This lesson provides an overview on importing your users data into DnA.
About Users Data
The User import creates and updates users in DnA. Each user should have one record with identifying information and additional demographic information.
About Importing Users
The users.txt file is the process by which user records are loaded into DnA. It is used to create and update all of the basic user information in DnA. In DnA Data and Assessment (DnA) or DnA Special Education (ISE) this file is a key component of the regular data automation. Teachers, Administrators, Clerks, etc. are all considered users. Anyone that will be logging into your DnA installation will need a user record.
Required Fields
- User ID
- User Last Name
- User First Name
User ID is the key identifier for this dataset. The User ID should be a unique value for each user and is case sensitive. The User ID that is provided in this dataset must be unique to the user record. It cannot be a recycled ID that was previously assigned to another user. Many times this ID is considered a staff ID or a person ID.
User Last Name, User First Name are required data elements to import the user record. It is expected that every user should have at least a first and last name.
If any of the required fields are not provided or if any of the required fields do not align to the designated field types or values, the entire record will not import. Problems with required fields will generate import errors.
Whether or not a field is required refers to basic, minimal operation of the system. With only the required fields your DnA installation will work, however, it will not be configured optimally. Additionally, beyond minimal functionality and basic reporting, in an DnA Student Information (ISI) installation as much data as can possibly be provided should be imported. Many non-required fields are used in basic reports and compliance reporting.
Non-Required, but Highly Recommended Fields
- Birth Date
- Gender
- Email Address 1
- Username
- State User or Employee ID
- Primary Race Code
- Is Hispanic
- Is Active
Birth Date and Gender are two additional demographic data elements that all users should have. It is not required but ideally should be provided with this dataset.
Email Address 1 should be the users primary email address. If the email address is also the Username that will be used for login, provide the email address in both fields.
Username is the desired username that each user will use to access the system. If the user will login using their email address, then provide the email address in Email Address 1 and Username.
State User or Employee ID is a field that many states have instituted. If this is available, it is a valuable piece of data to provide to help keep user records unique.
Primary Race Code 1 and Is Hispanic are not required, however, they are useful demographic data. Race Code 1 should match the race codes in code management. Is Hispanic is simply a yes/no designation.
Is Active designates a user's status. Because DnA is a longitudinal data system, it is recommended that current and historic users are loaded into the system. For users who are no longer active, simply set the Is Active status to No (0) and those users will not have access to the system.
Non-Required Fields
- User Middle Name
- Password
- Name Suffix
- Former First Name
- Former Middle Name
- Former Last Name
- User Address
- User City
- User State
- User Zip
- Job Title
- Education Level Code
- Hire Date
- Exit Date
- Total Years in District
- Email Address 2
- Phone 1
- Phone 2
Common Issues
In some cases there may be data updates that are needed for the users.txt dataset but they are not being applied. In the users.txt import there is an option that allows user updates to be enabled or disabled. The users.txt import can be an INSERT only import or INSERT or UPDATE. If the INSERT only option is selected any user in the users.txt file that already exists in DnA (based on User Id) will be ignored.
Next Steps
To learn more about available files to import into DnA, visit Optional Datasets.