ClearCompany Learning: Managing Historical Data

When transitioning to a new Learning Management System (LMS), ensuring the continuity of historical data is essential for maintaining records, compliance, and user satisfaction. This article will guide you through the options for managing historical data during a transition period.

In this article:
Historical Data Overview
Historical Data or Recurring Assignments
Options for Transitioning Historical Data
Individually Transitioning Historical Data
F.A.Q
Additional Resources

Historical Data Overview

Historical data refers to past information stored in your Learning platform, such as:

• Course completions and grades
• Attendance records
• User activity logs
• Certificates and transcripts
• Archived discussions or assignments
• Assessment results and feedback

Importing historical data into ClearCompany Learning centralizes the information, providing a single source for organizational and reporting purposes. This creates a holistic record of learner progress and institutional performance.

While transitioning historical data is optional, it is highly recommended for ease of reporting, particularly if your data is not housed in another platform or BI tool. Alternative record-keeping options include exporting the data from the previous system and storing it for external reporting and auditing purposes.

Historical Data or Recurring Assignments

Transitioning Historical Data	Transitioning Recurring Assignments
Historical data includes past course records, grades, attendance, certifications, and learner activity logs. This is typically transitioned for purposes related to tracking, compliance, and reporting.	Recurring assignments are ongoing tasks or assessments set to repeat on a schedule (e.g., weekly quizzes, monthly reports, or annual evaluations). Transitioning these ensures academic and administrative processes continue without interruption.
Use Cases:	Use Cases:
Institutional Reporting & Compliance: To meet legal or accreditation requirements for record-keeping. For audits or government reporting on learner progress and course completion.	Course Continuity When moving to a new LMS mid-semester or mid-year, recurring assignments ensure that ongoing courses can proceed seamlessly.
Continuity of Learner Records: Ensures that students and instructors have access to past grades, completed assignments, certifications, and transcripts.	Standardized Curriculum Implementation: For institutions with standardized assessments or projects (e.g., regular quizzes or capstone projects), recurring assignments automate these requirements in the Learning platform.
Performance Analysis: Allows institutions to review historical trends in course effectiveness or learner progress.	Automation of Routine Tasks: Transferring recurring tasks helps streamline operations, ensuring that instructors and administrators don’t need to manually recreate them in the new system.
Data Archiving: Organizations may transition historical data to preserve institutional memory or for future reference.	Scaling Across Multiple Courses or Programs: Transitioning recurring assignments ensures that templated content like discussion forums, attendance logs, or regular assessments is consistently applied across all courses.
Re-Enrollment Scenarios: When students re-enroll or transfer between institutions, historical data provides continuity in their academic records.	Supporting Hybrid or Online Learning Models: Instructors rely on recurring assignments to structure student engagement, such as weekly discussion posts, formative quizzes, or feedback loops.

Combined Scenarios:

• Migrating Active Courses: Historical data ensures records are intact while recurring assignments allow ongoing courses to continue without disruption.
• Accreditation or Program Audits: Both historical data and recurring assignments are crucial to demonstrate past performance and ongoing instructional practices.
• Student and Faculty Experience: Historical data helps students and faculty access past information while recurring assignments reduce the burden of re-creating essential workflows in the new LMS.

Both types of transitions are essential for ensuring a seamless shift to a Learning platform while maintaining academic and administrative integrity.

Options for Transitioning Historical Data

When transitioning historical data between learning platforms, users can choose between the individual option and the bulk option. The choice depends on the complexity, scale, and purpose of the data being transferred. Here's a breakdown of when to use each:

Individual	Bulk
This method involves manually uploading data for specific users or courses. You would use the individual option when: Specific Records Are Needed: Only certain students, courses, or assignments need to be transferred (e.g., a small group of learners or a specific semester's records). Customization is Required: Individual attention is needed for formatting or handling unique data, such as specific grades, certificates, or special accommodations. Data Quality is a Concern: Ensuring accuracy for each entry is critical, and manual review is required. Small Data Sets: The volume of data is manageable to handle one by one (e.g., for a single class or a small institution).	This method enables administrators to transfer large amounts of historical data simultaneously. You would use the bulk option when: Large Volumes of Data Are Being Transferred: Entire records for an institution, department, or a large number of users need to be moved. Efficiency is a Priority: Automating the transfer process saves time and reduces manual labor. Standardized Data Structure Exists: The data is well-organized, consistently formatted, and can be processed as a batch (e.g., in CSV, XML, or JSON formats). Migration Deadlines Are Tight: There is a need to complete the migration quickly due to time constraints. Less Customization Is Needed: The bulk transfer tool or process can handle most of the data without significant manual intervention.
Key Features Mark training completions for individual users. Useful for manual review and high accuracy.	Key Features Update existing records using a Record ID column. Restricted to top-level administrators for security and consistency.

