The article explains how to import various data types, staff and student information, and stresses checking for existing data to prevent duplicates.
Permission Needed: General Admin: Import Data
If you don't have this permission, ask your school admin team to assign it to you.
Who can use the Entity Importers:
- Schools setting up their data for the first time.
- Schools already using Arbor who want to add more data.
The Entity Importer lets schools import data from spreadsheets into Arbor. Users must download a template, complete it per formatting rules, and upload it.
Note: that specifications may vary for a GroupCall API migrator; we are adding those details to this guide. For any data discrepancies after migration, please contact Arbor support or your partner for assistance.
Before you get started - Check your existing data
1. Check for existing data on your site before importing.
Imported data will be added as new, potentially causing duplicates if uploaded multiple times.
After importing, we recommend checking for duplicate data using the Data Quality Dashboard.
How to use the importer
1. Go to School > Data > Import > Entity Import.
Here you can see all the datasets you can import.
We recommend working through the list from top to bottom in order. However, if you don't want to import certain data, you can skip a section, unless the next step requires data from a previous step.
2. Click the name of one of the entity importers
You will be taken to the Entity Importer page.
You can click on these to view more information for successful imports, or to remove unsuccessful imports.
3. Click back in your browser to return to the previous page as needed
Using the importer for most of the imports
Downloading and Opening the Template
1. Click the green button to download the spreadsheet. It includes columns where you can place the information.
Filling in the Template
2. Once downloaded you need to work your way through the sheet, matching the preset format.
Different columns require data to be in different formats.
These include:
- select from a drop-down menu of options (so you can't paste in the information)
- numerical format only (for example, 01/01/2001) and letters are not allowed
- mandatory fields which must be filled out
You can see a full list of the requirements for each file in the Entity Importer rules section below.
3. Save your completed template (this must be saved in the same format as downloaded XLS)
Uploading the Template
4. Click Browse to select your XLS file from your computer
5. Click Upload.
6. You must check your uploaded data
- If all information is incorrect or you wish to start again, delete the import
- If there are issues with the data, you can fix them from here by clicking on the field highlighted in red.
- Click Import if you have checked the data and are happy to import it.
You'll then see the completed import. You can click it to access the imported data.
Roll Call Attendance
The Roll Call Attendance importer is most useful for schools that have gone through Manual Migration, as attendance is usually migrated from previous MIS systems. This importer follows a slightly different process than the rest of the importers.
For this import, the file must be in CSV format. You can have additional columns (for example attendance notes), but these will not be imported.
The order of the columns is not important as you will be asked to match each column to the Arbor data fields when you upload the file.
When imported, you will receive a notification.
You can click on the file to:
- Delete the import if you imported an incorrect file where no data could be matched. Top Tip: If data was matched to a student, this won't delete what was imported, just the record of the import.
- Reimport your file
- download a log of the upload as a .txt file.
