# Advanced Options # Adding Counselors or other non Teachers to your event **Q**: *Our counselors don't have specific student groups assigned in Blackbaud. Can we mass-import a custom list of "counselors” (teachers),* *as well as class-teacher and class-student associations, into pickAtime?* --- Yes, you can achieve this by using the pickAtime Importer to bypass the standard Blackbaud SKY API sync. This allows you to manually define counselor-student relationships. #### **Step 1: Adjust Your Settings** To allow manual imports while using Blackbaud, you must first disable the automated sync: - Navigate to Global Setup / Business. - In the Single Sign On section, uncheck the box labeled "Use SKY API, Importer.". #### **Step 2: Prepare Your Data Files** You will need to create and import three Tab-delimited text file (\*.txt or \*.tsv):
**File Type** **Requirement** **Key Instruction**
[Teacher file](https://pickatime.com/help/TeacherFile.html) List of Counselors Use their BlackbaudID as the TeacherID.
[Class file](https://pickatime.com/help/ClassFile.html) "Counselor Classes" Create a unique ClassID (e.g., smith\_counselor) and ClassName (e.g. Counselor John Smith) for each counselor.
[Enrollment file](https://pickatime.com/help/EnrollmentFile.html) Student Rosters Use the ClassID from Step 2 and the StudentID from Blackbaud to link them.
#### **Step 3: Run the Import** 1. Go to the Importer page. 2. Set Data Type to "School". 3. Select your specific event from the Event dropdown. 4. Upload the files one by one in this order: Teacher → Class → Enrollment. 5. Click Select File and Import for each. #### **Step 4: Verification** Once the imports are complete, open your event in the Admin UI and navigate to the Class Editor. Here, you can verify that the counselors are correctly linked to their assigned students. --- Note: Because you are unchecking the "Use SKY API Importer" box, ensure that any other automated data syncs you rely on won't be negatively impacted during this manual process. Once you complete the import of the data files, you can activate the ‘Use SKY API Importer’ again. # Admissions Importing and Events To import contacts with the roles **Parent of Candidate** and **Parent of Incoming Student**, select the **Admission Event** import option. > **Note:** No specific event needs to be selected for this import type — it brings parent contact records into your **entire school vendor account**, not a single event. Once you complete the initial import, this data will **sync automatically every day**. > **Roles included:** This import brings in contacts with the roles **Parent of Candidate** and **Parent of Incoming Student**. # Other Event Scheduling While pickAtime is most commonly used by Blackbaud schools for parent-teacher conferences, the platform is flexible enough to handle a wide range of other event types — for example: school tours, admissions interviews, counseling appointments, summer school registration, career fairs, teacher training, volunteer sign-ups, college rep visits, iPad/laptop checkout appointments, shadow student visit days, uniform fittings, senior photos, and parent surveys. For these use cases, pickAtime offers two event types: - **Normal** - **Roster** --- #### "Just for Admins" Events (Blackbaud Schools) For any event type, Blackbaud-integrated schools have access to a special **"Just for Admins"** option. **To enable it:** Go to **Event Management / Settings / UI Setup**, and check the box at the bottom labeled **"Display CUI as the default page for Admins after the login process."** > ⚠️ **Important:** Enabling this option makes the event visible to **Admins only** — it will **not** be available to regular parent users. # SSO - Directing Parents to a Predetermined Event You can route parents directly to a specific event — for example, showing Grade 9 parents only the **Grade 9 Counseling** event, and Grade 10 parents only the **Grade 10 Counseling** event. This works by importing a **parent file** that links each parent to one (or more) **EventID(s)**. When that parent logs in, they'll only see the event(s) they've been assigned. --- #### Step 1: Create the Parent File Your parent file must include the following columns:
FieldDescription
**ParentID**Unique identifier for the parent
**First**Parent's first name
**Last**Parent's last name
**Email**Parent's email address (one only)
**EventID**The event(s) this parent should have access to
**Finding your EventID(s):** Go to **Reports / Account Reports / Settings**. This report lists the unique EventID for each event on your account. **For multiple events per parent:** Separate EventIDs with a semicolon, **no spaces** — e.g., `28972x;28973x`. Parents with multiple EventIDs will see a drop-down letting them toggle between their assigned events. **Example file:**
ParentIDFirstLastEmailEventID
