Getting Data into TrackEd

TrackEd imports data from other systems through files. This is the primary way to bring information in from OneSchool, the QCAA Student Management Portal, and other sources. You can also import diagnostic data (such as PAT results) using Tracking Templates, or build custom imports for any spreadsheet-based data set.

Imports are organised into four categories on the Import page: Frequent, Occasional, Senior Schooling, and Data Collection. Most schools will primarily use the Frequent imports on a regular basis, with Occasional imports run once a term or once a year as needed. Starting with a reliable import process gives confidence in the data and supports many other features in TrackEd, so only import the data that you need.

In this article

Quick Start Guide

A quick walkthrough to import your first Student Summary file. This is the most important and most common import in TrackEd. For a full explanation of all import types and settings, see the Training Video and Available Imports Walkthrough below.

1. Go to the Import page
2. Stay on the “Frequent” list (selected by default)
3. Select “Student Summary”
4. Click the “Open OS Report” button to launch the report in OneSchool (you need to be logged in to OneSchool already)
5. Follow the on-screen instructions for the Student Summary import
6. Save the file from OneSchool. Do not open it in Excel first
7. Drag and drop the file straight from your browser’s download bar onto the pink “Drop here” box
8. TrackEd will check the file is in the correct format and add it to the import queue
9. The file format can be CSV or Excel, and the accepted format is listed in the on-screen instructions for each import
10. Repeat for additional cohort files. Student Summary requires one file per cohort (e.g. Year 6, Year 9, Year 12), but most other imports use one file for the whole school
11. When all files are queued, press “Process Import Queue”

Training Video

• 0:01 Overview of the Import System: How the import page is organised across the four categories, with the most common imports labelled at the top of each.
• 0:35 How to Run an Import: Selecting an import type, clicking the button to open the OneSchool report, following on-screen instructions, and dropping the file into TrackEd.
• 1:43 Queuing and Processing Multiple Files: How validated files turn blue in the queue, and how to process them all at once.
• 1:59 Student Summary and Validation: Importing Student Summary for Year 6, 9, and 12, the separate P to 2 button, and what happens when the wrong file is dropped.
• 3:11 Import Types at a Glance: A high-level overview of frequent, occasional, senior schooling, and data collection imports.
• 4:30 Import Settings: Server processing, the Timetable Import Ignore List, the GPA Ignore List, and other settings to configure before running imports.

Deep Dive — Available Imports Walkthrough

A detailed walkthrough of every import type available in TrackEd, explaining what each one does, what data it brings in, and which ones are most important for your school.

• 0:01 Student Summary Import: The most critical import: adds new students, archives leavers, updates absence and behaviour totals, and brings in English, Maths, Science results plus NAPLAN proficiency levels.
• 1:12 Dynamic Student List and Absence List: Preferred names, email addresses, enrolment dates, and how the Absence List provides detailed absence codes and weekly percentage attendance.
• 2:52 Behaviour, Timetable and Other Frequent Imports: Negative and Positive Behaviour, Student Class and Timetable (mainly for Year 7–12), Record of Contact, Personalised Learning Summary, and Student Support Provisions.
• 4:06 Parent List: Importing parent and carer email addresses for bulk emailing, and how the “receives correspondence” field from OneSchool is respected.
• 4:45 Occasional Imports: Photos and Results: Student Photos matched by EQID, Primary Results (by semester) and Secondary Results (by term), plus tips for importing historical results.
• 7:51 NAPLAN and Specialist Imports: NAPLAN Summary from OneSchool, Results Template for interim results, Tracking Templates for diagnostics, Microsoft Forms Survey, Band Scales, and SET Plan imports.
• 9:48 Senior Schooling and Data Collection: Overview of senior schooling imports (covered in a dedicated article) and the optional Data Collection templates.

Detailed Guide

How the Import System Works

TrackEd imports data from other systems through files. This is the only way OneSchool communicates externally, and TrackEd also supports imports from the QCAA Student Management Portal, Tracking Templates for diagnostic data (e.g. PAT), and custom spreadsheet-based data sets. The Import page organises all imports into four categories: Frequent, Occasional, Senior Schooling, and Data Collection. The most common imports are labelled at the top of each category so you can find them quickly.

