SLL_Administrator or SLL_Faculty or SLL_Student |
Format: If multiple roles are supplied for a user, use a | (pipe). e.g. PSS_Administrator|PSS_Contributor
Sample file column: G
Import Status: Optional
4. File: terms.csv
term_name
Explanation: The name of the term
Example: Spring 2019
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255. Special characters allowed listed below
`,~, !, $, %, ^, &, =, { }, ', comma, ?, _, /, ( ), [ ], <, :, ;, á, é, í, ó, ú, ý, Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, Ý, “, @ |
Sample file column: A
Import Status: Required
NOTE: Must be unique in the system.
start_date
Explanation: Start date for the term
Format: YYYY-MM-DD
Sample file column: B
Import Status: Required
end_date
Explanation: End date for the term
Format: YYYY-MM-DD
Sample file column: C
Import Status: Required
term_id
Explanation: abbreviated code for term name
Example: SP2019 or 202120
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255. Special characters allowed listed below
`,~, !, $, %, ^, &, =, { }, ', comma, ?, _, /, ( ), [ ], <, :, ;, á, é, í, ó, ú, ý, Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, Ý, “, @ |
Sample file column: D
Import Status: Required
NOTE: Must be unique in the system. When updating existing terms changes will occur based on term_id value.
5. File: courses.csv
course_catalog_code
Explanation: The course subject code and course number
Example: EDUC 101
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255
Sample file column: A
Import Status: Required.
NOTE: Must be unique in the system. This is the value that represents the course in the SIS and course catalogs for institutions. (Example: EDU 101, BUS 320, MGT 430). When updating existing courses changes will occur based on catalog_code value.
course_name
Explanation: Name of the course
Example: Introduction to Education
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255
Sample file column: B
Import Status: Required
NOTE: Must be unique.
Note: Currently text cannot contain a comma. We plan to fix this in a future release.
organization_code
Explanation: Level of the organization hierarchy in which the course will reside.
Example: COB for the College of Business
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255
Sample file column: C
Import Status: Required
NOTE: Must match an existing organization code.
subject_code
Explanation: The course subject code for the course
Example: EDUC
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255
Sample file column: D
Import Status: Optional.
course_number
Explanation: The course number for the course
Example: 101
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255
Sample file column: E
Import Status: Optional.
description
Explanation: The course description for the course, usually articulated in the course catalog.
Example: In this course students will learn the theory and methodologies of ...
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255
Sample file column: F
Import Status: Optional.
Note: Currently text cannot contain a comma. We plan to fix this in a future release.
credits
Explanation: The number of credits for passing the course, usually articulated in the course catalog.
Example: 3
Field Type and Length: Float4 (number)
Sample file column: G
Import Status: Optional.
cip_code
Explanation: The code assigned to the course as per the Classification of Instructional Programs which can be found on the National Center for Education Statistics website, https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/browse.aspx?y=55.
Sample file column: H
Import Status: Optional
6. File: sections.csv
section_id
Explanation: Unique identifier for each group. Often, this is a CRN number from an SIS.
Example: 201601123456 or EDU101SEC01SP2019
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255. Special characters allowed listed below
`,~, !, #, $, %, ^, &, *, =, +, { }, ', comma, ?, _, -, /, ( ), [ ], <, :, ;, á, é, í, ó, ú, ý, Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, Ý, “, @ |
Sample file column: A
Import Status: Required.
NOTE: This field is required to be unique across all terms. Often, this is a unique Course Registration Number (CRN) value. If your institution reuses CRN values from term to term, establish a term indicator with the CRN. Example: 20180112345 where “201801” 2018 for the year, 01 stands for Spring, and “12345” stands for the CRN. For each course section recorded the unique identifier is the section_id. When updating existing course sections, changes will occur based on section_id.
section_number
Explanation: Section number to identify a section of a course
Example: 01
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255. Special characters allowed listed below
`,~, !, #, $, %, ^, &, *, =, +, { }, ', comma, ?, _, -, /, ( ), [ ], <, :, ;, á, é, í, ó, ú, ý, Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, Ý, “, @ |
Sample file column: B
Import Status: Required.
course_catalog_code
Explanation: This value is responsible for nesting a section within its parent course
Example: EDUC 101
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255. Special characters allowed listed below
`,~, !, #, $, %, ^, &, *, =, +, { }, ', comma, ?, _, -, /, ( ), [ ], <, :, ;, á, é, í, ó, ú, ý, Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, Ý, “, @ |
Sample file column: C
Import Status: Required.
