SIS safety improvements in Administrator Panel – 3900.110

Impact: Administrators
Updated Help page: Snapshot Flat File Integration Configuration, Course Examples, User Examples

We are introducing two changes to our Student Information System integration process to protect against loss of data from small mistakes when updating data. Two related features are added:

SIS integration settings update: Purge is now replaced by Smart Delete in the Delete column within the Object Handling section of the Edit Snapshot Flat File Integration page. In a few instances the label Purge has been retained.
User interface change: On the Upload Feed File page in SIS Integrations, the Complete Refresh option is discouraged through changes to labeling.

Smart Delete

Previously, the only options for handling most data types were:

Do not disable or purge
Disable
Purge

Some data types like Course Associations can't be disabled. If a small corrective file was mistakenly uploaded in Refresh mode, or if an automation error caused a partial upload with the Purge setting, it could result in large amounts of data being deleted unexpectedly.

Now we separate the Delete mode behavior and Refresh modes behavior (the latter which imply deletion). When the mode is Delete, the delete option is now Smart Delete. Smart Delete has the same effect as the previous option Purge. When refreshing data, the data not in the file, but owned by the integration, will be disabled. For data types that don’t support being disabled such as Course/Organization Association and User Associations, Purge will delete data.

When a file is uploaded in Delete mode, and Delete is set to Smart Delete, the data will be deleted.

Image 1: In the Object Handling section of the Edit Snapshot Flat File Integration page, the option Purge is now replaced by Smart Delete in the Delete column. Some Object Types such as Course/Organization Association and User Associations retain the Purge option.

Object Handling section of the Edit Snapshot Flat File Integration page. The option Smart Delete is highlighted in blue in the Delete column.

User interface changes for SIS Integrations

To avoid unintended loss or disruption of data, the user interface within Upload Feed File page in SIS Integrations discourages the use of Complete Refresh and Complete Refresh by Data Source. These options are now grayed out by default.

Image 2: In the Upload Feed File page, the options Complete Refresh and Complete Refresh by Data Source are now grayed out by default.

The Upload Feed File page with the options Complete Refresh and Complete Refresh by Data Source grayed out by default

Options Complete Refresh and Complete Refresh by Data Source can be enabled by selecting the checkbox Enable Advanced Options. However, a warning appears describing these options’ unintended consequences and that they are rarely needed in this mode in the graphical user interface.

Image 3: A new checkbox option Enable Advanced Options enables the options Complete Refresh and Complete Refresh by Data Source. Selecting Enable Advanced Options also raises a warning about the unintended consequences of these enabled options.