Topic 43 - Importing and Exporting Data - How to give files to another person
In many regions, schools/programs manage their own Connecting Activities data and provide that data regularly to the WIB office. Topics 42-44 in the database manual describe this flow of data.
At the school/program office:
At the school or program office, the program coordinator will enter data, and periodically provide a copy to the WIB office. Data may be provided:
- On a memory stick, CD or other media
- Or via email
COPYING FILES TO A MEMORY STICK:
If you use a memory stick, CD or other media, it is best and easiest to provide the entire folder. This year, the program is kept in a folder called MassSTW2008, which generally resides on your C:\ drive, unless you placed it somewhere else.
To copy the folder to a memory stick:
- Exit from the database, using the Exit button on the main menu
- Click or double click on the “My Computer” icon on your Desktop or Start menu
- Navigate to the C:\ drive
- Look at the list of folders on your C:\ drive and notice MassSTW2008
- Right click on the MassSTW2008 folder and choose COPY from the popup menu
- Now navigate to the drive that is your memory stick (usually D:\ or E:\ or F:\ or some other letter)
- Double click to browse the contents of the memory stick
- Right click and choose “Paste” from the popup menu
- You will see the folder appear in the contents of your memory stick.
- To check to see if the copy-and-paste worked, you can double click to open the MassSTW2008 folder and see that there are lots of files in the folder.
- Troubleshooting – sometimes people use “Send to” or “Drag and Drop” when trying to copy a folder to another drive, but instead create a shortcut when they meant to copy the whole folder. That’s why it’s good to look in the folder to make sure that the folder is really there, and contains a set of files, and is not just a shortcut
- Also – Sometimes people store the database in a network folder instead of the C:\ drive. That’s fine! When you share data with the WIB office, just copy from the MassSTW2008 folder that is in your network folder. If you have named the folder something else, that’s okay, but be sure to remember the name. But it’s good to keep the name “MassSTW2008” just so it’s easy to remember and find.
SENDING VIA EMAIL:
If you email files, you should email just the 4-7 files that are needed for reporting. These files are:
- Activity.skl (required)
- Employer.skl (required)
- STW.skl (required)
- MCASScores.skl (required)
- AllPlans.skl (optional/recommended)
- Contacts.skl (optional/recommended)
- Scontacts.skl (optional/recommended)
Ask your WIB office for a list of files they want to receive.
- The first four – Activity, Employer, STW and MCASScores are required for the Connecting Activities quarterly reports, and are therefore required.
- The AllPlans file contains copies of Work-Based Learning Plans, if you used the database to enter and store plans, and is recommended.
- The Contacts file contains names of supervisors and other employer contact people, and is useful for mailing lists, marketing, and other projects.
- The Scontacts file contains names of school-based personnel, including the names of career specialists who manage placements and the names of teachers or other staff who participate in teacher externships or other professional development, if you use the database to capture this information.
To send an email with these files attached:
- Exit from the database, using the Exit button on the Main Menu
- Open your email program
- Start an email to the contact person at the WIB office
- Use “Insert” or “Attach” to attach a file to the email. You’ll be prompted to browse for your files. You’ll find the files in C:\MassSTW2008.
Repeat as needed until you have attached all the files that you need to attach.