| Overview | Importing This File |
| Video Explaining This File | What Data Can Be Upated |
| Populating This File | Products That Use This File |
| Next: Organizational Units | |
Overview
Accounts must be established for all users – both those who will be actively logging into applicable Anthology products and those about which data will be collected. The Accounts data set defines users, connects them to each other, and provides additional information.
Video Explaining Accounts
Best Practices for Populating Accounts
Errors can wreak havoc on data, so it is critical that it is correct. If bad Accounts are loaded, a considerable amount of work must go into correcting the issues.
Who you Should Include in this File
The Accounts file can include students enrolled in classes, instructors teaching those classes, advisors and other staff who will be using the products. The PersonIdentifier defined here is referenced in other files. The extraction logic used in these other files must be mimicked in the Accounts file to ensure that all necessary accounts are created. For example, if advisors are added for the Beacon Managed Connections, those same advisors must be added here for accounts.
This file typically requires multiple unioned queries, one for each type of user (faculty, students, etc.).
PersonIdentifier Source
The most critical thing with Accounts is that the PersonIdentifier must be in the SIS somewhere, and it must match the identifier chosen during the authentication process. While it may seem easier to create the Account file out of the authentication system on campus, this does not work for the other files that require the PersonIdentifier. If the PersonIdentifier cannot be found in the SIS, it will need to be added or a lookup table must be created before moving forward.
Emails
Assess what types of emails are stored in the SIS and decide which email will be brought over. Consider whether different formats are used for faculty and staff emails and build the script logic to account for these differences.
Accounts records without emails fail on import. Discuss how to handle cleaning up records with missing emails.
Term Logic
Accounts data for a given term should be pulled with enough time enable access when needed. Campuses who are also importing Instructor and Enrollment files should align Accounts with the term logic used in these files so that any referenced accounts are created at the appropriate time.
Suggested SIS Tables
Important Information About Importing This File
Import Order
Accounts should be imported after Authentication is complete and BEFORE any other data is sent to Core Data.
Accounts Backfill
When turning on automation in the middle of the term, students who have already completely withdrawn may not be included in the Accounts file, but they may be included in the Enrollments file with a “withdrawn” or “dropped” status. This discrepancy causes their enrollment records to error out, and you will need to manually load accounts for these users. The error report identifies these users. Once automation is running, this problem disappears because accounts are created as students enroll and drop.
What Data Can Be Upated
All fields associated with an account except for PersonIdentifier can be updated after an initial import. To update the information simply import a file with the correct PersonIdentifier and the new information in the data fields. These changes may take some time to process and be reflected in the different products that use the information.
PersonIdentifier Changes
Depending on what type of identifier you chose during authentication, you may encounter situations where a user’s identifier changes. One example is if you are using email as a PersonIdentifier, and the email includes the user’s name. If the user’s name changes for any reason and is updated in the SIS, the new email will NOT match with the existing PersonIdentifier and a new, duplicate account will be created on import. Discuss how changes are entered into the SIS and establish a process for informing our support team of these changes BEFORE the file is imported so account mappings can be established between the two PersonIdentifiers.
Products that use Accounts
| Product | Required | Optional |
| Baseline - Rubrics | ||
| Beacon | ||
| Engage | ||
| Evaluate | ||
| Insight | ||
| Outcomes | ||
| Planning |
Requirements for populating this file can also be found in the Core Data Dictionary.
Comments