When importing application data, Slate not only attempts to match an existing person record, but it also sometimes matches an existing application.  This is the case if any of the application matching items are mapped and they match an existing application record.

The items used to match an existing application record in Slate are provided below, in the order that they are used.

Matching Criteria

Slate uses these items to identify an existing application record, shown in order:

1. App: Slate GUID Matching Only

   • This is the 36 character unique identifier of the application.

   • Matching only: Used only to find potential matches. Does not update the GUID.

2. App: Application Slate Identity Matching Only

   • This is the integer value of the identity column on the application table.  It is automatically assigned and cannot be updated.

   • Matching only: Used only to find potential matches. Does not update the GUID.

3. App: External ID

   • This is the external ID for an application.

   • If the external ID does not exist, or a match is made from a previous match criteria, and the external ID does not match, then the external ID is updated.  

4. App: Application Slate ID Matching Only

   • The Application Slate ID is the 9-digit application Ref ID. It is automatically generated for all applications upon creation.

   • Matching only: Does not update the Application Slate ID. Used only to find potential matches.

5. Application-scoped unique custom fields

   • If the unique field value does not yet exist, or it does not match what was mapped in the source, the value is updated.

If none of these items match, then Slate attempts to find the appropriate record, using person-scoped matching criteria (refer to the article on Matching Criteria for Person Records). 

If Slate uses a person-scoped matching item to find the appropriate record, then the following matching criteria are used to find the appropriate application on that student record:

Round (or Round Override)

If Round Override or Round was mapped, then Slate attempts to match an existing application using those mappings. (If a Round Override value for a record exists, then that round is used, and the Round value from the source is ignored for that record. For all references to round going forward, it is implied that the Round Override value is the round, if one exists for the record. If a Round Override value does not exist for a record, then the Round value is used as the round instead.) If the record has an application in the mapped round, then that application is used for the import.

If application data was mapped, but a round was not mapped at all, then Slate uses the existing rank 1 application in an active application period.

Exceptions

If Slate is unable to match onto an existing application, it creates a new application if a round value exists in the import for that record.  If the round value does not exist, then an application cannot be created.  This will not result in an error message; the record simply will not have a new application.

The exceptions below are invoked when Slate cannot match to an application and it defaults to using person-scoped criteria, but there is an App: Round mapping in use:

App: Round Always Create

If App: Round Always Create is set to Yes, then Slate always creates a new application using the round specified. It will not update an existing application.

App: Round Use Existing

If App: Round Use Existing is set to Yes, then Slate uses the rank 1 application in an active application period, even if the application round does not match the round value from the source.

App: Round Use Existing and Update

If App: Round Use Existing and Update is set to Yes, then Slate uses the rank 1 application in an active application period.

If the application round does not match the mapped round, it is updated to the round value from the source.