Entity Importer rules
Different columns require data to be in different formats. These include:
- select from a drop-down menu of options (so you can't paste in the information)
- numerical format only (for example 01/01/2001) and letters are not allowed
- mandatory fields which must be filled out
Staff data
Pay Scale template
| Data Field | Format | Mandatory |
| Pay Scale Name | Text | Yes |
| Pay Range | Drop Down | Yes |
Please note that to use the Pay scale field, you need to have first set these up in your site by either:
- importing the Pay Scale template (detailed in the above section)
- setting them up manually in Arbor following these instructions: Managing and Updating Pay Scales
| Data Field | Format | Mandatory |
| Pay Scale | Drop Down | Yes |
| Gross Salary | Numerical | Yes |
Staff template
| Data Field | Format | Mandatory |
| Title | Drop Down | No |
| Legal First Name | Text | Yes |
| Legal Surname | Text | Yes |
| National Insurance | Text and Numerical | Yes |
| Preffered First Name | Text | No |
| Preffered Surname | Text | No |
| Sex | Drop down | No |
| Date of Birth | Numerical | No |
| Ethnicity | Drop down | No |
| Religion | Drop down | No |
|
Staff number |
Text or Numerical | No |
|
School ID card |
Text or Numerical | No |
|
Timetable abbreviation |
Text or Numerical | No |
|
Business role |
Drop down | No |
|
Mobile number |
Numerical | No |
|
Home Number |
Numerical | No |
|
Email Address |
Text and Numerical | No |
|
Address Line 1 |
Text and Numerical | No |
|
Address Line 2 |
Text and Numerical | No |
|
Town |
Text | No |
|
Postcode |
Text and Numerical | No |
|
Country |
Drop down | No |
Staff absence
| Data Field | Format | Mandatory |
| Title | Drop Down | No |
| Legal First Name | Text | Yes |
| Legal Surname | Text | Yes |
| National Insurance | Text and Numerical | Yes |
| Start date and time | Numerical (01/01/2022 10:00) | No |
| End date and time | Numerical (01/01/2022 10:00) | No |
| Staff absence category | Drop Down | Yes |
| Sickness category | Drop Down | No |
| Sickness subcategory | Text (must relate to the above) | No |
|
Narrative |
Text | No |
Staff check
| Data Field | Format | Mandatory |
| Legal First Name | Text | Yes |
| Legal Surname | Text | Yes |
| National Insurance | Text and Numerical | Yes |
| Check type | Drop Down | No |
| Check level | Drop Down | No |
|
Number |
Numerical | No |
| Check date | Numerical (01/01/2022) | No |
Staff contract
Please note that to use the Pay scale and Pay scale spinal point fields, you need to have first set these up in your site by either:
- importing the Pay Scale and Pay Scale Spinal Point templates (detailed in the above section)
- setting them up manually in Arbor following these instructions: Managing and Updating Pay Scales
For certain things in the list below you can have multiple instances. In this case, you'll need to import the first, then add the rest manually. You can see how to add these in manually here:
| Data Field | Format | Mandatory |
| Legal First Name | Text | Yes |
| Legal Surname | Text | Yes |
| National Insurance | Text and Numerical | Yes |
| Staff employment type | Drop Down | No |
| Start date | Numerical (01/01/2022) | No |
| End date | Numerical (01/01/2022) | No |
| Staff leaving reason | Drop Down | No |
| Staff destination | Drop Down | No |
| Superannuation scheme | Drop Down | No |
|
Contract reference |
Text or Numerical | No |
|
Payroll number |
Numerical | No |
| Staff origin | Drop Down | No |
| Last pay review date | Numerical (01/01/2022) | No |
|
Contract post job title |
Text | No |
|
Contract post position |
Drop Down | No |
|
Contract post start date |
Numerical (01/01/2022) | No |
|
Contract post end date |
Numerical (01/01/2022) | No |
|
Pay scale |
Drop Down | No |
|
Pay scale spinal point |
Drop Down | No |
|
Custom FTE salary amount |
Numerical | No |
|
Actual hours per week |
Numerical | No |
|
FTE hours per week |
Numerical | No |
|
Actual weeks per year |
Numerical | No |
|
Linked allowance |
Drop Down | No |
