Overview of Synchronization
Your Student Information System (SIS), contains information about your buildings, room types, rooms, instructors, course types, subjects, and terms. The process of importing this SIS data into your EMS database is referred to as synchronization. When you import campus-specific data (instructors, course types, subjects, and terms), you create the data items in your EMS database. When you import facility data (buildings, room types, and rooms), you must either create the data items in your EMS database, or if the facility data already exists in your EMS database, then link the SIS facility data to the corresponding facility data in your EMS database.
Before you perform synchronization, the EMS Campus Web Service must be installed and configured. Refer to the EMS Installation instructions for details.
Facility Data Synchronization
When you import facility SIS data, the actions that you must carry out are different if you do not have the facility data (building, room type, or room) already configured in your EMS database versus if you do have the data already configured. See also: Synchronize Facility Data.
- If you have not configured the necessary data items in your EMS database, then all data items that are imported from your SIS are flagged with a status of New. To configure these items in your EMS database, you must select the item and then click Create. Depending on the item that you select, another window might open with additional configuration options that are required to completely configure the item in your EMS database.
- If you have configured the necessary data items in your EMS database, and you have named and/or coded them consistently between your EMS database and your SIS, then these data items are automatically matched and flagged with a status of New—Auto Matched.
Auto-matching happens only if each SIS facility data item can be matched to one and only one EMS data item. For example, if Softball Field and Soccer Field are separate buildings in the SIS, they cannot both be synchronized with Fields in the EMS database. Likewise, if Discussion Room and Conference Room are separate room types in the SIS, then the both cannot be synchronized to Meeting Room in the EMS database. In this case, the data items that are imported are with a status of New, and you must select each New item and assign it to the appropriate corresponding item in your EMS database. (See the bullet below.) - If you configured the necessary data items in your EMS database, but didn't name or code these items consistently between your EMS database and your SIS, then the data items in your SIS are imported and also flagged with a status of New. You must select each New item and assign it to the appropriate corresponding item in your EMS database to set the status to Matched. When you manually match items, as is the case with Auto-Matching, each SIS facility data item can be matched to one and only one EMS data item.
- Just as with campus-specific data, you can also flag items from the SIS with a status of Do Not Import if you do not want the item to be configured in your EMS database, for example, a building on campus that has been permanently closed or a dormitory building that does not have space that can be scheduled. After a status has been set for all facility data, (New - Auto Matched, Matched, Create, or Do Not Import), you must click Process to complete synchronization. If you do not click Process, then the data items are not configured in your EMS database. After you create these items in your EMS database, the status of the items is set to Synchronized to indicate that the SIS data has been synchronized.
You must synchronize your facility data in the following order:
The synchronization process does not update existing facility records after they have been imported and linked. For example, if a room’s code, description, or capacity is changed in the SIS after it has been imported and linked, this information is not changed in the EMS database. Previously synchronized items can be unsynchronized by selecting the item or items, and then clicking Unsynch. You must unsynchronize items in the reverse order in which they were synchronized. For example, you cannot unsynchronize buildings if the buildings have rooms that are still synchronized. You must first unsynchronize the rooms, and then you can unsynchronize the buildings. Likewise, you cannot unsynchronize room type if rooms are still synchronized with the room type. You must first unsynchronize the rooms, and then you can unsynchronize the room types. In addition, you cannot unsynchronize any facility data if courses that are synchronized use the buildings or rooms.
Campus-Specific Data Synchronization
When you import your campus-specific SIS data, all the SIS data items are flagged with a status of New. To create these items in your EMS database, you select the items, click Create, and then Process. After you create these items in your EMS database, the status of the items is set to Synchronized to indicate that the SIS data has been synchronized. If you do not want to create the SIS data item in your EMS database (for example, you are importing an Instructors list and an instructor is on sabbatical and unavailable to teach classes), then you can select the item and click Do Not Import. Previously synchronized items can be unsynchronized by selecting the item or items, and then clicking Unsynch.
Learn about Synchronize Campus-Specific Data.
You can select a single data item at a time for processing, you can select multiple items for processing using the Ctrl-click or Shift-click functions, or to select all items in a single step click Select All.
