Compass Data Sync Tool

The Data Sync Tool is designed for use by school administrators, such as a Timetabler or Daily Organiser. It allows schools to synchronise their timetables from various timetabling packages in to Compass.

If you are syncing a brand new timetable into Compass or have installed the Data Sync Tool for the first time, please read this entire article. If you are syncing a timetable that has already been synced with Compass on a machine that has previously had the Data Sync Tool installed (for example the regular Timetabler/Daily Orgs machine), then you can skip to the section below titled 'Syncing Your Timetable'.

Installing the Data Sync Tool

For assistance installing the Data Sync Tool on to your machine please contact the Compass Support Team on 03 9005 5217 or support@compass.education. A copy of the Data Sync tool can be downloaded here.

The Data Sync Tool is self updating. Whenever started, Data Sync Tool will download and upgrade to the latest available version.

The Data Sync Tool can be installed on multiple machines within the school. Settings within the Data Sync Tool are determined by which timetabling package the school uses and the structure of your timetable. Settings must be the same on all Data Sync instances used within the school.

If you are unsure of any settings please contact Compass Support. Importing into Compass using the wrong settings can have major implications for your school's attendance data.

Installing/Updating Compass Data Sync Tool on Windows 8.1

When installing or updating the Compass Data Sync Tool on Windows 8.1, Windows may prevent the update or installation from happening using its built in SmartScreen program.

If you see the following screen when installing or updating the Compass Data Sync, you will need to take additional steps to complete the process.

Click on the 'More info' button:

From the screen that shows next, click on the 'Run Anyway' button:

This will allow the installation/update to continue as normal.

Setting Up Data Sync Tool & Integrity Check

When the Data Sync Tool is started for the first time you will be prompted to enter your Compass School URL and your Compass Username and Password.

     

Troubleshooting: If you have issues logging in please open Compass in a browser window and ensure your login details are correct. If you continue to receive the error message 'Your username/password are incorrect' then please speak with the IT Team at your school for assistance.

To begin the synchronisation process you will first need to configure the Settings for Data Sync Tool, to do this click the 'Settings' button. 

On the School Details tab select the relevent Timetabling/Daily Org Package from the dropdown menu then set the following Global Import Settings:

Academic Year - Specify which Academic Year to synchronise the Timetable to. Academic Years enable the school to determine which timetable information is currently relevant. For further assistance on changing Academic Year please contact Compass Support.

Number of days of daily org data to preview Into the past / Into the future - How far foward/back in time to preview daily org changes. This is useful from an organisational standpoint.

The Timetabling/Daily Org Package Settings tab allows you to specify the timetable file and/or daily org file(s) to be used. This screen also provides the ability to perform an Integrity Check on a file other than the file Data Sync Tool will use for synchronisation. This is to verify that it will be compatible with Compass.

If any single check is Failed then it must be resolved before a sync will be possible. Detailed explanations of each check and its pass / fail status are available within the Data Sync Tool. Items with Errors will be highlighted in Red.

If a check is failed clicking 'Details' will provide information on which facet of the timetable has failed and advise if this can be resolved automatically or if manual intervention is required. Be advised that when selecting an Auto-Resolution that changes will be made to your timetable file. It is advisable to maintain backups of your timetable. 

Issues that will not prevent the timetable from synchronising are listed as Warnings, which are highlighted in Orange. A timetable may be synchronised with Warnings, however some information from the timetable may not be synchronised to Compass.

Please note the information in the 'Details' screen is specific to your timetable and will provide instructions, where applicable, for the timetable software in use. This information has been spefically written and tested by Compass to assist users having difficulty. Please carefully read this information before contacting Compass Support.

Configuring the Data in the Data Sync Tool

Before being able to import the data into Compass, you must first Preview it in the Data Sync Tool. From the Dashboard in the area labelled Step 1: Load Import Data vs Compass Data, click the 'Preview' button. As the Data Sync Tool analyses your timetable and daily org file you will notice tabs showing up across the top labelled Locations, Subjects, Classes, Enrolments, etc....

• 1. Allocate the subjects to a Layer in Compass
• 2. Allocate Classes to a Time Period in Compass

Please keep in mind that for both of these steps once you make the change in the Data Sync Tool you must then sync it to Compass for the information to Save. If you are not ready to sync the timetable file to Compass then do not proceed with the following steps until you are ready.

