Importing Interaction Data

Before making Slate a system of record, you might need to import interaction data from an old prospect system, a student information system, or an institutional database system.

🔔 You must import core data, including the external system’s unique IDs, before you can import interaction data. These IDs match school data with associated records in Slate, and the unique ID should be the first export column of this import.

Do we really need this data?

Consider the need for interaction data in your Slate database before creating an interaction export from a current system. Many of our implementing institutions skip this step.

If there is a business need for interactions from an old system, focus on exporting only the interactions that are important to the new Slate process. For example, importing a campus visit interaction might be a beneficial data point to have on a person's record, and critical to certain processes, while importing a viewbook mailing interaction might not. If you later decide that these additional data points are necessary, you can easily import them from an external person information system at that time.

Identifying source code interactions

Slate automatically stores form submissions, event registrations, and uploaded dataset information under the code Source on the interactions tab on a person's timeline.

For example, during the uploads that have taken place during this process (such as the core, qualitative, school, and score data uploads for prospects), each particular upload has generated a new Source code interaction on the timeline.

However, external information systems might have other interaction codes listed on prospect records that would also be useful Source code interactions to log in Slate. For instance,in Slate, if a prospect were to register for a campus visit, this registration automatically appears on that person's timeline. However, what about past event registrations? This is where "historical" interaction codes can come in handy.

Step 1: Creating a Historical Interaction parent code

Registrations can only be created if the form of the event exists in Slate, and creating Slate registrations for each and every prospect can be time consuming. Instead, we’ll create a historical interaction code that lets users more efficiently migrate historical interactions to Slate.

To create a Historical Interaction parent code:

1. Go to Database → Activity / Interaction Codes

2. Select Insert.

3. Configure the following settings:

   • Status: Active

   • Folder: Select a folder, or select Other and enter a name to create a new one.

   • Type: Interaction

   • Code: Enter historical

   • Parent Code: Leave blank.

   • Label: Displays when mapping data to this code. Enter Historical Interaction.

   • Export Code: Leave blank.

   • Score: Leave blank.

   • Custom Permission: Leave blank.

   • Show in Reader: No

4. Select Save.

Step 2: Creating child codes

You can now create child interactions to the historical parent code. For example, you might want to make a historical interaction subcode to specifically store events from an external information system.

Additionally, you might also want to make a historical interaction subcode to store form submissions.

💡 Use Upload Dataset to add all of your historical interaction types at once.

To create a child code:

1. Go to Database → Activity / Interaction Codes

2. Select Insert.

3. Configure the following settings:

   • Status: Active

   • Folder: Select a folder, or select Other and enter a name to create a new one.

   • Type: Interaction

   • Code: Enter a computer-friendly name for the code (all lowercase, no spaces), like form.

   • Parent Code: Select Historical Interaction.

   • Label: Displays when mapping data to this code. Enter a human-readable label for the code, like Form Submission.

   • Export Code: Leave blank.

   • Score: Leave blank.

   • Custom Permission: Leave blank.

   • Show in Reader: No

4. Select Save.

Step 3: Exporting interaction data from an external system

Once you’ve created the appropriate interaction codes in Slate, export interaction data from an external system using this recommended format:

🔔 Important

The first export column must be the unique ID used to identify records from an external system. Once the core data has been uploaded with this ID, Slate can match interaction data with the associated Slate records.

Reserve the first column of the interaction data export for the unique ID.

Required columns

The interaction data export must include: 

• Unique ID

• Interaction code

Recommended columns

Consider adding these exports for interaction matching:

• Interaction Date

• Subject

• User

• Interaction Private Comments

• Interaction Public Comments

📝 Without a date column, Slate uses the date of import as the interaction date.

Step 4: Importing interaction data from an external system

With your exported data in hand, we can import it into Slate.

➡️ See Importing Core Data from an External System for the general import process. This article covers the specific configurations for interactions.

The fields stage

Interaction data will be mapped to Slate destinations under the Interaction category.

Since more than one interaction can be imported at a time, it is important to group interaction data by selecting a group number. For example, if importing data for two separate interactions, identify the export columns that belong to interaction 1 and the export columns that belong to interaction 2.

⭐ Best practice

Clearly identify column names for interaction data, especially if importing data for more than one interaction. Users should be able to quickly know if a data column is associated with interaction 1, 2, 3, and so on. Having clear column names help setting destinations in Slate more effectively and help recognizing and organizing groups.

 Define how interaction data is grouped by selecting a group number.

🔔 Important!

Give data items imported for the first interaction a group number of 1, items imported for the second interaction a group number of 2.

Group numbers will appear in the destination column as work continues through the Fields Stage:

The value mappings stage

Configure the value mappings like so (accounting for your own source and destination values):

The review stage

1. When you’re satisfied with the field and value mapping configurations, proceed to the Review Stage.

2. Double check any Pre-Flight Check errors that may appear to be sure that the data imports correctly.

3. Select Run Import. Slate imports the data file to the records imported during the core data import, matching on records with the unique field value.

Historical form or event registrations

While creating a historical interaction code can be an effective way to quickly organize and import a lot of interaction data coming from an existing information system, you can also import registration information directly to corresponding forms in Slate.

For example, an external system might include registration information for an upcoming campus visit event. However, it is also possible to store this registration data in Slate provided the event has been created in Slate first. Once the event has been created, export the unique IDs for persons who registered for the event and then insert static values when importing this data into Slate. For this, add two separate static mappings. 

Static Mapping 1

1. Select Form/Event Registration.

2. Select Form Title.

3. Select the appropriate event. Keep in mind forms are displayed in the format:
   Folder - Date - Name of form

   

Static Mapping 2

1. Select Form/Event Registration.

2. Select Form Registration Status.

3. Select the appropriate registration status.

   

All records in the import receive this value and the following interaction on their interaction tab after executing the data import:

Historical statuses

You can import historical prospect status using the Status History destinations, historical prospect statuses can be imported.

Using the same process as detailed above for interactions, export historical prospect statuses and a unique ID.

1. Map the Status to Status History: Status

2. Map the Status Date to Status History: Timestamp. 

3. Confirm all statuses use the same group number as the corresponding status date.

4. Set the value mappings for the statuses.