The basic workflow for every import is: select the import type, click the button to open the corresponding OneSchool report, follow the on-screen instructions, save the file, then drag and drop it directly onto the pink “Drop here” box in TrackEd. Each validated file turns blue in the import queue. You can queue as many files as needed across different import types, then press “Process Import Queue” to run them all at once.

The Student Summary Import

The Student Summary is the most critical import in TrackEd. It adds new students, archives those who have left, updates absence and behaviour totals, and brings in three semesters of English, Maths, and Science results plus NAPLAN proficiency levels. It manages your cohort lists and is the main import needed for a start-of-year rollover.

Separate buttons exist for Year 3 to 12 and Prep to Year 2 due to different OneSchool export formats. The file must not be opened in Excel before importing. Drag and drop it directly from your browser download bar, or it will fail validation with a header error.

Dynamic Student List and Absence List

The Dynamic Student List adds preferred names, student email addresses, and enrolment dates. It must be imported alongside the Absence List (indicated by a link icon between them) and is also required before running any QCAA imports. The link icon means those imports need to be in the queue at the same time before processing, so that enrolment dates are set before absence data is calculated.

The Absence List contains detailed absence codes in half-day increments with penalty and non-penalty types, and matches the official OneSchool download used by QParents. Run this on a Monday or Tuesday so the previous week’s attendance is fully up to date in OneSchool. The Student Summary provides absence totals, while the Absence List provides the detail, including weekly, termly, and year-to-date percentage attendance. For a full explanation of how attendance data works across imports, see Attendance Data Imports Explained.

Behaviour, Timetable and Other Frequent Imports

Negative Behaviour and Positive Behaviour can both be imported. If importing Positive Behaviour, include it in the queue with the Negative Behaviour file. Student Class and Timetable imports are mainly used for Year 7 to 12 where a full timetable exists, and these must also be queued together.

The Record of Contact import is optional and rarely used. It brings in only the who, where, and when of contacts without any detail. The Personalised Learning Summary imports DDA levels (substantial, extensive, quality differentiated) and types (cognitive, social, emotional). Student Support Provisions is used in one place in TrackEd and is often skipped.

Parent List

The Parent List brings in parent and carer email addresses for bulk emailing from TrackEd. Only the email addresses are imported, and all other data in the file is ignored. This import respects the “receives correspondence” field from OneSchool, so contacts who have opted out will not have their email address imported. Only needed if you are emailing parents from TrackEd.

Occasional Imports: Photos and Results

Student Photos are matched by EQID from a network folder, so you need to know where photos are stored on your school’s network. Individual photos can also be added manually during the year by dragging and dropping a photo onto the profile page where the photo would appear.

Primary Results (Prep to Year 6, imported by semester) and Secondary Results (Year 7 to 12, imported by term) bring in all subject codes plus behaviour and effort scores. For P to 12 colleges, primary and secondary results must be separated. When importing historical results (e.g. going back three years), start from the oldest year and work forward, selecting only the year levels still enrolled at your school for each year. Always process the latest import file last.

NAPLAN and Specialist Imports

The NAPLAN Summary from OneSchool is the recommended source for NAPLAN data. A QCAA import is also available but may only be accessible for a limited time after results are released. With NAPLAN data, the Proficiency Level is imported from the Student Summary file. The dedicated NAPLAN imports are to add the scale scores as well. During import set the Year Level and Test Year to the time the test was from rather than their current year level.

Below the main list, the Results Template allows importing interim results (e.g. Term 1, Term 3 in high school) that didn’t go through OneSchool. Tracking Templates and Custom Tracking Templates handle diagnostics like PAT, PROBE, and DIBELS. As of early 2026 we are working on a dedicated DIBELs import too. Microsoft Forms Survey imports student survey responses. Band Scales and SET Plan subject details are available for schools using those features.

Senior Schooling and Data Collection

Senior Schooling imports are covered in a separate dedicated video and article. See Importing Senior School data. Data Collection imports are optional Excel-based templates for collecting additional information: coaching notes, personalised learning, wellbeing monitoring, custom fields, enrolment interviews, learning support, engagement extras, and enrolment surveys. Most schools will not need any of the Data Collection imports.

