The File Upload screen displays all files that have been uploaded to the Flex system manually by an admin or via SFTP. (SFTP = secure file transfer protocol and is often used by IT professionals to transfer files securely.) There are various types of CSV files that can be uploaded to Flex, depending on which system features are being used. The system recognizes the type of file by the column “headers” in each file. The various files that can be uploaded to the system include the following:
- User Files
- SIS Attendance Files
- Group Files (formerly “Rosters”)
- Catchall Files
- Here is a video that provides an overview: File Uploads
Below is the main File Upload screen which displays the following: Title, File, Created (date), Modified (date), Type (of file), Status, and Actions. From this screen new files can be uploaded manually using the “Upload” button. The screen also provides a search box, filters, and an “Export” option.
.png)
When files are uploaded to Flex (manually or via SFTP), the “Status” column will display one of the following depending on what is happening with the file:
- PENDING: Waiting to be processed.
- QUEUED: In line to be processed.
- PROCESSING: File is currently being processed.
- PROCESSED: File is received and able to be read by the system. This does not always mean that everything in the file is imported into the system correctly. Issues with actual data, such as wrong domain names in an user file, will not be updated in the system, but the file will still be processed successfully.
- FAILED: File processing was not successful. (Check the file format and headers.)
It’s very important that the column headers are correct. These tell the system what to do with the data in the file - where to put it in Flex. If they are not correct, the system does not process the file.
- Many file templates can be found in the Flex system and samples are linked here. (This linked document has tabs across the top and “displays” the proper column headers for each type of file. It cannot be downloaded but you can copy and paste the headers.)
- The file name does not matter but it can be helpful to use the same file name each time (rather than renaming the file) so that your file overwrites the previous file. This will make it easier to manage the list of files in Flex.