NOTE: Must correspond to the course_catalog_code field in the courses file.
term_id
Explanation: The term for which the course section is offered
Example: SP2019
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255. Special characters allowed listed below
`,~, !, #, $, %, ^, &, *, =, +, { }, ', comma, ?, _, -, /, ( ), [ ], <, :, ;, á, é, í, ó, ú, ý, Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, Ý, “, @ |
Sample file column: D
Import Status: Required
NOTE: This value must match the term_id values provided in the terms file.
start_date
Explanation: Start date for the section
Format: YYYY-MM-DD
Sample file column: E
Import Status: Optional
end_date
Explanation: End date for the section
Format: YYYY-MM-DD
Sample file column: F
Import Status: Optional
status
Explanation: The status of the section, such as active or cancelled.
Example: Active
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255. Special characters allowed listed below
`,~, !, #, $, %, ^, &, *, =, +, { }, ', comma, ?, _, -, /, ( ), [ ], <, :, ;, á, é, í, ó, ú, ý, Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, Ý, “, @ |
Sample file column: G
Import Status: Optional
credits
Explanation: The credits a student earns for passing the section. This may be different from the course.
Example: 3
Field Type and Length: Float4 (numeric)
Sample file column: H
Import Status: Optional
title_override
Explanation: The title of the section, if different from the course title.
Example: History of Mathematics - Honors Section
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255. Special characters allowed listed below
`,~, !, #, $, %, ^, &, *, =, +, { }, ', comma, ?, _, -, /, ( ), [ ], <, :, ;, á, é, í, ó, ú, ý, Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, Ý, “, @ |
Sample file column: I
Import Status: Optional
Note: Currently text cannot contain a comma. We plan to fix this in a future release.
description_override
Explanation: The description of the section, if different from the course description.
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255. Special characters allowed listed below
`,~, !, #, $, %, ^, &, *, =, +, { }, ', comma, ?, _, -, /, ( ), [ ], <, :, ;, á, é, í, ó, ú, ý, Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, Ý, “, @ |
Sample file column: J
Import Status: Optional
Note: Currently text cannot contain a comma. We plan to fix this in a future release.
location
Explanation: The campus location code of the section, such as a main campus or online.
Example: MAIN
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255. Special characters allowed listed below
`,~, !, #, $, %, ^, &, *, =, +, { }, ', comma, ?, _, -, /, ( ), [ ], <, :, ;, á, é, í, ó, ú, ý, Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, Ý, “, @ |
Sample file column: K
Import Status: Optional
level
Explanation: The level of the section, such as graduate or undergraduate.
Example: UG
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255. Special characters allowed listed below
`,~, !, #, $, %, ^, &, *, =, +, { }, ', comma, ?, _, -, /, ( ), [ ], <, :, ;, á, é, í, ó, ú, ý, Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, Ý, “, @ |
Sample file column: L
Import Status: Optional
schedule_type
Explanation: The type of section, such as lecture, lab or recitation.
Example: LAB
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255. Special characters allowed listed below
`,~, !, #, $, %, ^, &, *, =, +, { }, ', comma, ?, _, -, /, ( ), [ ], <, :, ;, á, é, í, ó, ú, ý, Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, Ý, “, @ |
Sample file column: M
Import Status: Optional
delivery_method
Explanation: The delivery method of the section, such as online or hybrid.
