Introduction

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for importing data into SCView's IPDP (Individual Professional Development Plan) system. The IPDP import functionality allows administrators to efficiently bulk-load data from Excel spreadsheets into SCView, eliminating the need for manual data entry and reducing the potential for errors.


SCView offers two methods for importing IPDP Plans:

  • Import Plans by State ID – Uses State ID as the primary identifier for matching employee records
  • Import Plans by Employee Name – Uses Employee Name as the primary identifier for matching employee records


By following this guide, you will learn how to properly format your import files, navigate the import process, interpret validation reports, and troubleshoot common issues that may arise during data importation.


A. Problem Statement

Manually entering large volumes of IPDP data into SCView is time-consuming and error-prone. Without understanding proper file formatting and column mapping requirements, administrators often encounter validation errors, failed imports, or incomplete data transfers. Additionally, organizations may have data available with either State IDs or Employee Names as identifiers, requiring flexible import options. This guide addresses these challenges by providing instruction for successful bulk data imports.


B. Solution

To follow along with this guide, please use the main navigation bar to navigate to Admin > Site Settings > IPDP.


SCView provides two distinct import options for IPDP Plans, each designed to accommodate different data availability scenarios. Both options follow the same core import process and share identical plan processing logic. The key difference lies in how each option validates and identifies employees during the import.

Import Plans by State ID - This option validates that a State ID exists for every row in the imported file. The State ID is used to match and link plans to the correct employees in SCView. When using this import method, the Employee Name column is not required in your import file.


Import Plans by Employee Name - This option validates that an Employee Name exists for every row in the imported file. The Employee Name is used to match and link plans to the correct employees in SCView. When using this import method, the State ID column is not required in your import file.


For troubleshooting purposes, a column mapping section is presented at the end of this guide. It details the pairing of external Excel file columns to internal SCView grid columns for each import type.


IPDP Plans Import

Step 1: Open the IPDP Plans Import Popup

From the IPDP Site Settings page, click the Import button to display the import menu. Select either Import Plans by State ID or Import Plans by Employee Name based on your data and requirements.

  • If your import file contains State ID data and you want to use State ID as the primary identifier for matching employees, select Import Plans by State ID.
  • If your import file contains Employee Name data and you want to use Employee Name as the primary identifier for matching employees, select Import Plans by Employee Name.


Step 2: Upload IPDP Plans File

Based on the import option selected in Step 1, the corresponding upload popup will be displayed. The Import Plans by State ID popup or the Import Plans by Employee Name popup will appear based on your selection.


For Import Plans by State ID:

The Import Plans by State ID popup allows the user to either drag and drop the desired file onto the popup area or click the Select a file button to bring up a standard import dialog. If the second option is chosen, navigate to the desired file in your operating system's file explorer and select it. Either method will move the Import Plans by State ID popup to its second page.

For Import Plans by Employee Name:

The Import Plans by Employee Name popup allows the user to either drag and drop the desired file onto the popup area or click the Select a file button to bring up a standard import dialog. If the second option is chosen, navigate to the desired file in your operating system's file explorer and select it. Either method will move the Import Plans by Employee Name popup to its second page.


Step 3: Inspect the IPDP Plans Import Report

After selecting the file to be imported, the Import Plans popup moves on to the data verification step. This step is common for both Import Plans by State ID and Import Plans by Employee Name. The process and interface are identical, with the only difference being the primary identifier column displayed in the grid. Read over the breakdown of the screen below, and if the information presented meets requirements, click the green Import button at the bottom right of the screen.


Grid Overview - The grid present on the second page of Import Plans is broken up into a number of rows. Each of these represents a single IPDP Plan to be imported. The Errors and Warnings columns display issues with each individual row's import, while all columns to the right of Warnings display data from the import file.


For Import Plans by State ID, the grid displays a State ID column as the primary identifier. For Import Plans by Employee Name, the grid displays an Employee Name column as the primary identifier.


If a column is empty, the import file is either lacking the data or has the header for that data named improperly. See Section: IPDP Plan Column Mapping Rules, below, for details on what an import file's headers must be named for SCView to pick up each column's data.


Note: When importing an IPDP Plan, you can use a Plan Type of Import. If you do, this will allow you to add the plan right away without needing to put it through the Workflow first.


Errors - An error is a "hard" issue that is bad enough to stop the import of a data row. If an error is present, that row will present a red X icon in the Errors column. Hover over the red X icon to receive a message stating what the problem is. Correct that issue and start the import process over.


For Import Plans by State ID, if the State ID is missing or invalid, an error will be displayed with the message "State ID is required."


For Import Plans by Employee Name, if the Employee Name is missing or invalid, an error will be displayed with the message "Employee Name is required."


Warnings - A warning is a "soft" issue that is worth reporting, but it is not bad enough to stop the import of a data row. If a warning is present, that row will present a yellow "caution sign" icon in the Warnings column. Hover over the caution sign icon to receive a message stating what the problem is. As warnings are a soft issue, the user can choose to ignore them and authorize import, anyway. 


