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Manage Submissions

(Updated 01/01/2026)

File Upload Essentials
  • All or selected file type Edit roles (e.g. SENR Edit roles)
  • All or selected file type View roles (to view file type details when troubleshooting an error)
  • Student Search (to be able to search a SSID when troubleshooting an error )
  • Comma Separated Value format (CSV) - Files submitted in Comma Separated Value or Caret Separated Value format must not contain a header row. Each record must end with a carriage return and line feed.
  • Caret Separated Value format
  • Extensible Markup Language (XML) format - XML formatted files must utilize the CALPADS XML schema provided in Appendix A of the CALPADS File Specification document. Non required data elements with no value must be included in the data submission.
  • Excel Spreadsheet format (.xlsx) - An Excel Spreadsheet format may contain one row of column names.

Batch File templates are avilable to those LEAs that wish to use an Excel spreadsheet format.

The Manage Submissions feature allows authorized users to submit CALPADS data to the system using batch files. Through this functionality, users can upload files, monitor submission status, review validation results, and ensure that data is successfully posted to the Operational Data Store (ODS).

When a user selects Upload/View Submissions from the left-hand navigation menu, the system presents two primary options:

  • File Upload – Submit one or more batch files to CALPADS for processing.
  • View Submission – Review the status, validation results, and details of previously submitted files.

This section documents the File Upload process, associated business rules, and system behavior in a format consistent with the CALPADS User Manual.

General Submission Workflow

flowchart TD
A[Authorized User Uploads File] --> B[File Placed in Staging Area]
B --> C[System Runs Validations]
C -->|Fatal Errors Found| D[File Status: Rejected]
C -->|No Fatal Errors| E[Data Posted to ODS]
E --> F[File Status: Posted]


classDef start fill:#e3f2fd,stroke:#1e88e5,stroke-width:2px,color:#0d47a1
classDef error fill:#ffebee,stroke:#c62828,stroke-width:2px,color:#b71c1c
classDef success fill:#e8f5e9,stroke:#2e7d32,stroke-width:2px,color:#1b5e20


class A start
class D error
class E,F success

CALPADS Processing Behavior

All uploaded files must pass fatal validations before data can be posted to the Operational Data Store (ODS). Warnings do not prevent posting, but fatal errors will reject the entire file.

Supported Batch File Types

The submission process applies to the following CALPADS batch file types:

  • SSID Enrollment (SENR)
  • Candidate List (SECL)
  • Course Section Enrollment (CRSE)
  • Course Section Completion (CRSC)
  • Postsecondary Status (PSTS)
  • Staff Assignment (SASS)
  • Staff Demographics (SDEM)
  • Student Absence Summary (STAS)
  • Student Career Technical Education (SCTE)
  • Student Course Section Enrollment (SCSE)
  • Student Course Section Completion (SCSC)
  • Student English Language Acquisition (SELA)
  • Student Incident Results (SIRS)
  • Student Incident (SINC)
  • Student Information – All (SINF)
  • Student Offense (SOFF)
  • Student Program (SPRG)
  • Student with Disabilities (SWDS)
  • Special Education Meeting (MEET)
  • Special Education Plan (PLAN)
  • Special Education Services (SERV)
  • Work-Based Learning (WBLR)

Refer to the most recent CALPADS File Specifications for detailed layout and field requirements.

CALPADS File Upload Processing Methods

There are three main processing methods of data in CALPADS:

Transaction Processing

Individual record transactions are submitted and managed using a defined operational key. Records are added/updated using transaction types of “” (empty string), or “ “ (space), or “A” (Add/Update) all of which cause the system to act in the same way. Records are deleted using the transaction type of “D” (Delete). Records are replaced using the transaction type of “R” (Replace) and will only replace if record exists and data has changed for non-operational key fields or insert if record does not exist.

Effective Date Processing

Data are managed in CALPADS using Start and End effective dates. Users can establish start and end dates for specific information. Records are added/updated using transaction types of “” (empty string), or “ “ (space), or “A” (Add/Update). Records are deleted using the transaction type of “D” (Delete). Source data in the LEAs Student Information System does not need effective dates for CALPADS data collection purposes because CALPADS will store the data for an LEA based on effective dates provided in the submission file.

Replacement Processing

Records are processed based on the operational key. Records may be replaced using transaction types of “” (empty string), or “ “ (space), or “R” (Replace) all of which cause invoke the same system behavior. Records may be deleted using the transaction type of “D” (Delete). If the transaction type is “D” (Delete), then all records in CALPADS with the same operational key are deleted even if only one record with that operational key was submitted. Submitted data are processed using the operational key to identify which records will be processed. For batch, all the records in CALPADS with the same operational key are deleted even if only one record with that operational key was submitted and all newly submitted records in the submission with the same operational key or any other operational key are added. For online maintenance, individual records in CALPADS with the same primary key are deleted and replaced.

