FAQ — Data import

Which import formats are supported?

CSV and TSV, by copy-paste from Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers or Calc. The full JSON export of the account is available to the administrator (backup); re-importing a full JSON account, on the other hand, is a restore operation carried out by Omniscol, not a routine action of the administration screen.

For dedicated migrations, see Overview.

Is the identifier generated by the system?

Yes. When importing students, teachers or classes, Omniscol generates a stable internal identifier: for people it derives from the first and last name, for a group it includes the parent class (<classe>:<groupe>). The pattern of the login identifier (first name-last name, last name-first name or identification number) is configured in General settings, Identifier field.

You can also record your own reference via the external identifier / registration number field — useful for traceability with your student information system and for telling apart people who share the same name.

For groups, must the class always be referenced?

Yes. A group is always a subdivision of a class. A group's ID includes the parent class. In lesson import files, the "class" and "group" columns work together.

See Class, group, subgroup.

Does the column order of the table matter?

The import screen opens a column template typed by position (the subject, the teacher, the room… each occupies an expected column). You rearrange the template's columns so that they match the order of your source spreadsheet: the copy-paste then stays clean, without rewriting your file. See Mass import of courses from a spreadsheet.

Which separators for lists (multi-teacher, multi-group, etc.)?

Common separators are recognized inside a single field: comma, semicolon, slash, vertical bar, plus sign, ampersand or line break. The import engine detects the convention used in the field.

What happens if the table contains unknown subjects?

At step 4 of the import, Omniscol offers to create the unknown entities. For custom subjects and some teachers, you can request creation on the Administration side to make them available throughout the school. Labels are corrected at step 3, during disambiguation.

Are complex lessons imported correctly?

Partially. The import engine handles well:

• simple lessons (subject + class + teacher + room + time slot),
• basic alternate lessons (A/B),
• multi-teacher lessons (co-teaching),
• multi-room lessons.

It handles the following less well, so they require manual finishing:

• associated lessons (alternating half-groups),
• complex concatenations,
• groups of groups,
• off-grid lessons with precise times.

What to do if the import fails on a large file?

• Check for empty rows or merged cells.
• Split the file into subsets (by class, by campus, by semester).
• Prefer a full export of the source account, often cleaner than a manual partial export.