To ensure the CSV file uploads correctly, please review the following tips:

• The file must be a CSV (i.e., comma-separated values) format file. The file downloaded from CIMS originally was in this format. Any other format, such as a full Excel spreadsheet, will not be understood by the system; think of it as a format that speaks a different language than the system. If you have been working in Excel, be sure to save your data as a CSV file and then upload that version to CIMS.


• If you have been working in Excel, keep in mind that Excel tends to change grade spans (e.g., 6-8) into dates (e.g., June 8). You can avoid this by entering a single-quote (') ahead of the grade span (e.g., '6-8). This tells Excel that you would like the content of the cell to be evaluated as text only. Again, be sure to save your data as CSV file when you are ready to upload that version.


• Be sure that any quotation marks used are straight up-and-down single quotes (i.e., ' ). Quotation marks that tilt in one direction or another (aka “curly quotes") cause problems for computer programs and should not be used in your data file.