Creating a notes file is the fastest way to upload your Career Services historical notes data in your Handshake system. This article will help you understand the available fields that can be uploaded to Handshake, and how the entries must be formatted. Notes can be attached to users, contacts, events, employers, or appointments. Please keep in mind that they can only be created through the Importer, they cannot be changed or deleted.
Before uploading this file, you should make sure that the following steps have already been completed:
- Student File has been uploaded
- Historical Events file has been uploaded
- Historical Appointments file has been uploaded
Essentially, we want to make sure that the objects you are attaching notes to currently exist in the system.
Available fields for importing a Notes file
Download an example Notes CSV file
The fields listed below should be formatted as shown and saved as a CSV. Column headers are case sensitive and should be in all lowercase. If any of your headers differ from the formatting included below, the Importer will not identify it and it will be skipped. We recommend reviewing the example file linked above to ensure correct header formatting.
Required Fields: The column headers marked as required are necessary in the file. The column values marked as 'can't be blank' must contain values. Column values that aren't required can be left blank - this will not erase any existing data in that field.
Optional Fields: You can leave out any headers or values that are not marked as required - this will not erase any existing data in that field.
Unique Identifiers: You must include values in either identifiable_id or identifier within this file.
Column header | Column value |
---|---|
identifiable_type *Required |
This field is sensitive and must be one of the following values. This is the object you'd like to attach the note to: User *Can't be blank |
identifiable_id *Required if identifiable_type is Event, Employer, Job, or Appointment Note: Do not include this header if identifiable_type is User or Contact |
The ID found in the URL of the Event, Employer, Job, or Appointment. Example 1:
Example 2:
|
identifier *Required if identifiable_type is Contact or User |
For importing to Appointment or Event, this is a unique identifier you created yourself and attached to an Appointment or Event. For importing notes to Contacts or Users, this value should be the email address. |
user_type *Required |
If the identifiable_type is a user, then user_type must be specified. Potential user_type values below (case sensitive): Students |
content *Required |
The actual text of the note. *Can't be blank |
privacy_preference *Required |
One of two values (listed below). Personal indicates a private note, viewable only to the creator. Institution indicates it can be seen by all staff (case sensitive): personal *Can't be blank |
reminder date | If there should be a reminder associated with the note. The best format is yyyy-mm-ddThh:mm:ss (example: 2016-11-01T12:00:00). If you're having problems formatting these dates and times, you can use this Help Center article as a formatting reference guide. |
written_at | The date the note was written at. The best format for all dates is yyyy-mm-ddThh:mm:ss (example: 2016-11-01T12:00:00). If left blank, this field defaults to the date you submit your Notes file. |
created_by_email | The email address of the author of the note. This must correspond to an existing career services user in Handshake. Ensure you have uploaded your career services staff file prior to uploading notes with this field included. If left blank, this field defaults to your institution's Handshake point of contact. |
Example CSV File:
How to Upload your Notes File:
- Once your file is prepared, select File > Save As > UTF-8 encoded CSV from Excel (or your preferred CSV file management tool).
- Use the Importer tool to upload/edit your institution's historical notes.
- You will need to select Job Type = Notes