How do I import users from Excel?
Who is this for: administrators
Does your school work without automatic synchronisation with its student information system? Then you can import users from an Excel or CSV file. Do you want to link users to groups straight away? Then first create or import the groups.
In this article
Step 1: Create the import file
Put each user on their own row. The email address is required. Do you want to link users to a group? Put the group name in its own column. Below is a simple example in which users are linked to one group.
Link users to multiple groups
A teacher often teaches several groups, and a student can be in several teaching groups. You put this in the file like this:
- One column per group, or
- One column with all groups, separated by a space or a comma.
Good to know
- Do you use a space between groups? Then choose the advanced option No spaces in groups when mapping the fields.
- Group names with a parent group, such as 4m.du2 or 4m/du2, can be split: turn on the advanced option Hierarchical groups when mapping. The group du2 then goes under 4m.
Important
Group names must be unique. Otherwise the import does not know which group you mean and the user ends up in no group at all. Do you have groups with the same name? Then use the Simulise ID of the group instead of the name. You see this ID at the top when you open the group.
Step 2: Start the import
- Go to Management and choose Import.
- Choose + New import.
- Fill in:
- Name (required): so other administrators can see what was imported.
- Type (required): choose Users.
- Parent group: the group under which the import looks for the group names from your file.
- Data file (required): your file in .csv, .ods or .xlsx.
- Choose Continue.
Step 3: Map the fields
In the Data mapping screen you link the columns from your file to the fields in Simulise. Then choose Save and continue.
| Field | Explanation |
| External ID | For example the number from the student information system. Simulise then uses it as the unique identifier instead of the email address. |
| Full name | Can come from several columns, such as first name, prefix and last name. Simulise combines them. |
| Email (required) | The user receives the activation email and later notifications at this address. |
| Role (default: student) | student or teacher (not case-sensitive). |
| Username (default: generated) | Empty? Then Simulise creates one from the first letter of the first name and the last name, for example jjansen for Jan Jansen. If it already exists, a number is added. |
| Group (default: empty) | The name or ID of a group that already exists in Simulise. If several groups have the same name, the group is skipped. |
| Rights: administrator, moderator, author (default: no) | Yes: y, yes, j, ja, 1. No: n, no, nee, 0. |
Step 4: Check the data
The import gets the status Ready for data review. Click it to see what will be imported.
- Green: the row will be imported correctly.
- Red: the row contains an error. Click the blue square next to the user and choose Edit. You see what is wrong and can fix it here.
- Blue: the user already exists and may be updated with new details.
Step 5: Run the import
Choose Start import. For users who already exist, you also choose:
- Current user groups: Replace (the user is then only in the groups from the file) or Keep (the groups from the file are added).
- Update name: take over the name from the file.
- Update username: take over the username from the file.
The users are then in Simulise. In the import you can choose whether an activation email is sent. Forgot? Send it later from the import with Reset and mail.
Roll back an import
Did something go wrong? Open the import and choose Rollback at the top. The import is then undone.
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