Use this article as the general SIS troubleshooting entrance when an established integration has an exception. If the district uses Aeries, go directly to Aeries–SIRAS Troubleshooting: Diagnose Integration Problems for Aeries-specific logs, completion emails, contact issues, exits, and Special Ed Data Import problems.
If the Aeries integration is live and staff are performing the normal recurring review of scheduled completion emails and SIRAS API evidence, use Aeries–SIRAS Production Monitoring: Review Scheduled Imports & Results. Use troubleshooting only after the review finds something missing, failed, unmatched, unexpected, or otherwise abnormal.
Determine what actually happened, identify which system is authoritative for the field, correct the source when necessary, rerun the appropriate process, and verify the result.
What Are You Seeing?
| We use Aeries and something failed or looks wrongAeries → SIRAS API issues, SIRAS → Aeries Special Ed Data Import problems, completion emails, contacts, exits, and Aeries-specific configuration. | SFTP will not connectTimeout, authentication, host, port, folder, or firewall problem. |
| File-based SIS data did not reach SIRASDemographic/contact source files, scheduled imports, or expected students did not process as expected. | SIRAS data did not reach a non-Aeries SISSpecial Education, service, 504, or exit export information did not reach or process in the receiving SIS. |
| A student did not match or was duplicatedReview SSID, Local Student ID, name/DOB, source rows, transfer records, and ambiguous matches. | The job ran, but values look wrongVerify the authoritative source before changing data or introducing a mapping exception. |
Contents
| Identify the Direction & EvidenceKnow which job you are troubleshooting before changing anything. | SFTP Connection ProblemsManual access, credentials, firewall, and automation. |
| File-Based SIS → SIRASSource files, scheduled imports, source population, and evidence. | SIRAS → Non-Aeries SISSeparate SIRAS file creation, file retrieval, and receiving-SIS processing. |
| Matching & IdentifiersResolve unmatched, duplicate, and ambiguous records safely. | Unexpected Values & MappingCorrect the authoritative source or document a confirmed local exception. |
| Credentials, URLs & Configuration ChangesRetest after technical or district configuration changes. | Information to Send SIRAS SupportProvide enough evidence to investigate without emailing credentials. |
| Related Setup & Reference ArticlesReturn to the correct implementation, monitoring, or reference owner. | Aeries TroubleshootingUse the dedicated Aeries troubleshooting workflow when the district uses Aeries. |
Identify the Direction and the Evidence from That Job
A single district may have several independent integration jobs. A successful demographic import does not prove that contacts, SIRAS exports, or the receiving SIS import also worked.
| Direction / process | Typical data | Primary evidence / next owner |
|---|---|---|
| Aeries → SIRAS | Demographics, enrollment, school, grade, identifiers, language, and contacts when enabled. | Aeries–SIRAS Troubleshooting; use the current api_import_log.csv from Scheduled Task Logs. |
| File-based SIS → SIRAS | District demographic and/or contact files. | The exact source file delivered for that run plus the applicable SIRAS scheduled-task/import result. |
| SIRAS → Aeries | Special Education student and service information from tableA.csv and tableB.csv. |
Aeries–SIRAS Troubleshooting; use the Aeries Special Ed Data Import completion email and attached reports. |
| SIRAS → other SIS | Special Education, services, and/or 504 data. | Presence of the expected SIRAS export file plus the receiving SIS's retrieval/import result. |
| SFTP connection | Secure file/credential exchange and scheduled file retrieval. | A manual SFTP connection test using Article 525, followed by the automated process result. |
For an existing student, Student History and the student's Last Import Date may provide additional context. A missing job/log points toward a process or connection issue; a current import date with one unexpected field usually points toward source data, field authority, configuration, or mapping.
SFTP Connection, Timeout or File-Access Problems
Use SIRAS SFTP: Secure File Exchange & Connection Settings as the canonical connection guide. Before troubleshooting an automated SIS job, prove whether the same district SFTP account can connect manually using the current settings in Article 525.
- Confirm the protocol is SFTP.
- Confirm the server and port supplied by SIRAS.
- Confirm the username and current SFTP password.
- Try a manual SFTP connection.
- If the client waits, times out, or cannot reach the host before authentication, involve district IT/network staff and review outbound firewall access to the SIRAS SFTP server and port documented in Article 525.
- If manual access works but the automated SIS job does not, compare the automated job's protocol, server, port, username, password, directory, schedule, and network environment with the connection that worked manually.
Manual SFTP access should work before returning to credential delivery, file-based imports, or a scheduled SIS retrieval/import configuration.
File-Based SIS → SIRAS Problems
Confirm the process actually ran
- Was the expected source file available?