29786SallyJones28972X
27856BobWilliamson28973X
--- #### Step 2: Temporarily Disable Blackbaud Import > ⚠️ **Required before importing this file:** 1. Go to **Global Setup / Business / Show Advanced Options / Single Sign On Options / Blackbaud**. 2. Remove the **School System Login/ID**. > After completing your import (Step 3 below), **restore** your School System Login/ID. --- #### Step 3: Import the File 1. Select **Importer** from the left-hand dashboard. 2. Set **Data Type** to **"School."** 3. Select your event from the **Event** drop-down. 4. Set **File Type** to **"Parents (optional)."** 5. Click **Select File**, choose your parent file, and click **Open**. 6. Click **Import**. --- #### Result Once imported (and your School System Login/ID is restored), parents will be automatically directed to the correct event(s) when they log in. --- ### Category Options If you're using **Category Sort** for Prospective and Current parents, pickAtime offers a dedicated setup option: Go to **Global Setup / Contacts / Advanced Options / Setup Parents Category** — a multi-select drop-down for event categories, letting you assign each section its own **CategoryID**. # Types of Parents within your pickatime account Parents are categorized differently in **Contacts**, depending on their relationship to the school:
**Type****Typically used for**
**Current Parent**Parent-Teacher Conferences
**Prospective Parent**Interview-like events (admissions, etc.)
**Note:** The **Prospective** import parent type includes Blackbaud's roles **Parent of Candidate** and **Parent of Incoming Student**.
### **Helping Prospective Parents Access Their Events** Parents with the roles **Parent of Candidate** or **Parent of Incoming Student** don't have [access to the Resource Board](https://kb.blackbaud.com/knowledgebase/Article/109627) by default. To reach them, you'll need to use Blackbaud's **Smart Tuition SSO**, placed either in the **Admissions Progress Text Box** or as a **Checklist Step**. #### **Prerequisite: Accessing Admissions Setup** To configure this, you'll need the **Admissions Manager** role in Blackbaud.

⚠️ After this role is applied to your account, you must **log out and log back in** for it to take effect.

##### **Option A: Add the SSO Link to the Admissions Progress Text Box** 1. In **Enrollment Management**, go to **Admissions → Admissions Setup**. 2. Select **Candidate Progress Text**, and write the message you'd like to show to Parents of Candidates/Incoming Students. 3. Highlight the text you want to hyperlink, then click the **hyperlink** button. 4. Paste in your SSO URL — found under **Core / Security / Authenticate Settings / SSO Settings** *(see steps 3–6 of SSO Setup)*. 5. Save your message. 6. 💡 **Customizing link color:** There's no built-in color option. Instead, open the **Source Code viewer** (the **`<>`** button, top-left) and add `style="color: red;"` inside the link tag:
```html Text visible to Parents of Candidate ``` ##### **Testing this setup:** 1. In **Core**, under your account name, select **Impersonate User**. 2. Choose a user with **only** the role **Parent of Candidate** or **Parent of Incoming Student**. 3. Confirm the new message and link appear correctly. #### **Option B: Add the pickAtime Link as a Checklist Step** 1. In **Enrollment Management**, go to **Admissions → Admissions Setup**. 2. Select **Checklists**. 3. Click **Edit** on the checklist you want to modify. 4. Locate the relevant stage, then click **Add Step**. 5. Fill out the form: **Type**, **Name**, **Due Date**, **Staff Assigned**, whether it's **Required**, and select **Yes** under **Candidate Publishing Options**. 6. Add a **Step Name** and **Description**, then paste your SSO URL — found under **Core / Security / Authenticate Settings / SSO Settings** *(see steps 3–6 of SSO Setup)*. An image is optional. 7. Click **Show Details**, then **Save**. 8. If this change affects existing candidates, you'll be prompted to update which candidates should have access. 9. Once confirmed, the step will appear in the relevant candidates' checklists. ##### **Testing this setup:** 1. In **Core**, under your account name, select **Impersonate User**. 2. Choose a user with **only** the role **Parent of Candidate** or **Parent of Incoming Student**. 3. Confirm the step appears in that student's checklist.