In both import types, we have warnings because there are insufficient Goals, and there is also a lack of Proposed Activities associated with those Goals. While this is fairly serious, it is not necessarily a dealbreaker, and so row import is still enabled.


Step 4: Import Finalized

After selecting the Import option on the second page of the Import Plans popup, a confirmation report appears displaying the import summary.


For Import Plans by State ID, the summary report displays "Plans by State ID Import Summary" along with details including the number of plans imported, File ID, File Size, and File Name. The grid below shows the imported plan details including Warnings, Plan, Building, Focus (Goals), Proposed Activities, Plan Type, Status, Creation Date, Edited Date, Effective From, and Effective To.


For Import Plans by Employee Name, the summary report displays "Plans by Employee Name Import Summary" along with the same details as described above.


 

Read over the report. When done, click the green Close button. The import is now complete.


IPDP Plan Column Mapping Rules


NOTE: The choice of header names in the spreadsheet file uploaded is important, as SCView maps columns of data in the spreadsheet to its own columns based on those names. If creating your own spreadsheet for import, please follow the guidelines listed below to select appropriate column headers.


For each listing, the bolded name is the column or value in SCView, and what is after the hyphen (-) describes what it matches up with in your import Excel file.


Common Columns for Both Import Types

  • Plan Type - Header named "Plan Type"
  • Focus (Goals) - Header named "Focus"
  • Proposed Activities - Header named "Activities"
  • Plan Name - Header named "Plan Name"
  • Employee Name - Header named "Employee Name"
  • Building - Header named "Building"; if data not present, defaults to N/A
  • Creation Date - Header named "CreatedDateTime"
  • Edited Date - Header named "ModifiedDateTime" 
  • Department - Header named "Department"; departments in each data cell should be separated by comma
  • Status - Header named "Status"
  • Objective - Header named "Objective"
  • Effective From - Header containing "Effective From"
  • Effective To - Header named "Cert Expiration Date"
  • Required Hours - Header named "Required Hours"; if data not present, defaults to 0

Import Plans by State ID - Specific Column

  • State ID - Header named "State ID"; this column is required for Import Plans by State ID and must contain a valid State ID for each row.

Import Plans by Employee Name - Specific Column

  • Employee Name - Header named "Employee Name"; this column is required for Import Plans by Employee Name and must contain a valid employee name that matches employee records in SCView


Note: When preparing your Excel import file, if you enter "Import" as the value in the Plan Type column for a specific plan row (as shown in the column mapping rules), that plan will allow you to add Activities immediately after import without requiring it to go through the Workflow process first.


C. Best Practices

  • As multiple IPDP import types are accessed via the same menu, it can be easy to click the wrong one. Read the popup header before uploading to ensure you have selected the correct import type.
  • Choose the appropriate import method based on your data availability. If your source data contains reliable State IDs, use Import Plans by State ID. If your source data contains reliable Employee Names, use Import Plans by Employee Name.
  • Ensure your Excel file includes "Focus" and "Activities" headers with data to avoid warnings about insufficient Goals and Proposed Activities.
  • If importing plans for multiple departments, separate department names with commas within the "DepartmentNames" column.
  • Review all warnings before clicking Import to ensure no critical data is missing.
  • When using Import Plans by State ID, ensure all State ID values in your file are valid and exist in SCView.
  • When using Import Plans by Employee Name, ensure all Employee Name values in your file exactly match employee records in SCView.

D. Troubleshooting

  • If a column fails to import, cross-reference with the mapping rules for Plans Import. An incorrect or misspelled header may be the cause.
  • All IPDP import types use different header mapping. If an import is not working, verify you selected the correct import type from the menu.
  • If you receive the error "State ID is required" when using Import Plans by State ID, ensure that your Excel file contains a column with the header "State ID" and that every row has a valid State ID value.
  • If you receive the error "Employee Name is required" when using Import Plans by Employee Name, ensure that your Excel file contains a column with the header "Employee Name" and that every row has a valid Employee Name value.
  • If warnings appear about insufficient Goals or Proposed Activities, ensure "Focus" and "Activities" headers exist and contain data in your Excel file. The system requires at least 3 complete goals with corresponding Proposed Activities.
  • If plans are not linking to the correct employees when using Import Plans by State ID, verify that the State ID values in your file match the State ID records in SCView.
  • If plans are not linking to the correct employees when using Import Plans by Employee Name, verify that the Employee Name values in your file exactly match employee records in SCView.
  • If you accidentally select the wrong import type, click Cancel and start over by selecting the correct option from the Import menu.


E. Related Articles

Site Settings - IPDP District Certifications Import

Site Settings - IPDP Activities/CEU Hours Import


Conclusion

You now have the knowledge to successfully import IPDP Plans into SCView using either the Import Plans by State ID or Import Plans by Employee Name option. By selecting the appropriate import method based on your data, properly formatting your Excel files, understanding column mapping requirements, and interpreting validation reports, you can streamline your data imports and minimize errors.