|
Allowance effective date |
Numerical (01/01/2022) | No |
|
Allowance end date |
Numerical (01/01/2022) | No |
|
Gross allowance amount |
Numerical | No |
|
Additional payment reason |
Drop Down | No |
|
Additional payment amount |
Numerical | No |
|
Additional payment date |
Numerical (01/01/2022) | No |
Staff next of kin
| Data Field | Format | Mandatory |
| Legal First Name | Text | Yes |
| Legal Surname | Text | Yes |
| National Insurance | Text and Numerical | Yes |
| Next of kin legal first name | Text | Yes |
| Next of kin legal surname | Text | Yes |
| Next of kin sex | Drop Down | No |
|
Next of kin mobile number |
Numerical | No |
|
Next of kin home number |
Numerical | No |
|
Next of kin work number |
Numerical | No |
|
Next of kin work number |
Numerical | No |
|
Next of kin email address |
Text and Numerical | No |
|
Next of kin address line 1 |
Text and Numerical | No |
|
Next of kin address line 2 |
Text and Numerical | No |
|
Next of kin town |
Text | No |
|
Next of kin country |
Drop Down | No |
|
Next of kin postcode |
Text and Numerical | No |
|
Next of kin relationship |
Drop Down | No |
Staff qualification
| Data Field | Format | Mandatory |
| Legal First Name | Text | Yes |
| Legal Surname | Text | Yes |
| National Insurance | Text and Numerical | Yes |
| Qualification Name | Text and Numerical | No |
| Qualification type | Drop Down | No |
| Qualification class | Drop Down | No |
| 1st subject | Drop Down | No |
| 2nd subject | Drop Down | No |
| Date awarded | Numerical (01/01/2022) | No |
Staff vehicle
| Data Field | Format | Mandatory |
| Legal First Name | Text | Yes |
| Legal Surname | Text | Yes |
| National Insurance | Text and Numerical | Yes |
| Vehicle type | Drop Down | No |
| Car make | Drop Down | No |
| Model | Text | No |
| Colour | Text | No |
|
Car registration number |
Text and Numerical | No |
| Parking allocation provided | Drop Down | No |
Student dietary requirements
| Data Field | Format | Mandatory |
| Legal First Name | Text | Yes |
| Legal Surname | Text | Yes |
| UPN | Text or Numerical | Yes |
| Dietary requirement type | Drop Down | No |
| Note | Text | No |
Student Disability Access Funding (DAF)
| Data Field | Format | Mandatory |
| Legal First Name | Text | Yes |
| Legal Surname | Text | Yes |
| UPN | Text or Numerical | Yes |
| Start date | Numerical (01/01/2022) | No |
| End date | Numerical (01/01/2022) | No |
| Note | Text | No |
Student Early Years Pupil Premium Recipient
| Data Field | Format | Mandatory |
| Legal First Name | Text | Yes |
| Legal Surname | Text | Yes |
| UPN | Text or Numerical | Yes |
| Start date | Numerical (01/01/2022) | No |
| End date | Numerical (01/01/2022) | No |
| Economic reasons | Drop Down | No |
| Other reasons | Drop Down | No |
Student suspension
Please note that once you import suspensions, the statutory roll call sessions won't be automatically filled with a planned absence and an E attendance code.
1. Go to Students > Behaviour > Suspensions to edit, choose which sessions are missed using these instructions: Editing the Suspension
| Data Field | Format | Mandatory |
| Legal First Name | Text | Yes |
| Legal Surname | Text | Yes |
| UPN | Text or Numerical | Yes |
| Decision date | Numerical (01/01/2022) | No |
| Until date time | Numerical (01/01/2022 10:00) | No |
| Daily start time | Numerical (10:00) | No |
| Daily end time | Numerical (10:00) | No |
|
Narrative |
Text | No |
|
Exclusion reason 1 |
Drop Down | Yes |
|
Exclusion reason 2 |
Drop Down | No |
|
Exclusion reason 3 |
Drop Down | No |
Student Guardian Relationship
| Data Field | Format | Mandatory |
| Legal First Name | Text | Yes |
| Legal Surname | Text | Yes |
| UPN | Text or Numerical | Yes |
| Guardian title | Drop Down | No |
| Guardian first name | Text | Yes |
| Guardian last name | Text | Yes |
| Guardian sex | Drop Down | No |
| Guardian relationship type | Drop Down | No |
| Is primary guardian | Drop Down | No |
| Is legal guardian | Drop Down | No |
| Emergency contact priority | Drop Down | No |
