AX1767

Importing from an Ellucian system

You can import data into Axiom Software from an Ellucian Banner system. Ellucian Banner is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system for higher education.

Axiom Software uses the Ellucian Ethos API to directly connect to your Ellucian Banner system. Your organization must provide your client-specific Ethos key in order to connect to the system and query data for import.

The following types of data can be imported from Ellucian:

  • Account
  • Chart
  • Fund
  • Organization
  • Program
  • Activity
  • Location

Example import using Ellucian import type

Import type

To import data from Ellucian, go to the Source tab of the Import Wizard, then select Ellucian as the Import Type. The Source tab updates to show the relevant properties for the selected import type.

NOTE: This import source is only available if it has been enabled in the system configuration properties, using the EllucianEnabled property.

Ethos connection

The Selected Connection field specifies the Ellucian Ethos key to use when running the import. The Ethos key grants access to a specific Ellucian system. You can select a previously saved connection, or you can create a new connection.

NOTE: Only administrators and users with the Administer Ellucian Connections security permission can specify the connection to be used by the import (and create new connections). Users without this permission can edit other import settings and execute the import (depending on their import permissions), but cannot change the connection.

Ellucian Ethos connections are managed using the separate Manage Connections dialog. Using this dialog, you can create new connections, edit existing connections, and delete connections that are no longer needed. Once a connection has been created, it is available for use in the Import Wizard. However, you can also create a new connection directly in the Import Wizard if needed.

To select an existing connection:

  1. Click the folder icon to the right of the Selected Connection box.

  2. In the Ethos Connections dialog, select the name of the connection to use, then click OK.

    Example connections dialog

The selected connection displays in the Selected Connection box, and will be used when the import is executed.

To define a new connection:

  1. Click the plus icon to the right of the Selected Connection box.

  2. In the New Connection dialog, complete the following properties, then click OK.

    Item Description

    Name

    The name of the connection. This name should indicate the system that the key connects to.

    For example, if you have a key for a test sandbox system and a key for a production system, the connection names should indicate "Test" and "Production" respectively.

    Ellucian Key

    The Ellucian Ethos key for the target system.

    Description

    Optional. A description of the connection. The description displays in a tooltip when hovering over connection names in the Ethos Connections dialog.

    When you click OK, Axiom Software first validates the connection key. If the key is invalid, the connection cannot be saved.

When a new connection is created from within the Import Wizard, it is automatically assigned as the Selected Connection for the import.

Data options

When importing data from Ellucian, you must specify the type of data to import. This selection determines the source fields for the import.

From the Type of Data to Import list, select the desired data type. If you select Chart, then no other source settings are required. If you select any other data type, then you must also specify the chart of accounts for the data.

All source fields for the specified data type are included in the import. It is not necessary to specify the fields to include. If you do not need to import a particular source field into Axiom Software, then that field can be left unmapped on the Mapping tab.

NOTE: If mappings are defined on the Mapping tab, then changing the data type clears those mappings. Each data type has a distinct set of fields in a specific order, so the mappings must be re-set after changing the data type.

Chart of Accounts

Each type of data to be imported is associated with a chart of accounts in Ellucian. Because Ellucian systems can have multiple charts of accounts, you must specify which chart of accounts to use, even if your particular system only has one chart.

For Specify chart of Accounts, select one of the following:

  • Import All Charts (default): This option imports the selected data type for all charts of accounts. If your Ellucian system only has one chart of accounts, then this option is the same as selecting that single chart of accounts.

    If your Ellucian system does have multiple charts of accounts, then choosing to import data for all of them at once may result in duplicate keys—for example, if you are importing Location data and the same location exists in multiple charts of accounts. In this case, you can use transforms to adjust the incoming data to resolve duplicate key values, or you can import the data into a data table where the parent chart is a second key.

  • Import Data from a Specific Chart: This option imports the selected data type for a specific chart of accounts. When this option is selected, a new field named Selected Chart becomes available to specify the chart. Click the folder icon to the right of this field to select the chart.

All data associated with the selected data type and selected chart of accounts is imported. It is not currently possible to filter the incoming data when reading the data from Ellucian. If some incoming data does not need to be imported, you can use transforms to eliminate the unneeded data.

See also