Creating Accounts and Test Registrations Using Batch Load

Transcription

1 Quick Start Guide Creating Accounts and Test Registrations Using Batch Load Document Purpose This document contains information used by site administrators to create ACT WorkKeys online accounts and test registrations for multiple examinees using a batch load process instead of creating them individually. Resources We encourage you to visit the ACT WorkKeys Administration web page for many resources available to you. The current ACT WorkKeys Administration Manual for Online Testing is posted on this page along with the following ACT WorkKeys Quick Start Guides related to this one: Administering a Test to a Single Examinee Authorizing a Test for a Group of Examinees Group Registration for One or More Tests Adding Examinees to a Group during Account Creation Adding Existing Examinees to a Group Creating a Group Prerequisite Information Creating a Group, Group Size, and Using the Group ID Creating a group allows you to save time by registering and/or authorizing examinees to test as a group instead of working with them individually (see the Creating a Group Quick Start Guide). When the group is created in your testing realm, Validus TM will assign it a Group ID number. It is strongly recommended that you limit your group size to no more than 100 records. Any groups over 100 records: Could cause problems with the batch load process. Will cause problems with generating reports that contain a Group parameter. For example, a Summary Report under the Group Management menu in Validus TM if that s a report you want to generate. You will receive an error message, ERROR Failed to create Summary report. If you decide to use the group functionality, the group has to be created before you create the batch load data file so the Group ID number can be associated with the examinee records. Download Free Software Tool Since the Invalid Rows File and the Log File (see Procedure 4) contain Personally Identifiable Information (PII), they are both encrypted and compressed. To unzip and open the files, you will need WinZip or 7-Zip (free programs you can download from the internet) installed on your computer. Process Overview The following table shows the process for creating ACT WorkKeys online accounts and test registrations for multiple examinees using a batch load process. Stage Procedure 1 Downloading the batch load header file from Validus 2 Preparing the batch load data file Updated

2 Stage Procedure 3 Uploading the batch load data file into Validus 4 Accessing the Invalid Rows File and the Log File for records that failed to load Procedure 1: Downloading the Batch Load Header File Follow the steps below to download the batch load header file, which is a spreadsheet containing a header row of column headings so you know what data to enter. 1. Open a web browser on your computer and enter the url for your testing realm, which will look similar to the example shown below. This can be found in the you received with realm information. (The number after the last slash represents your site s realm number.) 2. On the left side of the page, select User Batch Load navigation menu. 3. On the right side of the page, select the Create button. 2

3 4. Under the section heading Batch Load Users, select the Guide button, which gives instructions on working with the batch load file as well as allowed values and formats. Read through it. The critical instructions are included below. Note: The bulk of the guide has allowed values for FIPS State/County of Residence, which the examinee fills out, not you, so you may ignore that section. 5. On the same Validus page, select the Download Header File button. 6. Using the drop-down list on the Save button, select Save As and navigate to the folder on your computer where you would like to save and work with the file. 3

4 7. Give the file a shorter and more meaningful filename for this batch. The Save as type (or file format) should be a comma-delimited (.csv) file. Select Save (or press Enter). 8. Open the file. Results: The Header File is simply an Excel document with column headings referred to as the header row. These will guide you in the data you need to enter. These field names match up to Validus when loading the file. Procedure 2: Preparing the Batch Load Data File Follow the steps below to enter the required information into the batch load data file and to use the required formats. IMPORTANT! The main two things to remember about the formats of the file are that the file has to be: In Text format before entering the data. Saved as a comma-delimited (*.csv) file before closing it for it to be uploaded successfully. If you should reopen it to modify data, repeat these steps. 1. Typically, Excel drops leading zeros after you enter a number. To prevent this from happening, format the entire Excel spreadsheet as Text before you begin entering any information, which displays the number exactly as it is entered. To do this: a. Select the entire spreadsheet (Ctrl+A). b. Right-click anywhere in the selected spreadsheet with your mouse, then select the Format Cells option. c. Select the Number tab. d. Select Text for Category. e. Select OK (or press Enter). 4

5 2. At a minimum, you have to enter data into the appropriate columns for these four fields: First Name (as it will appear on the certificate; see details below) Last Name (as it will appear on the certificate; see details below) Examinee ID (named employeeid in the header row) Group ID (required if using the Groups function; see page 1, Prerequisite Information) 3. We strongly recommend that you also include data for these three fields: User ID (named username in the header row) Password Date of Birth (8-digit birthdate with slashes; e.g., 06/20/2000) Here are important details you should know about each of these data fields. a. First Name This should be the examinee s actual first name, which may not necessarily be the name he or she goes by. Keep in mind that when the examinee arrives to take the test, he/she will need to present a photo ID. The name on this account needs to match the name on the photo ID. Slight variations are allowed, such as Dave instead of David. If an examinee earns an ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate (ACT WorkKeys NCRC ), the name printed on the certificate will be the same as the name on this account. This is one of the five match criteria used for the ACT WorkKeys NCRC. It s critical that the same first name (or variation) be used consistently on all of their ACT WorkKeys online or paper tests. b. Last Name As with the first name, the name on the account needs to match the name on the photo ID. If an examinee earns an ACT WorkKeys NCRC, the name printed on the certificate will be the same as the name listed on this account. This is one of the five match criteria used for the ACT WorkKeys NCRC. It s critical that the same last name be used consistently on all of their ACT WorkKeys online or paper tests. c. Examinee ID (column labeled employeeid ) This should be a series of numbers unique to the examinee. A suggestion would be to use a student ID number or an employee ID number. Do not use the examinee s driver s license number, Social Security Number (SSN), or any number that contains a portion of his/her SSN. The maximum number limit is 11 digits. The Examinee ID is one of the five match criteria used for the ACT WorkKeys NCRC, so it s important that the same Examinee ID be used on all of their ACT WorkKeys online or paper tests. d. Group ID As stated in the Prerequisite Information, creating a Group, which generates a Group ID, should be done before creating the batch load data file, if you re going to use this functionality. 5