For batch processing, although the transaction types “” (empty string), “ “ (space), “A” (Add/Update), “R” (Replace), and “D” (Delete) may all be included within the same file submission, CDE does NOT recommend including more than one transaction type per file submission. If more than one transaction type is included in a single file submission, records from ODS (based on the different operational keys for a file type) are compared to records in a file submission and are posted in the following order by transaction type: Delete, Add/Update or “ “ (space), and then Replace. However, there is not an order by transaction type for validation processing. Some validations exclude Delete records whereas others may exclude Replace records. For this reason, it is important to note if an LEA chooses to include more than one transaction type in a single file submission, validations may not trigger as expected.

Record Types and Processing Methods

Each of the CALPADS record types is associated with one of the processing methods identified above. In addition to the processing method, an operational key is identified for each record type. The operational key for each record type is essential for identifying a record or group of records in CALPADS. For the purposes of the CALPADS processing methods, the current Academic Year ID or Academic School Year is based on the processing date. The table below depicts the processing type and operational key for the various CALPADS record types.

Record Type and Processing Table

Number Record Type Processing Type Operational Key
1 SSID Enrollment (SENR) Transaction Processing School of Attendance, SSID, Enrollment Start Date
2 Student Information (SINF) Effective Date Processing SSID, Effective Start Date
3 Student Program (SPRG) Transaction Processing School of Attendance, SSID, Education Program Code, Education Program Membership Start Date, Education Service Academic Year, Education Service Code
7 Staff Demographics (SDEM) Effective Date Processing Reporting LEA, SEID
8 Staff Assignment (SASS) Replacement Processing School of Assignment, Academic Year ID
9 Course Section (CRSE / CRSC) Replacement Processing School of Course Delivery, Academic Year ID, Academic Term Code
10a Student Course Section Enrollment (SCSE) Replacement Processing School of Course Delivery, Academic Year ID, SSID, Academic Term Code
10b Student Course Section Completion (SCSC) Replacement Processing School of Course Delivery, Academic Year ID, SSID, Academic Term Code, Marking Period Code
11 Student Career Technical Education (SCTE) Replacement Processing School of Attendance, Academic Year ID
12 Student English Language Acquisition (SELA) Transaction Processing Reporting LEA, SSID, English Language Acquisition Status Code
13 Student Absence Summary (STAS) Replacement Processing School of Attendance, Academic Year ID
17 Postsecondary Status (PSTS) Replacement Processing Reporting LEA, Academic Year ID, SSID, Education Program Participation Type Code, Postsecondary Status Code
18 Student Incident (SINC) Replacement Processing School of Attendance, Academic Year ID, Incident ID Local
19 Student Incident Result (SIRS) Replacement Processing School of Attendance, Academic Year ID, Incident ID Local
20 Student Offense (SOFF) Replacement Processing School of Attendance, Academic Year ID, Incident ID Local
21 Work-Based Learning (WBLR) Replacement Processing School of Attendance, Academic Year ID
22 Students with Disabilities (SWDS) Transaction Processing Reporting LEA, SSID, Reporting SELPA, Special Education Status Effective Start Date
23 Special Education Plan (PLAN) Effective Date Processing Reporting LEA, SSID, Reporting SELPA, Special Education Plan Effective Start Date
24 Special Education Meetings (MEET) Transaction Processing Reporting LEA, SSID, Reporting SELPA, Special Education Meeting Date, Pending As Of Date
25 Student Services (SSRV) Replacement Processing Reporting LEA, SSID, Reporting SELPA, Plan Effective Start Date
26 Local Educational Agency Program (LEAP) Replacement Processing Reporting LEA, Academic Year ID, LEA Education Program Code

File Upload

The "File Upload” screen features the interface that facilitates the batch file submission process. A user may select files through this interface to submit state reporting data and to post the data in the ODS. The interface allows the user to upload multiple files at a time and to upload the different State Reporting file types in the same upload. The File Name for each file should be significant to the specific data in the file. The system will assign each file being uploaded a unique Job ID. The user will have the option to give each file a user- selected Job Name for easy identification and reference to a group of files or a single file being uploaded.

