LabTrac can import/update student information via an ASCII text file import or via XML files.
ODBC support is no longer available for importing student and course information. LDAP is another method that may be used to retrieve the data on an as needed basis. We can work with you regarding your specific needs, though an LDAP import seldom provides all of the necessary student fields.
This document describes some of the specifics regarding importing data via an ASCII text file import.
First, the center administrators must decide which fields to import from the campus information system into the LabTrac database. The decisions should be based upon three factors: 1) What information would be useful to track and report; 2) What data is contained within the campus database; and 3) What fields can LabTrac import?
After the data fields have been determined, the campus IT department needs to export a sample data file to an ASCII text file. This sample file needs to contain 5-10 students and then be sent to techsupport@labtrac.net in order to create the import map. After the sample file has been successfully imported, the complete student database may be exported and then imported into LabTrac.
The LabTrac server may import the text file of student records on a nightly basis. This text file must contain a numeric student ID as well as any student data that will be updated in the LabTrac system. The import process will look for an existing student record that matches the numeric ID in the import file. If the record already exists, the LabTrac will update the existing fields for the student record. If the student record does not exist, the record will be created and the fields for the student will be imported.
LabTrac may be configured to not update certain fields when the student record already exists (no overwrite).
The following table lists the fields that are available for importing into the student table of LabTrac. Note there are in actuality more fields than are shown here but are not included for brevity. If you have any questions about any of the fields, please contact technical support (techsupport@labtrac.net).
Your ASCII file does not need to have every field listed below; it may instead include only those fields that are needed (as well as the required fields). The field lenths shown are for information purposes only, you do NOT need to pad the data to any specified length.
| Name | Type | Required | Description |
| ID | #L | Yes | The unique numeric ID of the student. |
| Other ID | A20 | A secondary ID (or barcode) for the student. | |
| Last Name | A40 | Yes | The last name of the student |
| First Name | A40 | Yes | The first name of the student |
| Middle | A20 | The middle name/initial of the student | |
| Street Address | A60 | The street address of the student | |
| City | A50 | City of the student's address | |
| State | A2 | The state code of the student address | |
| Zip | A10 | The zip code of the student's address | |
| A80 | The student's email address. Needed for sending email messages to students but is not required. | ||
| FullName | A80 | The student's Last, First Middle name. This field is usually computed automatically and not actually included in the import. | |
| Home Phone | A20 | The student's home phone number. | |
| Work Phone | A20 | A secondary phone number for the student. | |
| Gender Male | B | The system internally stores this as boolean, but the import may compare against an ascii character like "M" or "F" to determine the sex of the student. | |
| Birthdate | D | The birthdate | |
| Ethnicity | A60 | Ethnicity (could be a code or complete name) | |
| Grad Und | A80 | A code that indicated Graduate or Undergraduate (usually "G" or "U") | |
| College | A80 | What college the student is attending | |
| Class | A80 | The student's class: Freshman, Sophomore, etc. or FR, SO, JR, SR or 2003, 2004, etc. | |
| Cohort | A80 | Used to custom group the student records. Use of this field is determined by the LabTrac administrator. | |
| Major | A80 | The student's major. May be a code or complete description. | |
| Handle | A20 | The student's web login name. Not needed if the student is not going to login via the web. Also may be configured by the student the first time the student logs in via the web. | |
| ReferredBy | A80 | Who referred the student to the center. | |
| Custom Field1 | A80 | A custom field that may be used for any purpose. | |
| Custom Field2 | A80 | same as above | |
| Custom Field3 | A80 | same as above | |
| Custom Field4 | A80 | same as above | |
| Custom Field5 | A80 | same as above | |
| Custom Field6 | A80 | same as above | |
| Custom Field7 | A80 | same as above | |
| Custom Field8 | A80 | same as above | |
| Custom Field9 | A80 | same as above | |
| Special Status | A80 | A student status field: may be a code or description. |
| Code | Field Types |
| A## | Alpha field of a certain maximum length (you do not have format to this length) |
| #L | Long Integer (-1.2 billion to +1.2 billion) |
| #R | Real Value (decimal # with 12 digits precision) |
| # | Small Integer (-32676 to +32676) |
| B | Boolean (Yes/No) |
| D | Date (mmddyyyy or yyyymmdd or mm/dd/yyyy), please specify format utilized |
The files to be imported must be in ASCII format. The data may be separated by TAB characters or Comma (CSV format) or the columns may by positioned using spaces (fixed length delimeter). Please indicate the nature or method of the column delimiter when contacting Redrock Software to setup the import.
Note: Regarding alpha fields shown above with maximum lengths; you do not have to pad the text to the length shown above. Only pad to the length that is used by your campus database.