Full Import

The Full Import method allows you to import complete organizational data using an Excel template. This is the most comprehensive import option, supporting all entity types and their relationships in a single operation.

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What You Can Import

Full Import supports six types of data across six Excel sheets:

• Programs: Academic programs (degrees, certificates, etc.)
• Courses: Individual courses with codes and descriptions
• Instructors: Faculty and teaching staff
• Course Sections: Specific sections of courses with instructors and syllabi
• Credentials Definitions: Stackable credentials and micro-credentials
• Credentials and Course Sections: Relationships between credentials and sections

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When to Use Full Import

Full Import is ideal when you:

• Have structured data in Excel or CSV format
• Are migrating from another student information system
• Need to import many courses at once (10+ courses)
• Want to import programs and credentials along with courses
• Have data with consistent formatting and structure
• Need to establish relationships between entities (courses in programs, sections in credentials)

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How Full Import Works

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Step 1: Download the Template

Click the Download Template button to get the Excel template. The template contains six pre-formatted sheets with column headers and example data.

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Step 2: Fill Out the Template

Open the Excel template and populate the sheets with your data:

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Programs Sheet

Required fields:

• Name: Program name (e.g., “Associate of Applied Science in Nursing”)

Optional fields:

• Code: Program code (e.g., “AAS-NURS”)
• CIP Code: Classification of Instructional Programs code
• Description: Program description

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Courses Sheet

Required fields:

• Name: Course title (e.g., “Introduction to Psychology”)
• Course Code: Course code (e.g., “PSY 101”)

Optional fields:

• Description: Course description
• Program Names: Comma-separated list of program names this course belongs to

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Instructors Sheet

Required fields:

• Name: Instructor full name

Optional fields:

• Email: Instructor email address
• Details: Additional information about the instructor

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Course Sections Sheet

Required fields:

• Section Name: Section identifier (e.g., “Fall 2024”, “Section A”)
• Course Code: Must match a course code from the Courses sheet

Optional fields:

• Instructor Name: Must match an instructor name from the Instructors sheet
• Description: Section-specific description
• Syllabus URL: URL to publicly accessible syllabus PDF

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Credentials Definitions Sheet

Required fields:

• Name: Credential name (e.g., “Digital Marketing Certificate”)

Optional fields:

• Code: Credential code (e.g., “CERT-DIGMKT”)
• Description: Credential description

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Credentials and Course Sections Sheet

Required fields:

• Credential Name: Must match a credential from Credentials Definitions sheet
• Course Code: Must match a course code from the Courses sheet
• Section Name: Must match a section name from the Course Sections sheet

This sheet establishes which course sections make up each credential.

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Step 3: Upload the File

1. Navigate to Data Import > Full Import in Mapademics
2. Click Choose File and select your completed Excel file
3. Click Upload

The system will parse your file and validate the data. This typically takes 5-10 seconds depending on file size.

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Step 4: Review Parsed Data

After upload, the interface displays six tabs showing all parsed data:

• Programs: All programs found in your file
• Courses: All courses with their program associations
• Instructors: All instructors
• Course Sections: All sections with course and instructor associations
• Credentials: All credential definitions
• Credentials & Sections: All credential-section relationships

Each tab shows:

• A validation badge indicating valid items and any errors
• A data table with all rows from that sheet
• Error messages for any validation failures

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Step 5: Resolve Conflicts (If Any)

If Mapademics detects that items in your import match existing data in the system, you’ll see a Conflicts Detected screen. For each conflict, you’ll see:

• Existing Data: What’s currently in Mapademics
• Importing Data: What’s in your Excel file
• A Review button to compare them side-by-side

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Conflict Resolution Options

For each conflict, choose one of three actions: Skip Import

• Keeps the existing data unchanged
• Doesn’t import the new data
• Use when you want to preserve existing information

Replace Existing

• Overwrites the existing data with your import data
• Updates all fields with new values
• Use when your import has newer or more accurate information

Create New (with suffix)

• Creates a new item with a suffix added to avoid conflicts
• Keeps both the existing and new items
• Use when both items should exist separately

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Step 6: Review and Execute Import

After resolving any conflicts, you’ll see the Review Import Data screen with all six tabs visible again. Click Execute Import to begin the import process. During import, you’ll see:

• Real-time progress indicator
• Current phase (Programs, Courses, Instructors, etc.)
• Number of items processed
• Percentage complete

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Step 7: View Results

When the import completes successfully, you’ll see a detailed results summary:

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Summary Statistics

• Items Created: New items added to Mapademics
• Items Replaced: Existing items updated with new data
• Items Skipped: Items you chose to skip during conflict resolution

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Detailed Breakdown

For each entity type (programs, courses, instructors, sections, credentials):

• Count of created items
• Count of replaced items
• Count of skipped items
• Link to view those items in Mapademics

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Failed Items (if any)

If any items failed to import, you’ll see:

• The entity type that failed
• The item name
• The reason for failure

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Syllabus Processing Status

If you included syllabus URLs in the Course Sections sheet:

• Number of syllabi uploaded and queued for processing
• Link to monitor background job progress
• Estimated completion time

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Step 8: Next Steps

After a successful import:

• Click View Programs or View Courses to see your imported data
• Click View Batch Job Progress to monitor syllabus processing
• Click Import Another File to start a new import
• Click View Import History to see all past imports

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Supported Formats

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Excel File Requirements

• File formats: .xlsx, .xls
• Sheet names: Must match exactly (case-sensitive)
  • “Programs”
  • “Courses”
  • “Instructors”
  • “Course Sections”
  • “Credentials Definitions”
  • “Credentials and Course Sections”

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Column Headers

Column headers must match the template exactly. Headers marked with asterisk (*) in the template indicate required fields.