- Did the scheduled task/import run at the expected time?
- Was a current SIRAS import result or log created?
- Did credentials, file names, hosting, firewall rules, schools, or schedules recently change?
Confirm the student was present in the exact source
Common reasons a student is absent include a different academic-year source, an excluded school/status, an inactive source record, or a source query/file that did not include the student.
Correct the SIS, source query, file population, or vendor configuration first.
Use Data Import: Demographics from SIS to SIRAS for the file-based demographic specification and Data Import: Contact Data from SIS to SIRAS for contact-file requirements. For implementation/setup rather than troubleshooting, use File-Based SIS Integration: Implementation Guide.
SIRAS → Non-Aeries SIS Problems
Separate file creation, file retrieval, and SIS processing
- Confirm the expected SIRAS export file was created.
- Confirm the expected file is visible in the district SFTP location.
- Confirm the receiving SIS retrieved it.
- Confirm the receiving SIS actually processed it.
- Identify the completion report, rejected-row report, or error file that proves the receiving-system result.
For SIRAS export populations, files, and field specifications, use Data Export: Special Education and Section 504 Data from SIRAS to SIS.
File creation, file retrieval, and receiving-system processing are separate checkpoints.
If the receiving system is Aeries, use Aeries–SIRAS Troubleshooting: SIRAS → Aeries Problems instead.
Student Matching, Identifiers & Duplicate Prevention
Depending on the integration, matching can involve SSID, Local Student ID, legal name, birthdate, district/school/site codes, or vendor-specific identifiers.
| Result | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Exact match | The intended student can be updated. |
| No match | The record may be created only when that workflow is approved; otherwise it is logged/reported for review. |
| Close or ambiguous match | The integration should avoid making an unsafe update or creating a likely duplicate. |
| Duplicate source rows | The SIS/source contains more than one candidate row. |
| Dual enrollment | One row may be processed while another is ignored according to the integration's configuration. |
Before creating anything new, search for an existing Current, Inactive, transferred, renamed, or near-duplicate SIRAS student.
Resolve the identifier/source-row question first.
The Job Ran, but Values Look Wrong
Determine which system owns the field
| Information | Common authority |
|---|---|
| District enrollment, school, grade, general demographics | Usually the SIS. |
| Contacts / Educational Rights Holder information | Usually the SIS when automated contact updating is enabled; otherwise the approved local SIRAS workflow. |
| Special Education participation, meetings, plans, services, disability, program information and exits | Usually SIRAS. |
| SSID/enrollment information used for CALPADS | District enrollment/CALPADS processes; coordinate with SEDS and SIS staff. |
Correct the verified authoritative source, rerun the appropriate integration, and confirm the receiving system changes as expected. A manual correction only in the receiving system may be overwritten by the next automated run.
Review mapping only after verifying the source
Common exception areas include grade values, school/site codes, language/EL values, district-specific demographic codes, ignored schools, and multiple program names associated with one physical/CDS site.
Verify the source value and the normal/default behavior first. If the district uses Aeries, use Aeries–SIRAS Troubleshooting and Aeries → SIRAS API Reference: Fields, Defaults & Optional Mapping.
Credentials, URLs, Schedules & Other Integration Changes
| Change | What to do |
|---|---|
| SFTP password changes | Update the approved manual/automated connections that use the account, then retest manually. Use Article 525. |
| Vendor/API credential or base URL changes | Use the vendor-specific implementation/troubleshooting owner and retest the affected connection. For Aeries, use Article 772. |
| Technical or monitoring contacts change | Update SIRAS contacts and any vendor completion-report recipients. |
| School/site structure or local codes change | Review affected mappings/exclusions and test representative records before assuming current configuration still applies. |
| Integration preferences change | Test material changes in Training before enabling them in Production when that testing path is available. |
| District changes SIS product | Contact SIRAS before migration planning/configuration begins. |
Use the district SIRAS SFTP workspace or another secure method approved by SIRAS.
Information to Send SIRAS Support
When the problem remains unresolved, provide enough context to identify the exact job and reproduce the investigation:
- district / LEA;
- SIS or vendor;
- data direction;
- the specific job, file, or API process;
- student SIRAS ID and/or SSID rather than unnecessary student-identifying details in unsecured email;
- date and approximate time of the run;
- whether the problem affects one student, one school, or many records;
- exact error/warning text;
- the applicable SIRAS log, source-file result, SIS completion report, or email;
- the expected value and where that source value was verified;
- Last Import Date when relevant; and
- recent credential, URL, schedule, school, mapping, contact, hosting, or SIS changes.
Email [email protected].
