Use SFTP to upload student, staff, and class data to Apple School Manager

If your student information system (SIS) isn’t currently supported by Apple School Manager, or you don’t have a student information system, you can upload student, staff, and class data to Apple School Manager using SFTP.

Set up your first SFTP upload

Fill out your data files

Update your files

When you set up SFTP in the SIS/SFTP Assistant, Apple School Manager gives you CSV template files and the access information for a private SFTP server. You can export data from a supported SIS, or create the files in a spreadsheet application like Numbers. Before you export from your SIS, contact your SIS to make sure the format is correct for Apple School Manager.

SFTP upload requires a third-party application on macOS. If you don’t have an SFTP client installed, you can find one in the Mac App Store.

Use the buttons below to get help setting up your SFTP files. If you haven't used SFTP to upload data into Apple School Manager, you should start with the Set up your first SFTP upload section.

Set up your first SFTP upload

1. Sign in to Apple School Manager as an Admin, Site Manager, or People Manager.

2. Click your name at the bottom of the sidebar, click Preferences, click Accounts, click Directory Sync, then select Enable in the SIS/SFTP section. You must verify a domain before you can set up SFTP.

3. Click Find Students, Instructors, and Classes.

   

4. Click Set Up SFTP.

   

5. Apple School Manager generates a URL, user name, and password to use when uploading files. Use this information to configure your SFTP client.

   

6. Click Download Templates.

7. Read the instructions for using templates in the “Filling Out Data Files” section.

8. When your data files are filled out, create a zip archive of all six files. In the Finder you can select the files then go to the File menu and choose Compress 6 Items. It doesn't matter what you name the zip archive.

9. Upload the zip file to Apple School Manager. Use a SFTP client to connect to the URL shown in the SIS/SFTP Assistant. When asked for sign in information, use the user name and password you received when you clicked Set Up SFTP. Copy the zip file to the dropbox directory.

10. Click Continue in the SIS/SFTP Assistant. If your upload contains errors, you can review a log identifying the files and lines that contain errors. Correct any errors in the data files, then repeat steps 8 and 9. You don't need to remove the previous file from the SFTP server.

11. When the SFTP import finishes, click Review SFTP Data. If you find any errors, click Cancel. Correct any errors in the data files, then repeat the upload process. If the data is accurate and complete, click Continue.

    

12. Under Create Accounts and Classes, choose a Managed Apple ID format for students, instructors, and staff. Click Preview Accounts and Classes. When the IDs are in the correct format, click Create Accounts and Classes. Only verified domains can be used in the Managed Apple ID format.

    

13. After the accounts are created, distribute sign-in information to users and assign roles to staff.

    

Fill out your data files

The template download includes six comma-separated value (CSV) files for Classes, Courses, Locations, Rosters, Students, and Staff. If the templates are not available in Apple School Manager, or if you lost a copy of the original templates, you can download them again.

You can use your SIS to export data in the format described by the templates and this article, or you can edit the templates in a spreadsheet program such as Numbers.

Use the tables in this article to make sure you enter the correct information, then save each file without changing its name.

Format your values

If you edit the templates, replace the example data with your own. Don't change the contents of the header cells in each file. Don't add columns in any file, except as described below.

In every template, each row must represent a unique value. For example, within the students.csv, each row must be a unique student. Certain values for that student can be empty. Literal values like a line break or quotation mark character within a name must be escaped with a backslash (\), like (\”). Any identifiers entered must be alphanumeric and can include a "-".

If your value contains a space ( ) or comma (,), use straight quotation marks (") around it. If your value doesn't have any of these special characters, don't use quotation marks. If you don't use quotes where they are needed, or you use curly quotes, you will get errors in the upload process.

The values in your files must be separated with commas (,) or semicolons (;), regardless of how you created the file. Don't use spaces or tabs between a comma or semicolon and the next value. Each file must be encoded as UTF-8 and use Unix new-lines (\n).

If an otherwise optional field like person_number or sis_username is part of your Managed Apple ID format, it becomes a required field. If you leave it blank, upload will fail with the error MANAGED_ID_GENERATION_FAILED.

Locations file

You must define at least one location in the Locations file. You can't use SFTP to create student or staff accounts in the main "headquarters" location.

Students file

If you use SFTP to upload a new person, and the person_id you assign already exists in Apple School Manager, your new person overwrites the existing user in Apple School Manager. After the overwrite is complete, you can only update that user via SFTP.

Assign multiple locations

You can assign more than one location to a student by adding more location columns to the Students file. You can add up to 998 more location columns named location_id_2, location_id_3, up to location_id_999. For each student, you can optionally enter another location_id in each of these columns. This must correspond with a location_id in the Locations file. If this entry doesn't match an entry in the Locations file, you will experience issues in the upload process.

Staff file

If you use SFTP to upload a new person, and the person_id you assign already exists in Apple School Manager, your new person will overwrite the existing user in Apple School Manager. After the overwrite is complete, you can only update that user via SFTP. All staff receive the standard password policy (8+ alphanumeric characters).

Assign multiple locations

You can assign more than one location to a staff member by adding more location columns to the Staff file. You can add up to 998 more location columns named location_id_2, location_id_3, up to location_id_999. For each staff member, you can optionally enter another location_id in each of these columns. This must correspond with a location_id in the Locations file. If this entry doesn't match an entry in the Locations file, you will experience issues in the upload process.

Courses file

Classes file

Assign multiple instructors

You can assign more than three instructors to a class by adding more instructor columns to the Classes file. You can add up to 12 more instructor columns named instructor_id_4, instructor_id_5, up to instructor_id_15. For each class, you can optionally enter another person_id for the instructor. This must match the person_id used in the Staff file.

Rosters file

Update your files

When you want to add or edit students, staff, and classes, edit your data files and upload the new copies. Whenever you upload files you must upload all six files, and each file must contain the complete list of each category, not just the items you intend to add. You can check SFTP account information by choosing Settings > Data Source.

After the first upload, new accounts and classes will be created automatically when you upload. If there are any errors, Apple School Manager will send you an email.

If an entry from an earlier upload is missing

If an entry from an earlier upload is missing, the account is deactivated and automatically deleted after 120 days, unless the account has purchased volume content.

If a course or a class is removed

If a course or a class is removed from the upload, students are removed from the class and the source changes to Manual. If courses were in use in Schoolwork, the roster is removed and a new course must be created for re-enrollment. If classes were in use in Schoolwork, progress data is deleted automatically and no longer available to the teacher or student.

Courses and classes with a manual source continue to sync with your MDM solution, but may no longer appear in the Classroom app. Manual classes can be deleted in Apple School Manager if you wish to remove them from syncing.