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Data Validation Rules

Programs:

• Name is required and must be unique within the import
• CIP codes should follow standard format (##.####)

Courses:

• Name and Course Code are required
• Course Code must be unique within the import
• Program Names must match Programs sheet entries exactly

Instructors:

• Name is required
• Email should be valid format if provided

Course Sections:

• Section Name and Course Code are required
• Course Code must exist in Courses sheet
• Instructor Name must exist in Instructors sheet (if provided)
• Syllabus URL must be publicly accessible

Credentials:

• Name is required and must be unique

Credential Sections:

• All three fields are required
• Credential Name must exist in Credentials Definitions sheet
• Course Code and Section Name must form a valid section reference

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Syllabus URL Format

Syllabus URLs in the Course Sections sheet must be:

• Publicly accessible (no login required)
• Direct links to PDF files or web pages
• Valid HTTP/HTTPS URLs

Supported URL types:

• Direct PDF links: https://example.edu/syllabi/bio101.pdf
• Learning management system syllabus pages (if public)

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Import History

All Full Imports are logged for audit purposes. To view import history:

1. Navigate to Data Import > Full Import
2. Click Import History

The Import History page shows:

• Date and time of each import
• Filename of the uploaded template
• Number of items created, updated, and skipped
• Status (Completed, Failed, Processing)
• Link to view detailed results

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Troubleshooting

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Template Validation Errors

“No valid programs found”

• Ensure the Programs sheet has data
• Check that the “Name” column has values
• Verify the sheet is named “Programs” (case-sensitive)

“Course references non-existent program”

• Check Program Names column in Courses sheet
• Ensure program names match exactly (including spelling, capitalization)
• Verify all referenced programs exist in Programs sheet

“Section references non-existent course”

• Check Course Code column in Course Sections sheet
• Ensure course codes match exactly
• Verify all referenced courses exist in Courses sheet

“Section references non-existent instructor”

• Check Instructor Name column in Course Sections sheet
• Ensure instructor names match exactly
• Verify all referenced instructors exist in Instructors sheet

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Conflict Resolution Guidance

When to choose “Skip Import”:

• The existing data is correct and current
• You don’t want to modify existing records
• You’re unsure which version is accurate

When to choose “Replace Existing”:

• Your import data is newer or more accurate
• You’re updating outdated information
• You want to synchronize with another system

When to choose “Create New”:

• Both versions should exist as separate entities
• The names/codes are similar but represent different things
• You want to maintain historical records

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Missing Required Fields

If items are missing required fields, they won’t be imported. Check the validation badges on each tab for error messages. Common issues:

• Empty Name fields
• Missing Course Codes
• Blank Section Names

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Cross-Reference Issues

Items that reference non-existent entities will fail to import. For example:

• A course section referencing a course code that doesn’t exist
• A credential-section relationship referencing a non-existent credential
• A course listing programs that aren’t in the Programs sheet

The system validates all cross-references and shows specific error messages for each invalid reference.

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Syllabus URL Issues

URL not accessible:

• Verify the URL is publicly accessible (test in a private browser window)
• Check that no login is required
• Ensure the URL is not behind a firewall

Skills extraction not starting:

• Verify syllabus URLs are valid
• Check that URLs point to actual PDF files
• Look for the batch job ID in the success summary and monitor it in Background Jobs

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Best Practices

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Before You Import

1. Test with a small sample - Import 5-10 courses first to verify the process
2. Validate your data - Ensure all cross-references are correct
3. Check for duplicates - Review existing data to avoid unnecessary conflicts
4. Prepare syllabus URLs - Ensure all URLs are accessible before import

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Data Preparation Tips

1. Use consistent naming - Keep program names, course codes, and instructor names consistent
2. Clean your data - Remove extra spaces, fix typos, standardize formatting
3. Document relationships - Keep track of which courses belong to which programs
4. Verify URLs - Test all syllabus URLs before adding them to the template

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After Import

1. Review results - Check the detailed breakdown for any failed items
2. Monitor syllabus processing - Watch background jobs to ensure skills are extracted
3. Save import record - Note the import ID for future reference
4. Verify data - Spot-check a few courses to ensure they imported correctly

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Related Documentation

• Course Import →
• Job Import →
• Skills Extraction →
• Background Jobs Monitoring →
• Data Import Troubleshooting →