| Is key worker | Drop Down | No |
| Email address | Text or Numerical | No |
|
Mobile number |
Numerical | No |
|
Home number |
Numerical | No |
|
Work number |
Numerical | No |
Student Hours At Setting
| Data Field | Format | Mandatory |
| Legal First Name | Text | Yes |
| Legal Surname | Text | Yes |
| UPN | Text or Numerical | Yes |
| Hours at Setting | Numerical | No |
| Funded Hours | Numerical | No |
| Extended Hours | Numerical | No |
|
30 hour code |
Text or Numerical | No |
Student Medical Conditions
| Data Field | Format | Mandatory |
| Legal First Name | Text | Yes |
| Legal Surname | Text | Yes |
| UPN | Text or Numerical | Yes |
| Medical condition type | Drop Down | No |
| Severity | Drop Down | No |
| Start date | Numerical (01/01/2022) | No |
| End date | Numerical (01/01/2022) | No |
|
Symptoms |
Text | No |
|
Treatment |
Text | No |
Student Pastoral Notes
| Data Field | Format | Mandatory |
| Legal First Name | Text | Yes |
| Legal Surname | Text | Yes |
| UPN | Text or Numerical | Yes |
| Summary | Text | No |
| Content | Text | No |
| Start Date | Numerical (01/01/2022) | No |
Student Permanent Exclusion
| Data Field | Format | Mandatory |
| Legal First Name | Text | Yes |
| Legal Surname | Text | Yes |
| UPN | Text or Numerical | Yes |
| Decision date time | Numerical (01/01/2022, 10:00) | No |
| From date | Numerical (01/01/2022) | No |
|
Narrative |
Text | No |
| Exclusion reason 1 | Drop Down | No |
| Exclusion reason 2 | Drop Down | No |
| Exclusion reason 3 | Drop Down | No |
Top Up Funding
| Data Field | Format | Mandatory |
| Legal First Name | Text | Yes |
| Legal Surname | Text | Yes |
| UPN | Text or Numerical | Yes |
| Start date | Numerical (01/01/2022) | No |
| End date | Numerical (01/01/2022) | No |
|
Note |
Text | No |
Student Young Carer
| Data Field | Format | Mandatory |
| Legal First Name | Text | Yes |
| Legal Surname | Text | Yes |
| UPN | Text or Numerical | Yes |
| Start date | Numerical (01/01/2022) | No |
| End date | Numerical (01/01/2022) | No |
|
Information provided by |
Drop Down | Yes |
Roll Call Attendance
Please note that we will only import data for students where:
- We can match the UPN to a student profile on your site, make sure all students have a UPN
- There is a valid roll call, date and attendance code
| Data Field | Format | Mandatory |
| UPN | Text or Numerical | Yes |
| Date | Numerical (01/01/2022 or 2022/01/01) | Yes |
| Roll call | Text (AM or PM only) | Yes |
| Attendance code |
Only Arbor attendance codes are accepted |
Yes |
| Minutes late |
Integers (whole numbers only) |
No |
FAQ
Will the importer override any information?
No, the information will be added as new information. You must check your existing data to prevent duplicates.
Can I import a School Entity Import into MAT MIS or vice versa?
MAT Entity imports can only be imported into MAT MIS.
School Entity imports can only be imported into School MIS.
Can we use the same template to import data to multiple school sites?
No, each spreadsheet can only be uploaded to the School site it was downloaded from.
Does it matter which order we upload?
We recommend working through the list from top to bottom in order. If you don't want to import certain data, you can skip a section.
There are certain items, such as Contracts and Pay Scales, where it is vital that the steps are completed in order. For example, users must import or create Pay Scales before they can import Spinal Points, before they can import Staff Contracts.
When do we need to download the template again?
If you've changed the data in your Arbor site relating to the area you're uploading into, we recommend downloading a new template.
For example, each time you import or create new pay scales, the Pay Scale dropdown in the Pay Scale Spinal Point and Staff Contracts templates is updated. This means you would need to download and fill in a fresh template if you recently imported or created new Pay Scales.
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