🔐 Account type(s) with default permissions to manage this: Administrator
💻 Tier(s) this is available for: Foundation, Essential, Pro
When your district first connects to Ellevation, your data team sets up a nightly export of student information from your Student Information System (SIS) into a data file. That file is then processed and loaded into Ellevation. The SIS Data Wizard is the tool that controls how this happens. While Ellevation's Data Integration Team manages the initial setup and any major changes, you can use the SIS Data Wizard to understand how your student data is configured and to check whether your nightly sync is running correctly.
This article covers how to:
- Understand How Your Automated Student Data Is Set Up in Ellevation
- Check When Your Student Data Was Last Updated and What Changed
💡 Quick Tip
Use this Student Demographic Data Import Guide (.DOCX) to track your answers as you explore the SIS Data Wizard.
Understand How Your Automated Student Data Is Set Up in Ellevation
To access the SIS Data Wizard:
- Go to the Admin menu icon on the navigation bar.
- Select Data Management.
- Click SIS Data Wizard.
In the SIS Data Wizard, review Your Mappings to see how your automated data file is configured in Ellevation. If you have more than one mapping, the automated mapping is identified by a green clock icon below it.
Click the gear icon to the right of the automated mapping to access two key areas:
- How student records are added, updated, and deactivated in Ellevation
- Which demographic fields are uploaded into Ellevation from your SIS
How Student Records Are Added, Updated, and Deactivated in Ellevation
Select Edit Details next to your automated mapping to see how student records are managed in Ellevation. This screen shows three key settings:
- Student Key field: The ID number used to distinguish one student from another in your district. When a student in the nightly data file matches an existing ID in Ellevation, Ellevation checks for changes (for example, a school transfer) and updates that student's record automatically.
- Add students not in Ellevation: When this option is selected, students in your file who meet the necessary criteria will be added to Ellevation automatically if no record exists for them yet.
- Deactivate students if not in file: When this option is selected, students in Ellevation who are no longer in your data file will be automatically deactivated. Their records remain accessible by filtering for inactive students.
Which Demographic Fields Are Uploaded into Ellevation from Your SIS
Select Edit Mappings next to your automated mapping to see which demographic fields are imported from your SIS into Ellevation.
This screen lists all demographic fields in your data file alongside the fields they map to in Ellevation. Fields toggled to Yes are imported for every student record each night.
- For open text fields (such as names, ID numbers, and dates), the value from your data file is imported exactly as it appears.
- For fields with defined values (such as lists and flags), click Map to see how each value in that column maps to a value in Ellevation.
In rare cases, the Overwrite Rule may be enabled for one or more fields. When the Overwrite Rule is enabled for a field, that value is imported from your file only if the field is currently blank in Ellevation — existing values are not overwritten.
ℹ️ Note
Example: If the Overwrite Rule is enabled for the Home Language field, a student's Home Language in Ellevation will not update even if the value has changed in your SIS. This setting is used when your district manually maintains certain fields in Ellevation after the student record is created.
At the bottom of the Edit Mappings screen, you may see one or more fields with the prefix ELV. These fields are not sourced directly from your data file. Instead, they are values derived by Ellevation's Data Integration Team from one or more fields in your nightly SIS export. For example, Date Entered EL and Date Exited EL are commonly used to determine a student's EL Status.
⚠️ Warning
If you have a file field with the ELV prefix and are unsure how it was derived, or if you would like to make changes to Your Mappings, contact the Ellevation Help Desk for support.
Check When Your Student Data Was Last Updated and What Changed
To access the SIS Data Wizard:
- Go to the Admin menu icon on the navigation bar.
- Select Data Management.
- Click SIS Data Wizard.
The Recent Comparisons and Updates section of the SIS Data Wizard shows a history of your automated nightly data uploads. These updates typically run every weeknight.
The most recent update appears at the top of the list. A Status of "Ok" or "Warn" means your student data was updated successfully that night.
⚠️ Warning
If the date of your most recent update is more than a couple of days ago, or if the status shows "Fail," contact the Ellevation Help Desk for support.
To see what changed in a specific update, click the gear icon next to that Comparison record to open the SIS Data Comparison Report. You can view an example Comparison Report to familiarize yourself with the format.
💡 Quick Tip
To learn how to use Recent Comparisons and Updates to verify that your nightly sync is running correctly, see Spot-Check Data to Ensure Ellevation Is Up to Date. For help resolving data issues, see Troubleshoot Common Data Issues in Ellevation (Administrator Account Type).