There are multiple ways to transfer roster data from PowerSchool to ClassTag. They include:
Daily sync through a 3rd-party service like Clever and ClassLink
Daily sync from the CSV files shared via SFTP (with or without ClassTag’s PowerSchool plugin)
Manual uploads of the CSV files directly on ClassTag
This article covers the second option - daily sync with CSV files and SFTP.
For roster synchronization, ClassTag can only operate with OneRoster-formatted CSV files.
It is up to you to prepare valid files and send them to ClassTag’s SFTP server.
The plugin can help you to create the data export templates that you can then use when setting up PowerSchool AutoSend via SFTP.
Once the files are successfully shared with ClassTag, we will manually launch the initial sync and let you know when it’s complete. If you approve the data, we will leave the sync enabled and it will run automatically once a day. Please note that the automated sync usually starts between 7-9pm EST, so we recommend sending the updated files before that.
Each synchronization generates a sync report for each file. The reports are available in school or district settings.
Users do not receive any notifications as a result of the initial sync.
PowerSchool Plugin
The easiest way to prepare valid OneRoster files would be to use ClassTag’s plugin for PowerSchool. The plugin allows you to easily create data export templates that you can use when setting up PowerSchool AutoSend via SFTP.
You will need to send three CSV files to ClassTag. They are:
users.csv
classes.csv
enrollments.csv
To download the ZIP file with the plugin, please click here.
If you need help with installing the plugin, please review the plugin installation guide.
Please follow the instructions below to create data export templates.
users.csv
Log into your PowerSchool.
Click on Setup>System.
Then click on “Page and Data Management” in “Data Management”
Then click “Export Data” in “Data Export”
Open the “Category” dropdown and select “Additional Data Sets”
In the “Export From” field, select “NQ - com.classtag.one_roster_users”
Please select USERS records and adjust labels used on export.
Key things:
Make sure to remove the “USERS.” from every label
Make sure the “language” label is singular
Depending on how you manage contact phone numbers, you may want to use the “sms” label for the “USERS.phone” field, and the “phone” label for the “USERS.sms” field
Dcid field is not taking part in the sync, so it may be excluded from the list
Please see the screenshots below for how it needs to be set up.
Once the labels are corrected, please click Next.
Review the data. If it is what you want to share with ClassTag, please click Next.
Update the export summary:
File name should be users.csv
Line delimiter - CR
Field delimiter - Comma
Character set - UTF-8
Include comma headers - enabled
Surround field values in quotes - disabled
Click “Save Template”.
Provide a name, e.g. classtag_users. Save as new.
When the users.csv template is ready, please prepare the classes.csv and enrollments.csv templates.
classes.csv
For the classes.csv file, please select “NQ - com.classtag.one_roster_classes” in additional data sets.
Select all fields in SECTIONS.
Remove “SECTIONS.” from every label.
Please see the example below.
Click Next to preview the data.
If the data looks good, please click Next to update the export summary:
File name should be classes.csv
Line delimiter - CR
Field delimiter - Comma
Character set - UTF-8
Include comma headers - enabled
Surround field values in quotes - disabled
Click “Save Template”.
Provide template name - e.g. classtag_classes.
Save as new template.
Next, please prepare the enrollments.csv file.
enrollments.csv
For the enrollments.csv file, please select “NQ - com.classtag.one_roster_enrollments” in additional data sets.
Select all fields.
Remove “CC.” from every label.
Please see the example below.
Click Next to preview the data.
If the data looks good, please click Next to update the export summary:
File name should be enrollments.csv
Line delimiter - CR
Field delimiter - Comma
Character set - UTF-8
Include comma headers - enabled
Surround field values in quotes - disabled
Click “Save Template”.
Provide template name - e.g. classtag_enrollments.
Save as a new template.
Once all three templates are ready, please reach out to ClassTag support at support@classtag.com, let us know you need to get access to ClassTag’s SFTP server, and we will provide you with the SFTP credentials that you can use when setting up AutoSend.
After the steps above are complete, you will need to follow the OneRoster SFTP sync setup guide to finalize the automated synchronization setup.