CSV Event Import Formatting Guidelines banner

CSV Event Import Formatting Guidelines

There are strict requirements to import events into 25Live using the events.csv service. Please ensure that your CSV file meets all the requirements below.

CSV Templates

Consider using the following attachments as a starting or reference point for creating a properly formatted CSV file:

The Excel template is formatted as text to avoid issues with automatic date/time formatting. Be sure to save it in .csv format before uploading.

Warning: Check Your Date Format

When opening the CSV file in Microsoft Excel, it is likely that the date and time columns will be automatically converted to a different format. If that is the case, please updated the format to YYYY-MM-DD and HH:MM:SS format as described below before saving your changes.

Formatting Guidelines

  • All data column headers found in the attached template must be included, with no omissions or change in order.
  • Enter your data with one row per event with its own EVENT_ID, unless the event has multiple segments (also known as "profiles" or "meeting patterns").
    • Each profile needs its own row with the same EVENT_ID and a different PROFILE_ID.
  • All values must be in text format between the commas which separate the columns. If you need to use a comma in the data itself (such as part of an event description), you may surround the text with double quotes.
  • Some columns (marked in bold) are required. You may omit data in any other column by not putting anything between the commas.
    • Example: 34621,2022 Commencement Address,,,,Ceremony...
  • Some columns (such as categories and locations) allow multiple values. These must be separated with the vertical bar character ("|"). You may not use a vertical bar as part of an event name or any other data.
    • Example: Academic|Calendar|Open to the Public
  • Location sharing is supported by specifying :shared after the location name (no spaces around the colon)
  • Some columns (such as event type, categories, and locations) must match 25Live data. Spelling must be an exact match. (It is not case-sensitive.)
  • Start and end time may be on different dates (for events that span midnight) but may not be separated by more than 24 hours.
  • Unless otherwise noted, text fields don't have character limits.
  • Required date format is YYYY-MM-DD, e.g. 2021-01-18
  • Required time format is HH:MM:SS in 24-hour time, e.g. 14:30:00
  • Beware of "helpful" automatic date/time formatting in applications like Excel. Format columns as plain text to ensure you are using YYYY-MM-DD and HH:MM:SS.

Example

Click below to see an example that contains two events, each with two segments.

EVENT_ID,EVENT_NAME,EVENT_TITLE,DESCRIPTION,INTERNAL_NOTES,EVENT_TYPE,PRIMARY_ORGANIZATION,REG_HEADCOUNT,EXP_HEADCOUNT,CATEGORIES,INSTRUCTOR,SCHEDULER,REQUESTOR,PROFILE_ID,PROFILE_NAME,FIRST_OCCURRENCE_DATE,PRE_EVENT_TIME,START_TIME,END_TIME,POST_EVENT_TIME,REPEATING_RULE,ADHOC_DATES,LOCATION,BOUND_PROFILE_ID,RELATED_EVENT_ID,CUSTOM_ATTRIBUTES

1,Event Name 1,Event Title,<p><strong>Bold Event Description</strong></p>,Event Internal Notes,Routes Uniquely,COLLEGENET,10,20,UGRD,beckham@school.edu,julie@school.edu,angela@school.edu,1,Segment_1,2020-09-08,60,17:00:00,18:00:00,60,D1 20200910T235959-0700,,,,2,Accl boolean:1|Accl url:knowledge25.collegenet.com

1,Event Name 1,Event Title,<p><strong>Bold Event Description</strong></p>,Event Internal Notes,Routes Uniquely,COLLEGENET,10,20,UGRD,beckham@school.edu,julie@school.edu,angela@school.edu,2,Segment_2,2020-09-15,,19:00:00,20:00:00,,,,,4,,Accl boolean:1|Accl url:knowledge25.collegenet.com

2,Event Name 2,Event Title,<p><strong>Bold Event Description</strong></p>,Event Internal Notes,Routes Uniquely,COLLEGENET,10,20,UGRD,beckham@school.edu,julie@school.edu,angela@school.edu,3,Segment_3,2020-09-08,60,17:00:00,18:00:00,60,D1 20200910T235959-0700,,,,1,Accl boolean:1|Accl url:knowledge25.collegenet.com

2,Event Name 2,Event Title,<p><strong>Bold Event Description</strong></p>,Event Internal Notes,Routes Uniquely,COLLEGENET,10,20,UGRD,beckham@school.edu,julie@school.edu,angela@school.edu,4,Segment_4,2020-09-15,,19:00:00,20:00:00,,,,,2,,Accl boolean:1|Accl url:knowledge25.collegenet.com

Additional Notes

Working With Spreadsheets (Excel)

You can use Microsoft Excel or a similar application to read and write CSV files. Click File > Save as... and choose a CSV extension when saving your work.