Individually Transitioning Historical Data

Guide

1. From the administration dashboard, click Learning Objects then click Log Completions.
2. Next to the learning object, click the green + plus button. you can remove the selected objects/users to start a new one.
   
3. Click “next step” in the top right corner.
4. Select the user(s) to log this object as complete by clicking the green +.
5. Click “next step” in the top right corner.
6. Confirm Log Completions:
   1. Review the selection of learning object(s) and user(s) and review the settings below:
      • Actual Completion Date:
        • Time
        • Time Zone
        • Score
        • Seconds Tracked
      • Options:
        • Grant User Access
        • Send Completion Emails
        • Log Steps Complete
        • Insert Action Logs (counts toward badges and points)
      • Additional Options
        • Comments
        • Upload File
7. Click “Confirm Log Completions”.

System Expectations

1. The Log Completion tool will only create new records if there is no other record to complete.
2. For example, if the object is started or assigned it will log that specific learning object complete.
   • If it does not meet either of these criteria the system will create a new completion without fulfilling an outstanding object.
     • If the object is Assigned AND it's also Started in another context, it should Log BOTH of those instances as Complete.
     • If the object is only Assigned, it should just Log that assigned instance Complete.
     • If the object is Started, it should Log that instance as Complete.
     • If the object is NOT started AND NOT assigned, it should create a new non-organic Completion record.

Best Practices

Time Zones	By default, started and completed times will display in the user’s profile time zone on the front end and will display in UTC time zone in the Administration reports. When selecting from the drop-down on the tool users are specifying the time zone of the records that are listed on the current file.
Logging steps complete within a complex object	Complex learning objects include Courses, Curriculum, and Success Track. To log specific steps completed in a complex object: Objects first need to be in "started" status so that there is a recordID associated with the step. Users can use the log completions wizard to log the completion, as long as the step is only 1 layer deep (i.e. ComplexObject StepBeingLogged). If using bulk record import: Navigate to the user records, users will need: The record ID associated with the learning object ID for that step Include a "recordID" column on the bulk record import. This will achieve logging only specific steps complete instead of marking the entire complex object complete.
Update times of existing records option	If the “Update Times” option is selected, any existing system records associated with a batchID on a row in the file will update the times for that record. *This option is only applicable if a batchID is specified (updating assignment status).
Update Completion with new batchID	If a user has a completion, but it is the wrong batch for that assignment you can upload this file to make the change. Be sure to include the recordID of the completion record that needs to have the batch changed along with the new batchID that the user needs for the completion record.

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F.A.Q.

Do objects need to be in the "started" status before logging a completion for a step within a complex object?

Yes, objects must first be in the "started" status to generate a recordID. The recordID serves as a unique identifier, enabling the system to track specific steps within a complex object (such as a course or curriculum). Without this status and recordID:

• The system cannot log completions for individual steps accurately.
• Progress tracking may not align correctly with the associated part of the training hierarchy.

To ensure proper tracking, always confirm that objects are marked as "started" before attempting to log completions for their individual steps.

What errors can occur when transitioning historical data? If so, any troubleshooting steps?

Common Errors:

• Incorrect Template Formatting: Column headers are modified or missing.
• Missing Required Fields: Fields like user ID, object ID, or status are incomplete or invalid.
• Invalid Data: Mismatched user IDs or object IDs that don’t exist in the platform.
• Time Zone Issues: Dates entered in a format that doesn’t align with the platform’s settings.

Troubleshooting Steps:

• Ensure the bulk template matches the provided format and includes all required fields.
Verify that user and object IDs exist in the system. Cross-check date and time formats, ensuring consistency with platform requirements. Review system logs or error messages for specific issues and correct them accordingly.

What is a new non-organic Completion record?

The Log Completion tool will only create new records if there is nothing else to satisfy.

• An Organic completion is when a user logs in and completes the training through the front end of the learning platform.
• A non-organic completion is when an admin user logs a completion (will have a "logged_by value" and "logged_ts" timestamp when running a user records export report).

When should users transition historical data?

Historical completions are typically added during implementation, however, organizations can utilize this tool at any point. Transitioning historical data is used when:

• Importing a file to update existing records.
• Add records to the learning platform from an external source.
• Set up a bulk record import schedule to import completions from another system into the learning platform for a single source of reporting for all training.
• One-off completions that need to be logged, for reporting purposes or audit compliance.

Can historical data be removed from a user profile?

Admin users can delete a logged completion by going to the user's profile and then selecting records. Users will be required to enter their password to complete this action.

Keep in mind:

• The records are listed chronologically.
• If organizations have a double entry, we recommend:
  • Identifying the two objects with the same ObjectID.
  • Delete the object that is incorrect based on recordID.
  • Navigate to the user's smart report and look at their summary to verify that the correct object was deleted.

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Additional Resources

ClearCompany Learning: Bulk Transition Historical Data
ClearCompany Learning: Recurring Assignments Based on Historical Records