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How to batch-enroll users in PLE

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Overview: The Batch Enroll process is used when you want to create quickly a large number of new user records in your account by uploading a file containing the user data.

Follow these instructions to batch-enroll users into PLE.   Also see the online Help in PLE and the Quick Reference Card on the PLATO Support Center Web site.

In the PLE batch enrollment input file, each of the required fields must have data in each of the rows.   If you get error messages in the download log, it is usually because of missing or invalid field values in the batch enroll input file.

Batch Enrollment can be used only to add users; it  does not update existing user information.   The uploaded data for each new user is stored automatically in designated record fields.

You may submit multiple batch enrollment files, going through the same process for each one.    You do not have to wait for the previous file to be processed completely to start submitting the next one.    

Procedure:   Batch enrolling can be executed only by the Account Administrator.   There are five steps to the batch enroll process:

1. Create and upload files
2. Specify column headings
3. Specify user roles
4. Confirm records for upload
5. Review log (Batch Enroll Monitor)

To get started with the batch enroll, follow these steps:

1. Log in as an Account Administrator.
2. Select the Account Administration tab at the top of the home screen.
3. Move your cursor to the Account Administration menu and select Batch Enroll.     This displays the page where you can begin Step 1 of a five-step process for batch enrollment:

Step 1:   Create and upload files

The format of the batch enroll data file must be CSV (Comma-Separated Values). This is a common format for spreadsheet programs such as Microsoft Excel.

It is recommended that you download the sample file:

Click Download a Sample File on the left hand side of your screen and save the file to your hard drive.

This will download a sample CSV file that is preformatted with column headers that meet all specifications. It also illustrates optional columns and optional demographic columns.

You may use this file for reference or as a template to create your own CSV file.

NOTE: The required fields are PLATO Name, First Name, Last Name, Password, School, Grade (K-12 (K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12) and Primary Role. These are the minimum values that must be provided for creating users.   The fields can be in any order.     The District is not part of the batch enrollment file; rather, you must select it on the screen during the batch enrollment process.

It is recommended you view the school list of names configured in the account. In the "District" field, select your district from the drop-down list. Click View School List.   A pop-up window will appear with the list of schools in the district.

NOTE: When you prepare your file, you should use the school name(s) as they appear in this list.

Information can only be uploaded from one district at a time.

Click Browse to navigate to your CSV file. Select the file and then click Open. Click Continue to proceed to Step 2.

Step 2:  Specify column headings

In some instances, the file's column headers may not be compatible with what the user record requires. For example, the CSV file may specify "Job Title" and the user record requires "Role." You are also asked if you want to ignore the first row - the column headers - in the uploaded file. If your CSV data file has column headings, then answer the "Ignore first row in uploaded file" question by selecting the Yes radio button.

If your CSV data file does not have column headings, then answer the "Ignore first row in uploaded file" question by selecting the No radio button.

If a PLATO Column header is not matched to your file column header, select the correct header for that column from the drop-down list.

If "Ignore Column" appears above any of the columns that is required, you must select the appropriate field name from the dropdown list, or else you will get the message "Please select all required column headers."

After all of the details of your data file are displayed under each respective column heading, click Continue to proceed to Step 3 or Click Back to return to Step 1 if necessary.

When creating users, demographic information is an optional value. Please refer to the below criteria and accepted fields when entering this information. If this information is not entered correctly or in a different format from what is listed below, unexpected or incomplete data may result. When using the batch enrollment feature, PLATO recommends uploading a small number of users to ensure that the information is being properly captured.

Step 3:   Specify user roles

This step is designed to allow you to match the roles from the upload file with the PLATO specific roles.

If your role names match the names, the PLATO role names should be edited to match them.

If you did not use the role names, use the PLATO roles drop-down window to select the corresponding roles to match the roles in your file.

Role names may vary or be referred to differently from district to district. The data from the uploaded batch file must align itself with the proper role names that the system recognizes in order for the user to be validated.

For example, the uploaded file might identify learners as "Students" whereas the system needs to correlate that column data with the word "Learner." The "Specify Roles for Users" screen displays the roles stated in the uploaded file. Select the appropriate corresponding role from the drop-down menu of PLATO roles choices. If your data file specifies a role as "Principal", the equivalent counterpart under PLATO roles is "School Administrator". Click Continue to proceed to Step 4 or click Back to return to Step 2 if necessary.

Step 4: Confirm records for upload

The confirmation page lists the uploaded CSV file name and the number of records to be processed. You should confirm that the number of records to be processed matches your CSV file before proceeding. Click Finished to submit the file for processing after you have completed your check for accuracy.

You may upload your CSV file at any time during the day and your data will be processed as system resources allow.

Step 5: Review log (Batch Enroll Monitor)

The status of all batch enroll files that have been uploaded into the account can only be monitored by the Account Administrator role.

Access to this information is through the monitor page. To track the progress of a data upload, select the Account Administration tab from the home screen. From the menu, select Batch Enroll Monitor.

The File Name displays the name created as an identifier for each CSV file.

The Start Date and Start Time show when the upload was submitted for processing.

If there are no records, a "No Records Found" message appears.

To verify that the batch enroll was successful:

Review the file to check for any errors and make sure all users were successfully enrolled. To do this, download the log file and then either view the log file or save it.

For example, if any of the rows in your CSV input file is missing a value in a column, the batch enrollment will fail with a message like "PlatoName is blank and PlatoName is mandatory field. Therefore Record 1 is not saved."

To download a log file click Download Log and then select Open to view the file instantly.

To save the file, select Save and specify a location.

To remove a file, select Remove and the selected batch enroll file and log file will be removed from the Batch Enroll Monitor interface.

For more instructions on how to batch-enroll users, please see the Help information in PLE, which you can access by logging into your PLE account and selecting the Help button at the top of the page. Batch Enroll instructions can be found under Account Administration > Batch Enroll.

For more information on field value sizes and restrictions, refer to this solution.

Also read the Batch Enroll Quick Reference Card on the PLATO Support Web site. This reference card will update you on the Enrollment & Class file upload process as well.

Learn more about PLE! Use our Tutorial video series, Quick Start Guides and Quick Reference Cards to find out more about the features available to you.