Example: Hybrid
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255. Special characters allowed listed below
`,~, !, #, $, %, ^, &, *, =, +, { }, ', comma, ?, _, -, /, ( ), [ ], <, :, ;, á, é, í, ó, ú, ý, Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, Ý, “, @ |
Sample file column: N
Import Status: Optional
7. File: enrollments.csv
section_id
Explanation: Section id for which the faculty or student will be enrolled. Must match an existing section_id provided in the section file.
Example: 201601123456 or EDU101SEC01SP2019
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255
Sample file column: A
Import Status: Required
Explanation: The email address of an existing person loaded in the people file.
Example: nportman@example.edu
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255
Sample file column: B
Import Status: Required
Instructor
Explanation: Values provided here will enroll the person as the instructor of record.
Accepted Values: Provide TRUE to enroll the user as the instructor of record.
Sample file column: C
Import Status: Required
NOTE: A person cannot be added as both an instructor and student in the same section.
Student
Explanation: Values provided here will enroll the user as a student in the section.
Accepted Values: TRUE or FALSE | Provide TRUE to enroll the user as a student within the course section. Provide FALSE to unenroll the user as a student within the course section.
Sample file column: D
Import Status: Required
NOTE: A person cannot be added as both an instructor and student in the same section.
8. File: peopleattributes.csv
Institutional System Administrators can optionally import basic person demographic and characteristics.While not currently leveraged by Planning & Self-Study, System Administrators can import basic person demographics. The option appears when Importing or Exporting People. This capability is to be leveraged with Student Learning & Licensure, formerly known as Via.
We will communicate in release notes when this import of Person Attributes is integrated with Planning & Self-Study. At this time, there are no immediate plans for this.
Note: In order to successfully upload this file, all included users must previously be loaded in the people file.
Explanation: The email address of an existing person loaded in the people file.
Example: nportman@example.edu
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255
Sample file column: A
Import Status: Required
gender
Explanation: The gender of the person, usually as reported to IPEDS.
Example: Female
Accepted Values: All values
Suggested Values (as aligned with IPEDS): “Male”, ”Female”, “M”, ”F”, “Another gender”, “Gender unknown“
Sample file column: B
Import Status: Optional
race_ethnicity
Explanation: The combined race and ethnicity values of the person, usually common in combined Race/Ethnicity reporting.
Example: Two or More Races
Accepted Values: “Hispanic or Latino”, “American Indian or Alaska Native”, “Asian”, “Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander”, “White”, “Black or African American”, “Two or More Races”, “Nonresident Alien”, “Not Specified / Declined to Specify”
Sample file column: C
Import Status: Optional
race
Explanation: The race of the person, usually as reported to IPEDS.
Example: White | Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
Accepted Values: “American Indian or Alaska Native”, “Asian”, “Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander”, “White”, “Black or African American”, “Not Specified / Declined to Specify”
Sample file column: D
Import Status: Optional
Note: If multiple values are supplied, separate with a |
date_of_birth
Explanation: Date of birth for the person
Format: YYYY-MM-DD
Sample file column: E
Import Status: Optional
first_generation
Explanation: The flag if the person is a first generation student.
Example: Y
Accepted Values: “Y”, ”N”, “Yes”, ”No”k
Sample file column: F
Import Status: Optional
pell_eligibility
Explanation: The flag if the person is eligible to receive PELL grants.
Example: Y
Accepted Values: “Y”, ”N”, “Yes”, ”No”
Sample file column: G
Import Status: Optional
transfer_student
Explanation: The flag if the person is a transfer student.
Example: Y
Accepted Values: “Y”, ”N”, “Yes”, ”No”
Sample file column: H
Import Status: Optional
admission_year
Explanation: The admission year of the student.
Format: YYYY
Sample file column: I
Import Status: Optional
9. File: studenttermattributes.csv
Institutional System Administrators can optionally import student term attributes and characteristics. While not currently leveraged by Planning & Self-Study, System Administrators can import student term attributes. The option appears when Importing or Exporting People (students).
This capability is to be leveraged with Student Learning & Licensure, formerly known as Via.