File Upload Screen

# Screen Label Validation / Business Rules
1 Actions If clicked, the system will display a new row for additional files to be uploaded.
2 File Type This field should contain the corresponding file type for the file the user is selecting to upload to the system.
3 Job Name This field will be populated with the job name of the uploaded file unless the user enters custom text.
4 File Name If clicked, the system displays a dialog box for the user to choose the file to be uploaded.
5 Split File If checked, the system will split the submitted file into smaller files based on business rules defined below this table.
6 Upload Files If clicked, the system will validate the file and either display an error message or the Upload File Results page.


Pending

The Split-file option is a future functionality pending user acceptance testing.

Best Practice

CALPADS recommends grouping related files under a consistent Job Name when submitting multiple files during the same upload session.

Accepted File Formats

The system supports the following file formats:

  • CSV – Comma-separated or caret-separated values
  • XML – Extensible Markup Language
  • Excel – Supported Excel formats, including templates and macro-enabled files

File Specification Compliance

Files that do not strictly adhere to the latest CALPADS File Specifications may fail validation and be rejected.

Job and File Naming

Each uploaded file is automatically assigned a system-generated Job ID. Users may optionally provide a custom Job Name to assist with identifying individual files or groups of files. File names should be descriptive of the data content to facilitate tracking and troubleshooting.

User Interface Rules and System Validations

The system enforces the following rules during file upload:

File name exceeds max limit

If a file name is more than 100 characters, the system will display an error message.

Unsupported file format

If a file format is not .XSLX, .XML, TXT, and .CSV the system will display an error message.

"Supported file types are -- .XLSX, .XML, .TXT, and .CSV. Please select a valid file type."

Duplicate File Name

If a file with the same name is selected more than once in a submission session, the system displays:

"Duplicate File selected. A file can be selected for upload only once."

Non-matching file

If a user selects a File Type that doesn’t match the file type that is uploaded (i.e., Student Enrollment is selected and the file type uploaded is SASS), the system will display the following error message:

“Error: The File Type selected for file ([Insert user’s File Name]) is [Insert file type selected from file upload dropdown list]. It does not match the file type referenced in the file ([Insert file type from file that was upload}) Please select the correct File Type and resubmit. No file was processed.”

Empty File

If a file contains no records, processing stops and the system displays:

"No records found in file, upload has stopped processing."

Retired SSID Handling

If records contain a retired SSID, the system automatically replaces it with the active SSID if the file passes validation and is posted.

Uploading a File


Step 1. From the Left Navigation menu, click on Upload/View Submissions link. Click on File Upload.

Image showing Upload/ File upload link from Left Navigation.

Step 2. The File upload screen will appear where the user can select the file type, indicate the JOB Name and choose the file to upload from a local folder.

Image showing Upload/ File upload link from Left Navigation.

NOTE: By default, the SSID-Enrollment (SENR) file type is selected. However, user can choose a different file from the dropdown. When uploading files that include SENR and some other file type, it is important to upload and poste the SENR first before uploading the next file types.

Step 3. Choose the local file appropriate to the indicated file type. Then click on Upload Files button.

Image showing Upload/ File upload link from Left Navigation.

The system will enforce the following defined user interface rules:

  • If a user uploads a file with a name matching an existing File Name during a submission process, the system will display the following message: “Duplicate File selected. A file can be selected for upload only once.”

  • If a user upload a file with no records, the system will display the following message: “No records found in file, upload has stopped processing.

Step 4. Once the file is uploaded, the user is redirected to the View Submission page where a notification of successful upload appears. Clicking on Apply filter or refreshing the page, reflects the uploaded file under results.

Image showing Upload/ File upload link from Left Navigation.

Multiple File Upload

A user have the ability to upload one or more batch files at once. However, when uploading files that include SENR and some other file type, it is important to upload and post the SENR first to gain ownership of a SSID/student before uploading the next file types.

To upload multiple files, click on Add Additional Files button to bring up another row of file type to add.

File type does not match error

Uploading a Batch Delete File

LEAs can submit a batch file to mass delete incorrect records. However, the records to be deleted must be extracted first from CALPADS to ensure all operational key elements are the same. and used to create a batch file. These steps are not applicable to records generated from the Special Education system.

  1. Request the appropriate file type ODS download extract from CALPADS.

  2. Open the downloaded file in Excel.

  3. Replace record type by deleting the -R (e.g. SENR-R to SENR)

  4. Add a D to the second column (transaction type column)

  5. Download appropriate batch file template.

  6. Copy paste the columns with records to the downloaded batch file template

  7. Save it as .xlsx

  8. Upload and post the records in CALPADS.

  9. Once file shows a "Posted" status, you may re-upload the file with the correct records extracted from your SIS.

Additional Resources

CALPADS File SpecificationsDoc

Chapter Chapter 1.3 provides additional information on job file processing methods and scenarios.