Users: Add Multiple with Batch Upload (video)

Note: This article contains video content that will not display or is not optimized to display correctly in the Foundry on-site support widget. For best results, we recommend reading the original in the Knowledge Base. Click the pop-out button at the top right of the widget to open the full article.

Overview

This article will show you how to add many new users with the Batch Upload feature, using a pre-formatted Excel spreadsheet. If you have not yet reviewed how to add a user, read here first. If you want to edit multiple previously-added users, read here for more on this feature.

Contents

• Overview Video
• Download the pre-formatted template
• Input required fields
• Other tips, tricks, and notes
• Import the spreadsheet

Overview Video

Note: the following video was optimized for an older version of Foundry, which requires the username to be an email address, but does not require role selection. Foundry does not currently require email usernames, but does require role selection. Otherwise, the steps are the same for both platforms. Users should read below for all requirements. This video will be updated.

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Download the pre-formatted template

Adding many new users at once is particularly useful for new customers that are first adding all their staff, students, parents, etc. It is also useful for existing schools adding a new cohort - e.g., an incoming group of 3rd grade students. While you could enter them individually, it is much more efficient to use the pre-formatted Excel spreadsheet.

Navigate to Admin > Users > Batch Edit/Upload, and you will see the following:

• To add new users for the first time, select the top link.
• To edit multiple existing users at the same time, select the bottom link. More on this feature here.

1.  

Look to the bottom of your browser window or in your local Download Folder to locate and open the downloaded sheet. You will see the following fields - all of which except Groups can be inputted or edited within this spreadsheet.

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Input required fields 

The following columns within the spreadsheet are required for every user; all other columns are optional, but must remain titled in the spreadsheet, even if you do not currently plan to use them:

• Column A: Username  Each username must be unique or it will not allow the spreadsheet to upload. For example, if you had two students: John Smith and Jake Smith - they could not both use the username: jsmith. Note: Future updates to Foundry are expected to require usernames to be a valid email address. We suggest using them at present if you have not yet set them.
• Column B: Password  Often, schools require users to maintain password consistency across multiple district or school programs. If your school does not have a standard password protocol, Foundry recommends setting new user passwords to ‘password’ to expedite the first login, at which time each user can customize their password. Note, a password must have at least 6 characters.
• Column C: UserID Number  This field is not required by Foundry, but if your school uses a unique student ID for state or other reporting requirements, use this field.
• Columns D, E, F: Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial  We hope this is fairly self-explanatory.
• Column H: Email Address  This field is not currently required, but Foundry strongly recommends both adding this information and considering using email addresses as usernames. This allows users to request an automatic password reset email without an Admin manually changing it.
• Column I: Roles  Use this field to designate the role(s) that apply to the user: student, advisor, admin, parent, or coach. You must type the terms for these roles accurately, or you will receive errors when you try to upload. To assign multiple roles, list them in the same cell, separated with a comma. The set username and password will allow the user to login and access only those roles that are specified in this field. Occasionally a user will be given access to multiple roles, such as: advisor/admin or parent/coach.

Note on Roles: Although it is currently possible to edit roles via the spreadsheet, the preferred practice is to edit individual profiles or to use "Edit Selected" feature - read here for more on assigning Roles.

 

 

Other notes 

Column J: Groups <<<Update>>>  As of July 2020, Groups can no longer be created through spreadsheet upload. They must be created in the groups menu, and users added to groups through that same menu.  The spreadsheet downloaded from Foundry will still have a groups column, but no input will be accepted.

Columns K, L, and M: Birthday, Start Date, and Proposed Graduation  The purpose of these dates is for your internal record-keeping. There is no interaction with these dates and the dates for Learning Plans, timestamps on proposed experiences, due dates on experiences, etc.

Column N: Notes As with dates and custom attributes, the Notes column can be used for your own internal record-keeping. This information is not displayed anywhere else in Foundry

Column(s) O and Beyond: Custom student attributes   Any additional information you may want to record (ACT scores, parent names, campus location, food allergies, etc.) is considered a Custom Student Attribute and will display beginning in Column O in your spreadsheet.

IMPORTANT PRIVACY NOTE: Custom student attributes are displayed on a student's Personal Learning Plan page if the Student Information box is enabled through your school's feature settings.

This means the student and any user with Advisor, Coach, or Parent privileges and a group relationship to the student will see this information. 

If it is necessary to store this information for administrative purposes but not display it for privacy reasons, either a) disable the student information box on the Personal Learning Plan page, or b) store that information in a different software application.

Long-time Foundry users may be familiar with adding Custom Attribute headings with the spreadsheet, but this has changed. These must now be added through your school settings. Navigate to Admin > School Settings > Manage Custom Attributes to add new fields. Read more on that here. 

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Import the Spreadsheet

Once populated, the spreadsheet will need to be saved as an .xls file and uploaded into your site:

1. From Admin > Users > Batch Edit/Upload:
2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the 'Choose File' button
3. Browse your local drive to find and select the saved .xls file containing your user information.
4. Click the 'Preview User Import' button to review your data. Foundry will tell you if there are input errors that prevent it from importing the sheet. It will also tell you where those errors are so you can quickly review and fix them. 
5. If there are no Foundry errors and your data looks correct, you can click the "Add All Users" button located at the bottom of the page.  Foundry will automatically create and populate the respective user profiles.

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Suggested Reading:

Note: Articles linked here under "Suggested Reading" are chosen by Foundry Support team members for their relevance and are updated as needed. The articles listed here may differ from those on the right side of the page, where the Knowledge Base AI lists "Related Articles." 

Add a New User

Edit Multiple Users

User Roles

Labels: administrator, users, adding users, multiple, batch_upload,