Be careful when you do this, as some applications (especially Excel) may not convert the file format in ways you expect. After you save, open your CSV file in a plain text editor to make sure it looks okay.

Some things to look out for:

  • Make sure that the date and time are written in the correct format.
  • Make sure that double quotes have not been added or removed unexpectedly.

Previous Template Versions

The original version of the import process only allowed events to have a single segment. The current version (with the template linked above) supports events with multiple segments, but has additional columns that are not found in the original.

If you previously downloaded the original template then uploading CSV files in that format is still supported, but we recommend you begin using the new template as soon as possible.

Data Column Headers

  • Fields marked in BOLD are required. 
  • Multiples Allowed - Multiple data elements may be uploaded at once. Each data element must be separated by a vertical bar (|).
  • Must Match - The data in this field must match existing 25Live data.

Column

Description

Multiples Allowed

Must Match

Example

EVENT_ID

Unique identifier of the event. If the imported event has an ID you can enter it here and it will be used in 25Live as an alien event identifier. The Event ID will be given a "CSV-" prefix to indicate the source of the imported event, and to guarantee uniqueness in 25Live.

If you use an ID value that already exists for an event in 25Live, the import will overwrite that event rather than creating a new one.



Imported value: ID-23441A

becomes

25Live ALIEN UID value:
CSV-ID-23441A

EVENT_NAME Short name of the event (40 character limit).

Sailing Lesson - Level IV
EVENT_TITLELong name of the event (120 character limit per database and testing).

Sailing Lesson IV: USCG Master Inland / Mate Near Coastal
DESCRIPTIONDescription of the event. The description is most commonly displayed on public calendars and accepts HTML & CSS.

Learn the ins and outs of inland and coastal cruising with the Jonas Grumby Skipper (aka the Skipper from Gilligan's Island)
INTERNAL_NOTESInternal communication between schedulers; not meant to be read by outside parties.

Last time these lessons happened, Jonas had a bit of trouble navigating. Let's make sure we assign a GPS Resource and that Jonas has this on the boat prior to leaving.
EVENT_TYPE Type of event. See Event Types in 25Live
X

Academic event type:  Section

Special Events event type:  Meeting

PRIMARY_ORGANIZATION 

Any department, campus group, community organization, or other entity that uses 25Live for scheduling or event planning, or that sponsors campus events. This field is used to route imported events to the correct folder in your 25Live event structure.

PRIMARY_ORGANIZATION value must be the 25Live Organization Name.

The PRIMARY_ORGANIZATION becomes a required import data field if the 25Live Cabinet-Folder event structure has multiple folders (for example, a "Special Events" Cabinet with "Administrative Events," "External Events," and "Student Events" folders, and the 25Live Organizations are attached to specific folders).


X

Athletics


REG_HEADCOUNTNumber of attendees registered for the event. This is most commonly used for academic courses.

7
EXP_HEADCOUNTNumber of expected attendees for the event.

30
CATEGORIESEvent groupings that apply to the event. Categories allow for easy searching and grouping of events. XXAcademic|Calendar|Open to the Public
INSTRUCTOREmail address of the instructor of the event. Most commonly, events with an instructor are being imported from an SIS.
Xname@school.edu
SCHEDULEREmail address of the person scheduling the event. To match, there must be a 25Live contact with (at minimum) last name and same email address.
Xname@school.edu
REQUESTOREmail address of the person requesting the event. To match, there must be a 25Live contact with (at minimum) last name and same email address.
Xname@school.edu
PROFILE_ID

Unique identifier of the event profile (aka "segment"). Each event has at least one segment in 25Live.

To create an event with multiple segments, use a separate row for each segment with its own PROFILE_ID and the same EVENT_ID.

