ALiS Certification Import | PowerSchool ERP Compliance

Use the VT - ALiS Certification Import page to import certification and endorsement data from the Automated License Issuance System (ALiS) state system.

ALiS is an online licensing system that allows educators to apply for licensure in Vermont.

Import Process Overview

The import process performs the following steps:

The system retrieves the import file from the SFTP location. The file must be named Curr_Lic_Eds_End_Limits_<datestamp> to be recognized.

Existing certification and endorsement records for active employees are deleted. Terminated employees' certification and endorsement data are not deleted.

New certification and endorsement data are imported from the ALiS file. Only certification records with a status of ACT or UDR are imported.

Employee Matching

Active employees are matched to the imported file using all three of the following criteria:

The employee's State Staff ID matches the Educator ID in the import file.
The employee's Last Name matches the Last Name in the import file.
The employee's First Name matches the First Name in the import file.

Only records where all three fields match are imported. After importing certification and endorsement data, the Certifications/Licenses and Endorsements - Certification pages are updated.

During the import process, existing certification and endorsement records for active employees are deleted and replaced with the data from the ALiS import file. Terminated employees' certification and endorsement data are not affected. Because the import process deletes and re-imports all data for active employees, any manual edits made to certification or endorsement records will be overwritten the next time the import runs. Manual changes should be made in the ALiS state system to ensure they persist across imports.

Select Human Resources from the main navigation menu, then select State. Select ALiS Certification Import.

Prerequisites

Select Certification Required on the Job Class page if you want the number of employees with missing certification data to be reported.
Select one or more days in the Recurrence section on the VT - ALiS Certification Import - Setup - Schedule Task page.
Ensure that SFTP connection credentials (Hostname, User ID, Password, and Server Fingerprint) have been configured by the system administrator. These credentials are securely stored and are required for the system to connect to the ALiS state SFTP server. Contact your system administrator or PowerSchool if the SFTP connection has not been configured.
Ensure the ALiS import file (Curr_Lic_Eds_End_Limits_<datestamp>) is available in the configured SFTP location before running or scheduling the import.

The import process deletes all existing certification and endorsement records for active employees before importing new data. Ensure the import file contains current and complete data before running the import. Terminated employees' certification and endorsement records are not affected by this process.

Security

The connection to the ALiS state SFTP server is secured using the following measures:

Server Fingerprint Validation: The system validates the SFTP server fingerprint during each connection to ensure data is retrieved from the authentic ALiS server.
Secure Credential Storage: SFTP service account credentials (Hostname, User ID, Password, and Server Fingerprint) are encrypted and securely stored in the system database.
Connection Event Logging: Failed SFTP authentication and connection attempts are logged for security monitoring and troubleshooting purposes.

Setup

Schedule Task

Use the VT - ALiS Certification Import - Setup - Schedule Task page to configure the scheduled tasks required to import certification data from the ALiS state system.

Select Setup, then Schedule Task.
Refer to Field Descriptions and fill out the information.
Select Submit, then Yes.

Field Descriptions

Field Name	Description
Task Description	Enter a description for the scheduled task.
Status	Indicates if the scheduled task is active or inactive. Move the slider to activate or deactivate the task.
Scheduled Start Date	Select the start date for the scheduled task. This field is enabled when the Status is set to active.
Time	Enter the start time for the scheduled task. This field is enabled when the Status is set to active.
Recurrence	Select the days on which the scheduled task should run. These fields are enabled when the Status is set to active.

Find Tasks

On the VT - ALiS Certification Import page, you can filter records by the appropriate criteria.
To enter filter criteria, select an option from the list, then enter a keyword, or you can select an option in the following field, then select Add.

Column Descriptions

The following are the columns on the VT - ALiS Certification Import page:

Column Name	Description
Task Description	Displays the Task Description from the VT - ALiS Certification Import - Setup - Schedule Task page.
Scheduled start date	Displays the Scheduled Start Date and Time from the VT - ALiS Certification Import - Setup - Schedule Task page.
Actual start date	Displays the actual date and time when the scheduled task was executed.
End date	Displays the date and time when the scheduled task was completed.
Status	Displays the status of the scheduled task. The statuses are: Waiting: The task has not been executed yet. In Progress: The task is being executed. Succeeded: The task was successfully executed. Failed: The task was executed, but did not complete. If the failure is due to an SFTP connection issue (such as failed authentication or a connection error), a dedicated error log file is generated. Contact your system administrator to review the SFTP error log for diagnostic details.
Run by	Displays the ID of the user who initiated the task execution.
Report	Click the icon to download a .pdf file of the Import Summary report for tasks. The Summary report mentions: The number of employees with missing certification data. The number of employees with expired certifications. If records have missing issue and expiration dates for Certifications and Endorsements. The number of certification and endorsement records deleted for active employees during the import process. The number of records imported from the ALiS file. Any employees who were skipped due to a mismatch in Educator ID, Last Name, or First Name.

Run Now

Use the Run Now option to begin the import process without waiting for the task to start at the scheduled time.

File Validation: The import process requires the file named Curr_Lic_Eds_End_Limits_<datestamp> to be present in the SFTP location. If the latest file is not found but a previously imported file exists, the process uses the available file. Only the three most recent files (n-3) are retained in the intermediate download folder.

Locking: While the import process is running (deleting and reimporting records), manual updates to the Certifications/Licenses page are locked. If a user attempts to add or update certification data during the import, the system displays the error message: "Certification data update is in Progress." The lock is released when the import process completes.

You can also use this option to run a task with the Status set to inactive on the VT - ALiS Certification Import - Setup - Schedule Task page