6 Also realize that if you do create a group but do not enter the Group ID into this file, you will need to manually associate each examinee in this batch to the group at a later time. e. User ID (column labeled username ) We suggest creating a User ID that is easy to remember, such as the examinee s last name and first initial of the first name followed by a number. A User ID can be a combination of letters, numbers, and some symbols. The following symbols cannot be used: < > " White (blank) spaces are also not allowed. Do not use an examinee s driver s license number, Social Security Number (SSN), or any number that contains a portion of his/her SSN. The User ID must be between 3 and 100 characters long. Once a User ID has been entered into the system, it cannot be changed or duplicated. It is a unique identifier for that person s account. This is not limited to just your site s realm, it applies across the entire Validus system. f. Password The system can generate a password for the examinee, but we recommend that you create one instead. The examinee can change it later if he or she desires. The password can be a combination of letters, numbers, and some symbols. As with the User ID, white spaces are not allowed, nor are the following symbols: < > " The password is case sensitive. It must be between 6 and 30 characters long. g. Date of Birth The birth month is one of the five match criteria used for the ACT WorkKeys NCRC. The birth day is also one of the five match criteria. Business sites only should enter 9999 for the birth year. You may fill in more information (following the required values listed in the Batch Load Guide), but it s not necessary. The examinee will be required to review any existing information in this account and complete any missing information for this account prior to launching their test. IMPORTANT! Do not fill in the FIPSStateCountyName or the currentstatus columns. Only the examinee responds to these questions. This is the section of the Batch Load Guide you can ignore. 4. After you ve filled in data in the minimum 4-7 columns outlined above, you need to also delete all columns that do not include any data values (i.e., that are blank). If you do not delete the unused columns, the file will not load into Validus. 5. Validus requires the file to be saved as a comma-delimited (*.csv) file when closing it or else the file will not load. 6

7 REMEMBER: If you should reopen the file to modify data, you need to save it again as a comma-delimited (*.csv) file when closing it. Procedure 3: Uploading the Data File into Validus Follow the steps below to upload the data file into Validus. 1. In Validus, on the Batch Load Users page, select Browse. 2. Navigate to the correct location of the data file you just created and saved. Select the correct file, then select Open (or press Enter). 3. On the Validus page, under The following settings apply to this batch load section heading, select the box to the right of Allow Person Updates so a check mark appears, if it is not already checked. 7

8 4. If you created the User IDs in the batch data file, do not check the box to the right of Always Create Users. But if you do want the system to create unique User IDs, then select the box so that a check mark appears. 5. Select the Submit button at the bottom of the page. 6. The Batch Load Search section heading should now appear at the top of the Validus page. The file you just loaded should be the first file listed under File Name. Select the Refresh button to see the current status. Continue to select Refresh until the status changes to Processed. Results: For rows of information that loaded successfully (see Total Success column), you will find corresponding examinee records in the Validus system. For rows of information that failed to load (see Total Failed column), you will need to look at the Log File and the Invalid Rows File created from the upload to see which ones failed and why. o The Log File will indicate the type of error so that you can determine what needs to be corrected in the Invalid Rows File. o The Invalid Rows File will include information for only those records that did not load due to an error. You will need to correct the information in this file in the next procedure, and then upload it. Name the file something different than the original file. 8

9 Procedure 4: Accessing the Invalid Rows File and the Log File Follow the steps below to download and work with the Invalid Rows File and the Log File when records fail to upload to Validus. REMINDER: Since the Invalid Rows File and the Log File contain Personally Identifiable Information (PII), they are both encrypted and compressed. To unzip and open the files, you will need WinZip or 7-Zip (free programs you can download off the internet) installed on your computer. 1. Select the radio button to the left of the Failed file name. 2. Using the drop-down list next to More actions, select Download Invalid Rows File option. 9

10 3. Save this file to your computer. 4. Open the saved file. 5. A pop-up window will appear that shows the zipped file. Unzip the file. 6. You will be asked to enter a Decrypt password to open the file. Get the password, called a key, from the Validus system. 7. On the page with Batch Load Search section heading, select the Retrieve Key button. 10

11 8. Enter the password you used to log in to Validus. 9. The Current Key (password) will appear. Note: This key/password changes every month. Highlight and Copy (Ctrl+C) the key, then select the Back button. 10. Paste (Ctrl+V) the key into the Enter password box in the Decrypt pop-up window, then select OK (or press Enter). 11. Select Open. Only those rows that have not loaded due to errors in them will appear. The rest of the original data file loaded successfully. 12. Repeat the steps above to unzip and open the Log File, substituting Download Log File from the drop-down list instead of Download Invalid Rows File. 11

12 13. Make any necessary corrections in the Invalid Rows File based on the information shown in the Log File. The Line Number indicated in the Log File corresponds to the line number in the Invalid Rows File. 14. When correcting the Invalid Rows File, go through the same steps as you did in creating the original data file and saving it as a *.csv file when closing it. 15. Then follow the same steps to upload the corrected Invalid Rows File, with a meaningful filename. Questions? Contact ACT WorkKeys Customer Services at or workkeys@act.org. Note: This is the end of this user guide by ACT, Inc. All rights reserved. 12 MA70028.OPS2215