NYC Data Import Troubleshooting Guide

If your school is part of the NYC Department of Education, you may use ATS and STARS files to sync data into Forms & Flows. This guide addresses the most common issues you may encounter and provides instructions on how to resolve them.

Before You Begin: 

For our team to help you better, please always have your school's DBN (District Borough Number) ready when you reach out to us. This helps us quickly identify your account and resolve your issue.

Table of Contents:

• The file uploader shows a message of Unmatched format type.
• I cannot send forms or comms to the entire school.
• I cannot see email addresses for student contacts (guardians).
• I cannot see class groups in Forms & Flows.
• My teachers do not have accounts or haven’t synced.
• My Co-teachers' accounts only have their last name.
• I uploaded a new STARS 1.01, but I don’t see a new student.
• Co-teachers cannot see their classes in a middle or high school.
• I triggered a sync, but the student information has not updated on Forms & Flows. For example, new students are not showing up, or students who aren’t on ATS anymore are still on Forms & Flows, or new contact information isn’t pulling through on Forms & Flows.
• How can I add non-teaching staff like a secretary, guidance counselor, or principal?
• Sync Error: This sync would cause too many contacts to be deleted.
• There are duplicate student accounts after I triggered a Sync.
• The RESI or RCON, or RACL I uploaded keeps disappearing or does not show up in the Working Files section.

"Unmatched Format Type" Error When Uploading a File

If the system shows an "Unmatched format type" message for your file, please check the following:

• Is your file a CSV? Files must be saved as .CSV files. After downloading from ATS/STARS, ensure you save them in .CSV format before uploading. Then upload them to the Working Files section again, delete the Unmatched format files, and trigger a Sync.

  

• Was the file a ZIP? Sometimes files download as .ZIP files. You must unzip them first to access the .CSV file inside.
• Did you edit the file? Only upload files directly from ATS or STARS without any modifications.
• Double-check your headers: Double-check the headers in the Elementary/Charter Teacher file.
• Is it the correct file type? Confirm you’re using the correct ATS files: RACL, RCON, or RESI.

If you've checked all of the above and the error persists, the DOE may have updated its file format. Please contact our support team for further investigation.

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I cannot send forms or comms to the entire school

This is typically caused by missing data files. Please confirm you have successfully uploaded both the ATS RCON and RESI files.

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I cannot see email addresses for student contacts (guardians)

When downloading the RCON file from ATS, you must select ‘Y’ for the option "INCLUDE ADULT AND STUDENT EMAIL ADDRESS?" The order screen should look like this:

Then upload the files on the Integration Settings page, and trigger a sync. 

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I cannot see class groups in Forms & Flows

• For Elementary/Charter Schools: Ensure you have uploaded the ATS RACL file. Click here for downloading instructions from ATS.
• For Middle/High Schools: Ensure you have uploaded the required STARS files: 1.01, 4.15, 4.16, and 6.31. Click here for downloading instructions from STARS.

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My teachers do not have accounts or haven’t synced

• For Elementary/Charter Schools: Confirm you have uploaded the Teacher File.

• For Middle/High Schools: Confirm you have uploaded the STARS 6.31 file. Also, check that:

  

  • All columns for each staff member are filled in.
  • Make sure Row 2 is deleted if empty.
  • Make sure Column D is deleted regardless of being empty

  • The email column is populated. If it is empty, you will need to complete the reference table when downloading the report from STARS so that it shows you the email addresses of the staff Members.

    1. Save the file as a .CSV file.
    2. Upload to the Working Files section.
    3. Delete the old 6.31 file.
    4. Trigger a Sync.

    

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My Co-teachers' accounts only have their last name

Teachers that are created using the Co-Teacher Manual file are created from Column B of the Co-Teacher Manual file. Current Instructions direct the Admin to copy Values from the STARS 4.23.  Instructions are being updated to instruct the following:

1. Copy data from Column F of the STARS 4.23 file.
2. Paste it into Column A of the Co-Teacher Manual File.
3. In Column B, enter the teacher's full name in Last Name, First Name format.

