Overview
This article explores the various features of the "Import Learning" button. We'll guide you through the process of updating, creating, and importing learning data into your platform.
Import Data Button
As an Admin, first navigate to Admin > Learning. Here you will see the Import data icon:
Clicking it will bring up this menu with four options:
Create new courses
Update existing courses
Create new course assignments
Update existing course assignments
We will cover each of these options in the sections below :)
How do I Create New Courses with the importer?
As you can see, the create new courses option allows you to import a pre-defined list of courses which will create new courses on the platform. Clicking the + Create courses button will bring you to this page:
Here you will see the option to download and upload a template Excel file. Download the file by clicking here in the menu. This will download the barebones Excel file with some examples. Once you download and open it, it should look like this:
Here you can see that there are 5 different columns. Selecting any of the header names will show you a tooltip for each different column. There are columns for:
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Course Title *
Course Description
Course Type
Add Topics
Add to Learning Plans
Before you start populating the template, please make sure to read the guide presented in the template. It is also important that you do not change the predefined template by deleting any columns or rows including row 1: NewLearningRecords_template (when uploading new records) or UpdateLearningRecords_template (when updating records) as this can cause the import to not function properly.
Adding Topics is a fairly easy process! Simply type each topic as is it in the platform, then separate it by a comma if you intend to add more than one. You can also add the newly created course to Learning Plans automatically. It is a similar process, but instead of listing by name, you will need to provide the Learning Plan ID instead.
Once you have provided the necessary information, you can save the file and import it by dragging and dropping it, or uploading it directly with the hyperlink in the menu.
Once you upload it, should it be successful, you will be presented with the following menu:
Ensure all of the information is correct, then click confirm. Once you click confirm, you will see it load at the top and confirm that the courses were created.
Keep in mind that the course creator will not fully build the course, but just the shell. So you will need to manually create the course content, upload the SCORM file (if applicable), and customize it however you need. (Add skills, duration, certifications, cover photo, etc.)
In order to get the Learning Plan ID's, you can download the Overview report in Admin > Learning > Learning Plans > Download button
Once you download it, open the file and you will see the ID for each of the Learning Plans.
You can use this in tandem with the Importer template to add the newly created courses to the specific learning plans. This process is also the same for courses via Admin > Learning > Courses > Download the overview report
How do I Update Existing Courses with the importer?
To update Existing Courses, follow the same steps to the importer as you can see above, then select Update Existing Courses
This will bring up a similar menu and option to download a template as the other steps. Download the template by clicking here in the menu. Once you download the template, open it. You will be presented with the following:
Here you will see four very similar columns to the creation process.
Course ID *
Course Status
Add Topics
Add to Learning Plans
Once you provide the necessary information on the form, save it and upload it to the importer. In my example, I archived a course:
Here you will see the Course Name, Status, Topics added, and the Learning Plans that the course may have been added to. Once you confirm that the changes being made are correct, click Confirm.
You will see an element load, then once its complete, it will appear at the top with the number of courses successfully updated.
How do I create New Course Assignments?
Creating new course assignments is a fairly straightforward process. First navigate to Admin > Learning > Courses > Import data. Once here, click + Create course assignments.
This will again present you with a window showing an option to download the template and an option to upload it. Once you download and open the file, you will see this:
Here you can see 4 columns:
User Email *
Course ID *
Required
Deadline
User Email and Course ID are required fields, without them, you cannot determine who and what you are editing. Once you have updated the document to fit your needs, save and upload it. Confirm the changes are correct, then click Confirm. You will see the same message as the examples above. The changes should be made instantly, and if not instantly, just a few minutes.
How do I update existing learning records/course assignments?
To start, first you must navigate to Admin > Learning > Import records
Clicking Update existing course assignments. You will be presented again with the option to download a template. Download and open the template, you should see the following screen:
Here you will see there are a few more columns than the previous examples:
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User Email *
Course ID *
Course Status
Completion Date
Required
Deadline
Time Spent
Once you have amended the file to fit your needs, you can save it and upload it back to the platform. Once you do so, you will see the following:
Here you can see the different fields that you have mapped data to. Once you confirm the changes are correct, select confirm. You then see another confirmation at the top once you finalize the import.
Why is my learning import not working?
Once you upload the file, if you make a typo or mistake in the file anywhere, the system will pick that up and reject it. We will use an example of an error while trying to update current assignments. Here in the image below, you can see that there is some red text:
If any of the fields are missing information, have the wrong information or the information provided does not exist on the platform, it will clearly define what is wrong. In the example above, you can see that the user email does not exist on the platform, and the completion date I provided is not valid. In order to rectify this, you must go back into the excel file and ensure everything is correct.
Remember that if you attempt to update records that do not exist, it will still go through and update, but no changes will be reflected in the platform. Make sure you have assignments to update by assigning the learning material first and then applying your changes after.
Common Import Blockers
If you are getting invalid responses, or if the file is not being taken in by the system, there is more than likely something wrong with the file. The first thing to check is the responses you are getting from the importer itself.
Here you can see that the file is invalid as the file provided has mistakes inside of it, and the users I want to update do not exist on the platform. If the file is not being taken in general/it is giving you an error stating that the file type is incorrect, please keep in mind that the file must be in a specific format of .xlsx or CSV format. If the file is saved into a different file type, you may see the following error:
In any case, if you repeatedly run into errors and invalid responses and cannot successfully debug it yourself, please feel free to reach out to our support team or your CSM/AM.
Keep in mind that for now, importing and updating events is not possible. Just learning records can be imported/updated.
In case of any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to our support team via the eloomi Support Hub!