This may not match any other PROFILE_ID in the 25Live database.



ID-12345
PROFILE_NAMEShort name for the segment (40 character limit). If this is not specified, the event ID is used.

Welcome Speech, Breakfast, Registration Table
FIRST_OCCURRENCE_DATE 

First date the event takes place. Use YYYY-MM-DD format.

If importing events with ad hoc dates, this field is NOT required and should not be used. Events with only a single occurrence (ie, final exams) should be treated as ad hoc.



2021-09-26


PRE_EVENT_TIMETime prior to the event. This time is often used to gather attendees or to set expectations for the event. Must be entered as an integer representing minutes (for example 90 for 1.5 hours).

90
START_TIME Time when the event starts. Use HH:MM:SS in 24-hour format.

For 8 am:  08:00:00

For 8 pm:  20:00:00

END_TIME 

Time when the event ends. Use HH:MM:SS in 24-hour format.

Note: If the END_TIME is before the START_TIME we assume that the END_DATE occurs on the next calendar date, i.e. the event spans midnight.



For 11 am:  11:00:00

For 11 pm:  23:00:00

POST_EVENT_TIMETime after the event. This time is often used to clean up or to allow attendees to comfortably exit. Must be entered as an integer representing minutes (for example,  90 for 1.5 hours).

120
REPEATING_RULE

Tells 25Live how to build an event that repeats in a regular pattern. Uses a subset of standard repeating rule nomenclature. If using Ad Hoc Dates, this field should be left blank. Repeating rules are defined as follows:

Common Repetition Types:

  • D - Daily
  • W - Weekly
  • MP - Monthly by Position
  • MD - Monthly by Date
     

Repetition Intervals

  • Denoted by integers (i.e. 1,2,3,...)
     

Days of the Week Abbreviations:

  • SU, MO, TU, WE, TH, FR, SA

Ending the Repetition:

  • With an end date in YYYYMMDD format (eg 20160615), or
  • With a number of repetitions (#5, #8)


Every Day for 5 Days...
D1 #5

Every Third Day, repeated 10 times...
D3 #10

Weekly on Sunday until Dec. 23, 2021...
W1 SU 20211223

Weekly on Monday/Wednesday/Friday for 16 Weeks...
W1 MO WE FR #16

Every other Tuesday/Thursday until Oct. 1, 2016...
W2 TU TH 20161001

Every Second Tuesday Every Month for 12 Months...
MP1 2+ TU #12

Monthly on the 2nd and 15th for 6 Months...
MD1 2 15 #6

ADHOC_DATES

Tells 25Live how to build an event that repeats on ad hoc dates.

  • If using Repeating Rule, this field should be left blank. 
  • If using Ad hoc dates, using FIRST_OCCURRENCE_DATE field is not recommended.
  • Events with only a single occurrence should have the date of that occurrence entered here.
     

If both the ADHOC_DATES field and the FIRST_OCCURENCE_DATE field are used, the first occurrence date is treated as an additional ad hoc date.

X

2021-04-23|2022-09-26

LOCATIONS

Location(s) where the event will be held.

Indicate that a location assignment should be shared by entering :shared immediately after the location name (without spaces around the colon).

You may also use :unshared but this will be assumed as the default if not explicitly specified.

XXDOCK-220:shared|ISLAND-100:shared
BOUND_PROFILE_IDProfile ID's of segments on other events that are required to have the same location(s) as the current segment/profile. If indicated, these segments will be bound, meaning that location assignments are the same for all of them.X
ID-12345
RELATED_EVENT_IDEvent ID's of related events. 25Live Related Events functionality lets you specify that certain events are related by “content” in a way that is significant to your school’s business practices, but not enforced by the system. Related events must be indicated by EVENT_ID from among other events imported via this process. See Creating Related Events in 25LiveX
ID-44811C|ID-14401J
CUSTOM_ATTRIBUTES

Additional data elements you want to track about events. Different data types are allowed depending on the data source. Multiple custom attributes may be added, but all must be included between their respective commas, then separated by a vertical bar, e.g. ...,"High Risk?:Y|Past Attendance:45|Send Calendar?:N",...

For more information about the data types allowed, see Adding and Editing Custom Attributes In 25Live

XX

High Risk?:Y|Past Attendance:45