Allocating Subjects to a Layer

Much like Subjects need a Layer, Classes need a Time Period allocated. Time Periods are used to apply a start and finish date to Classes. Classes may only have Sessions within these bounds. e.g. Semester 2 classes only have Sessions during the Semester 2 Time Period. 

To allocate a time period to a Class navigate to the Classes tab, select the class in question then click 'Allocate selected activities to Time Period' a small menu will appear listing the available Time Periods.  Select the desired Time Period from the list, which will apply this period to all currently selected Classes.

IMPORTANT: This step should be done with extreme care by someone with knowledge of not just your school's timetable, but also which classes run for a semester, and which for a full year.

Time Periods are defined via the Configure Schedules page, which is available in the Adminstration Tools menu within Compass. Be advised this area requires specific permissions to access. Contact Compass Support if you are unsure about adding and/or manipulating Time Periods.

Depending on your school you may need to apply a mixture of Time Periods. i.e. not all classes need to have the same Time Period. 

Syncing Your Timetable

Step 1: Load Import Data vs Compass Data

To sync your timetable go to the Dashboard tab of the Data Sync Tool. If you haven't already, click the 'Preview' button to preview the data.
As the Data Sync Tool analyses your timetable and daily org file you will notice tabs appearing across the top labelled Locations, Subjects, Classes, Enrolments, etc.... To preview the data click through the tabs across the top to ensure the information looks correct.

Please Note: Only data that is previewed will be imported to Compass. If you cannot see a piece of specific data within the Preview then it will not be imported to Compass.

Which section do I need to import when…?

• Adding a new Class to an existing Subject: 'Classes', 'Enrolments', 'Timetable Lines'
• Adding a new Class in a new Subject: 'Subjects', 'Classes', 'Enrolments', 'Timetable Lines'
• Enrolling a new student in an existing class: 'Enrolments'
• Making a permanent Room Change: 'Timetable Lines'
• Changing the teacher taking a Class: 'Classes', 'Timetable Lines'
• Allocating/Reallocating Extras: 'Coverage'
• Cancelling/Reinstating a Class: 'Cancellations'

Step 2B: Select Layers to Import For

Step 3: Upload to Compass

Troubleshooting

The section is designed to list some basic checks when timetable data is not appearing correctly within Compass. For timetable package specific checks please refer to the sub-articles accessible at the top of this page.

Previewed Data

The first step when importing data from the current timetable file into Compass is to preview the data in the Compass Data Sync Tool. This process compares all of the data currently in Compass and the current timetable file. As the program previews the data it will create tabs across the top of the program. Click on these tabs to see the previewed data.

Under both the 'Subjects' and 'Classes' tab there are two columns, 'In Import?' and 'In Compass?'. These columns list the current status of the classes and subjects and how they will appear in Compass after an import.

	In Import and In Compass: The data has already been imported into Compass and is in the current timetable file. An import will not change this data, it will remain in Compass.
	In Import, but not yet in Compass: the orange plus symbol denotes that, if setup correctly, this data will be added to Compass in the next import of this section of the timetable. Typically you will see this status when you are going to sync a new timetable. Please see the paragraph below this table if you see a large number of orange plus symbols and you aren't syncing a new timetable.
	System does not recognise this information: This error will generally have more information listed in the 'Analysis' column. Check the associated data to resolve this error (see below). This data will not be added to Compass in an import.

Please keep in mind that if you are syncing a timetable that has previously been synced with Compass you should by and large see two green tick marks. If you see a large number of orange plus symbols this often indicates that the file you have setup in your Data Sync Tool is not the file that was last synced with Compass. If this occurs you should NOT sync your timetable and should instead speak with any other staff at the school who also use the Data Sync Tool to ensure you're both working off the same file.

'Unrecognised staff code'

This error in the 'Classes' tab of the Data Sync Tools means that the teacher allocated to this class, and listed in the column, does not match with any teacher currently in Compass. There are two common causes of this error, either;

• The staff member's code within the timetable and their code within your school's SIS (and therefore Compass) do not match. One of the records will need to be updated to ensure that the codes match.
• The staff member does not exist within Compass. To resolve this ensure that the staff member has a record within your school's SIS, and that this information has been synced to Compass.

'Unrecognised subject code'

The class sits under a subject that does not exist in Compass. Classes cannot be imported into Compass until there is a valid Subject within Compass for them to be allocated to. Ensure all of the subjects have been imported into Compass under the 'Subjects' tab.