4. In Column C, enter the teacher's DOE email address.

   

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I uploaded a new STARS 1.01, but I don’t see a new student

New middle and high school students require an upload of the RESI and the STARS 3.07 to be displayed in Forms & Flows. 

Click here for downloading instructions from ATS.

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Co-teachers cannot see their classes in a middle or high school, or

Co-teachers are not attached to their classes in a middle or high school

Upload the STARS 4.23 file and the NYC Teacher file. 

Click here for downloading instructions from STARS.

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I triggered a sync, but the student information has not updated on Forms & Flows. For example, new students are not showing up, or students who aren’t on ATS anymore are still on Forms & Flows, or new contact information isn’t pulling through on Forms & Flows.

If your student roster hasn't updated correctly, for example, new students are missing or former students are still listed, please work through the following checklist:

• Have you deleted the old files? 

  Each file has a date next to it for you to easily identify which one is older. After you delete the old files, trigger a Sync (only trigger a Sync if there is a new file in the Working Files section). There should only be one of each file in the Working Files section. 

• Do any of the files have a blue icon and say Unmatched format? 

  If so, refer to this section of this article. 

• Have you checked the Working Files section and seen that there is only one of each report?

   If there is more than one of a specific file, then follow the first bullet to delete the old files.

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How can I add non-teaching staff like a secretary, guidance counselor, or principal?

• For Elementary/Charter Schools: Add them to the Manual Teacher file.

• For Middle/High Schools: Add them to the Manual Co-teacher file.

  

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Sync Error: This sync would cause too many contacts to be deleted

• What it means: This is a safety feature that activates when a sync would remove a large number of students at once (common at the start of a semester or school year).
  1. For Elementary schools, it would more than likely be done once or twice between September -October.   
  2. For Secondary School (high schools), this will be the case in September/October and then again in January as the term flips.

• Solution: To proceed, go to your Integrations page and click "Disable Protections," then trigger the sync again.

  

  

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There are duplicate student accounts after I triggered a Sync

• Cause: This happens if the student's ID on Forms & Flows does not match the student’s OSIS number and a sync has been triggered. Occasionally, Admins will manually create a Student Profile on Forms & Flows using a temporary ID/OSIS number until the student shows up on ATS. 

  

• Prevention: Once students have been allocated an official OSIS number, Admins must update the Forms & Flows ID to match the student’s OSIS number BEFORE triggering a sync using new RCON and RESI files. If the numbers don’t match, a duplicate profile will be created.
• Solution: If you already have duplicate profiles, please follow these steps and contact your Customer Success Manager (CSM) for resolution.
  1. Decide which profile to keep. Check which profile has an important history, such as:
     • Parent logins
     • Form responses
     • Medical information

     • Take note of the destination profile’s creation date

        

  2. Select the profile that is to be archived (profile should be highlighted in green) , set its management setting to "Managed Locally.
     
  3. Select the profile that is to be archived (profile should be highlighted in green) 
  4. Click Actions at the upper left hand side.
  5. Choose Advanced Actions -> Move all eForm responses to another member.
  6. Type the student’s name and select the destination profile (see screenshot). Both of the student’s profiles will display. The Admin should pay close attention to the profile’s creation date to ensure they are moving the responses to the correct profile.
  7. Go back to the profiles that are to be archived (this is where having them yellow/locally managed is helpful) and archive them via Actions -> Advanced Actions -> Archive Selected Students

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The RESI, RCON, or RACL I uploaded keeps disappearing or does not show up in the Working Files section

This usually happens if the system detects that you are uploading a duplicate of a file that already exists.

To resolve this, please follow these steps:

1. Confirm File Uniqueness: Ensure you are uploading a new, updated file and not a duplicate file.
2. Verify File Contents: Double-check that you have selected the correct file type for upload. You can do this by quickly reviewing the data inside the file. Here’s what to look for:
   • RACL (ATS) File: Should list Class Teachers.
   • RCON (ATS) File: Should contain student contact information, including email addresses.
   • RESI (ATS) File: Should include student biographical data, grade, cohort, official class, and registration details.

By ensuring you are uploading a new, correct, and unique file, it should appear correctly in the Working Files section.

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