We will communicate in release notes when this import of Student Term Attributes is integrated with Planning & Self-Study. At this time, there are no immediate plans for this.
Note: In order to successfully upload this file, all included emails & term IDs must already exist within the institution.
Explanation: The email identifier of the person. Must match the term id that exists in their list of supplied Terms.
Example: nportman@example.edu
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255
Sample file column: A
Import Status: Required
term_id
Explanation: The term affiliated with the student record. e.g. The term they started the Major and/or the given term related to the Term GPA. Must match the term id that exists in their list of supplied Terms.
Example: 2021FALL
Accepted Values: Must match existing term code
Sample file column: B
Import Status: Required
cumulative_gpa
Explanation: The cumulative GPA of the student at the end of the given term.
Example: 3.5
Accepted Values: A number with up to 3 decimal places
Sample file column: C
Import Status: Optional
term_gpa
Explanation: The GPA of the grades earned in the given term.
Example: 3.5
Accepted Values: A number with up to 3 decimal places
Sample file column: D
Import Status: Optional
attending_status
Explanation: The full-time or part-time status of the student in the given term.
Example: FT
Accepted Values: Must be either “FT” or “PT”
Sample file column: E
Import Status: Optional
primary_major
Explanation: The primary major of the student during the given term.
Sample file column: F
Import Status: Optional
primary_major_concentration
Explanation: The primary concentration of the student during the given term.
Sample file column: G
Import Status: Optional
additional_major
Explanation: The secondary major of the student during the given term.
Sample file column: H
Import Status: Optional
additional_major_concentration
Explanation: The secondary concentration of the student during the given term.
Sample file column: I
Import Status: Optional
minor
Explanation: The minor of the student during the given term.
Sample file column: J
Import Status: Optional
earned_credit_hours
Explanation: The total credit hours the student earned during the given term.
Example: 6
Accepted Values: A number with up to 3 decimal places
Sample file column: K
Import Status: Optional
10. File: programcurriculum.csv
The program curriculum file aligns courses to programs. When importing a program curriculum file, you can create and update the course alignment to a program, and additionally create and update the required course alignment to a program. Before importing the program curriculum file, please check that all necessary programs and courses exist in the database.
Note: In order to successfully upload this file, all included course & program IDs must already exist within the institution.
Note: Program Curriculum can be created and updated through CSV imports only at this time.
program_code
Explanation: The program code affiliated with the program record.
Example: The code for the College of Business could be “COB”
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255
Sample file column: A
Import Status: Required
Note: Code must be unique.
course_code
Explanation: The course code affiliated with the course record.
Example: EDUC 101
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255
Sample file column: B
Import Status: Required.
NOTE: Course_code must correspond to the course_catalog_code field in the courses file.
aligned_course
Explanation: Values provided here will align or not align a course to the program
Accepted Values: TRUE or FALSE | Provide TRUE to align the course to a program. Provide FALSE if you do not want the course aligned to a program
Sample file column: C
Import Status: Required.
required_course
Explanation: Values provided here will align courses as required or not for the program
Accepted Values: TRUE or FALSE | Provide TRUE to align the course as required to a program. Provide FALSE if you do not want the course aligned as required to a program
Sample file column: D
Import Status: Required.
11. File: cohortenrollments.csv
This file is responsible for enrolling students within a cohort.
This information can be leveraged for reporting and workflows in products like Student Learning & Licensure.
Note: In order to successfully upload a cohort enrollment file, all included users must previously be loaded in the people file and all cohorts must be previously loaded in the cohorts section, under the Data Variables file.
Explanation: The email address of an existing person loaded in the people file.
Example: nportman@example.edu
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255
Sample file column: A
Import Status: Required
cohort_code
Explanation: Cohort code for which the faculty or student will be enrolled. Must match an existing cohort provided in the cohorts, under the Data Variables tab.
Example: 2022_MBA_FT
Field Type and Length: Alphanumeric, 255
Sample file column: B
Import Status: Required