Data Import: Contact File Specification from SIS to SIRAS

Aug 12, 2026

Use this article as the optional inbound contact-file reference.
A file-based SIS integration can include contact data alongside demographics when the district wants SIS contact information to update SIRAS. For filenames, delivery, Training testing, Production approval, and automation, use File-Based SIS Integration: Implementation Guide.

Contact Field Specification

How SIRAS Builds Contact Records

Primary, Mailing & Residence Priority

Student Matching & Fallback Logic

Contact Field Specification

Header	Data	Notes
SSID	10 digits	Required KEY1.
LOCAL_ID	String	Student identifier used by the SIS.
STUDENT_FIRST_NAME	String	KEY2 for students without a usable SSID.
STUDENT_LAST_NAME	String	KEY2.
STUDENT_BIRTHDATE	DD/MM/YYYY or YYYYMMDD	KEY2.
CONTACT_FIRST_NAME	String	Required when a combined name is not used.
CONTACT_LAST_NAME	String	Required when a combined name is not used.
CONTACT_NAME	String	Alternate combined name when first/last cannot be separated.
CONTACT_TYPE	String	Guardian, Emergency, Physician, or custom SIS descriptor.
RELATIONSHIP	String	Mother, Father, Grandparent, or other relationship text.
ADDRESS	String	Street address; required for a complete addressed contact.
CITY	String	Required for a complete addressed contact.
STATE	String	Defaults to CA when omitted.
ZIP	String	Required for a complete addressed contact.
EMAIL	String	Recommended for electronic communication.
HOME_PHONE	String	Home phone.
WORK_PHONE	String	Work phone.
MOBILE_PHONE	String	Mobile phone.
PRIMARY_PHONE	String	Alternative single phone field.
PRIMARY_PHONE_TYPE	String	Type for PRIMARY_PHONE.
MAILING_ADDRESS	Y, N, or blank	Optional; marks contacts used for mailing/labels.
CURRENT_RESIDENCE	Y, N, or blank	Optional; only one contact should represent the current residence.
PRIMARY	Y, N, or blank	Optional alternative to INDEX=0.
INDEX	Number	Optional ordering: 0 primary, 1 secondary, 2 tertiary.

How SIRAS Builds Contact Records

Primary process: import and process all valid contact rows supplied by the SIS.
Fallback process: when no valid addressed contact is found, SIRAS may construct a contact using the guardian name and residence address from the student-level demographic data.

Each file row should represent one parent, guardian, emergency contact, physician, or other communication contact for one student.

Primary, Mailing and Residence Priority

When no priority columns are supplied, SIRAS treats the first contact as Primary, the second as Secondary, and so on.
INDEX=0 identifies the Primary contact; 1 identifies Secondary; 2 identifies Tertiary.
PRIMARY=Y is an alternative to INDEX=0.
Any contact with MAILING_ADDRESS=Y may be used for mailing and labels.
Only one contact should have CURRENT_RESIDENCE=Y.
When CURRENT_RESIDENCE is omitted, the Primary contact is assumed to be the current residence.

Many SIS products do not have reliable equivalents for every priority indicator. In those cases, an intentionally ordered source file may be more accurate than populating unsupported flags.

Student Matching and Fallback Logic

KEY1: SSID.
KEY2: student first name, last name, and birthdate for younger students without an SSID.
Local ID can provide additional context.
A contact row is not processed safely when the student cannot be matched unambiguously.

When no valid addressed contact rows are found, the configured integration may use guardian and residence fields from the demographic file to create a fallback contact.

Search before creating or correcting a student manually.
A failed contact match may be caused by a transferred, inactive, duplicate, renamed, or near-matching record.

Contact Field Specification

How SIRAS Builds Contact Records

Primary, Mailing and Residence Priority

Student Matching and Fallback Logic

Related Integration Help

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