Importing Future Students

To import Year 7 future students, save a Year 7 Student Summary file from OneSchool with both “futures and active” selected. You want both futures and active students in the same file. On import, TrackEd will move any students with no roll class into a YYYY.F6 cohort (e.g. 2027.F6). The same approach works for future Prep students.

Import Settings

The Settings page has a section called “Import Settings” that controls how imports are processed. If your school runs TrackEd on a server, tick “Send imports to server when possible” to send the import queue to the server for processing. This is the recommended approach for most schools.

Several ignore lists let you exclude specific data during imports. The Timetable Import Ignore List filters out subject codes (like form classes or tutorial periods) so they don’t appear on student profiles. The GPA Ignore List excludes codes like instrumental music from GPA calculations. The Roll Class Omit List lets you exclude entire roll classes, which is useful if a campus or section of the school doesn’t need to be imported into TrackEd.

Less common settings include “Allow DSL to manage student list”, which uses the Dynamic Student List to update enrolments instead of relying on Student Summary alone. There are also preferred name settings that control how preferred and legal names are displayed across TrackEd. Most schools can leave these at their defaults.

When Something Goes Wrong

If you drop the wrong file on an import, TrackEd validates the file format and column headings. If they don’t match, it displays a validation error. You can exit and try again with the correct file. The three most common fixes are checking you have the right file, checking you selected the right import type, and restarting TrackEd with a freshly downloaded file.

For a full guide on resolving validation errors, using the Import Helper for diagnostic logs, resetting stuck imports, and cleaning up incorrect data, see Import Troubleshooting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the most important import to run?
A: The Student Summary. It adds new students, archives those who have left, updates absence and behaviour totals, and brings in three semesters of English, Maths, and Science results. It is also the main import needed for a start-of-year rollover.

Q: Can I open the import file in Excel before importing?
A: Not for the Student Summary. Opening it in Excel first will cause a header validation error. Drag and drop the file directly from your browser download into TrackEd. Some other imports (e.g. certain QCAA files) do require opening in Excel first, so follow the on-screen instructions for each import type.

Q: What does the link icon between two imports mean?
A: It means those imports must be queued together before processing. For example, the Absence List requires the Dynamic Student List in the queue at the same time, so that enrolment dates are set before absence data is processed. Student Class and Timetable must also be queued together.

Q: What happens if I drop the wrong file on an import?
A: TrackEd validates the file format and column headings. If they don’t match, it displays a validation error. You can exit and try again with the correct file, or send the error log to the TrackEd support team. See Import Troubleshooting for more detail.

Q: How often should I run the Absence List import?
A: Weekly, ideally on a Monday or Tuesday. This gives OneSchool time to fully update the previous week’s attendance data before you import it. For more detail on how attendance data works across different imports, see Attendance Data Imports Explained.

Q: Should I process imports on my local PC or on the server?
A: If your school runs TrackEd on a server, tick “Send imports to server when possible” in Settings. This sends the import queue to the server for processing and is the recommended approach for most schools.

Q: Can I exclude certain subject codes from the timetable or GPA?
A: Yes. On the Settings page there is a Timetable Import Ignore List (for excluding form classes and similar codes), a GPA Ignore List (for excluding codes like instrumental music), and a Roll Class Omit List (for excluding entire roll classes). Set these before running your imports.

Q: How do I import Year 7 or Prep future students?
A: Save a Student Summary file from OneSchool with both “futures and active” selected. You need both futures and active students in the same file. On import, TrackEd will move any students with no roll class into a YYYY.F6 cohort (e.g. 2027.F6). The same approach works for future Prep students.

Q: Can I add student photos one at a time instead of doing a bulk import?
A: Yes. You can drag and drop a photo directly onto the profile page where the photo would appear. This is useful for adding individual photos during the year without running a full photo import.

Q: Where can I find information about Senior Schooling imports?
A: Senior Schooling imports are covered in a separate article and video: Importing Senior School data.

Q: My import failed or got stuck. Where do I start?
A: See Import Troubleshooting for a step-by-step guide on resolving validation errors, using the Import Helper for diagnostic logs, resetting a stuck import queue, and cleaning up incorrect data.

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