Import your data from and to IA 2.0 / Scoutbook

[Tyler]

TroopTrack now interacts with IA2.0 through a upload/download (import/export) system of syncing between TroopTrack and Scoutbook.

Here is how syncing between TT and scoutbook / IA 2.0 currently works.

Syncing from TroopTrack to Scoutbook:

When you are tracking achievements or managing members within TroopTrack, you can sync that work by downloading that data from TT and uploading it into Scoutbook.

We have created a video explaining this process here: Internet Advancement 2.0 Integration Preview

1. Go to Achieve > IA 2.0 Advancement Reports
2. Create a Report. The report will list all newly recorded advancement data entered into the troop/pack on TroopTrack that is tracked by Scoutbook/IA2.0. By default, all advancements are selected, but feel free to select only the advancements you would like included in the report. Then click Save.
3. Download Report. The report will be a TXT file.
4. Login to Internet Advancement and upload the file.
5. Once the report has been uploaded to IA, you will need to close the report in TroopTrack. Choose the date it was reported. Then click “Save and Mark Achievements as Reported”.

Each of these reports will have a total of 100 awards that can uploaded to ScoutBook. To upload more you’ll need to close out a report, and then create a new one with 100 awards on the new report as well.

Syncing from Scoutbook to TroopTrack:

There are three types of downlaods/exports you can export from scoutbook.com that you can then import into TroopTrack. To get there in Scoutbook go to your Unit page and scroll toward the bottom and there is a Export/Backup option. The exports you can receive from Scoutbook and then import into TroopTrack are:

1. Scouts/Members - This downloads all of your scouts member roster information
2. Advancement - This downloads all of your scouts advancement information
3. Leaders & Parents - This downloads all of your adults member roster information

Once you have any of these files you can submit an import request through the help desk on TT and our support team will upload the scoutbook exports into your troop on TT. To do this you click on Support > Spreadsheet Import/Export and choose the type of import it is. Currently TroopTrack does not have a scoutbook logs import (hours, nights, miles, etc). If you would like to upload hours, nights, and miles, the spreadsheet will need to be formatted as described here.

Hope all of that above makes sense. Let me know if you have any other questions about syncing with Scoutbook.

-Tyler
TroopTrack

[AaronStorey]

Just as an FYI BSA has changed the URL for Scoutbook and IA2.0.
Scoutbook is now scoutbook.scouting.org (scoutbook.com does redirect)
IA2.0 is now advancements.scouting.org
It’s always nice when they do things like this to really confuse our non-techie advancement people.

[KevinHicks]

@Tyler will you clarify something for me please? I am working on getting this IA 2.0 report set up. I first had to get all our scout’s member ids added to the system. Now that that is done, my question is when I create an IA 2.0 report in TT is it checking against the Scoutbook database and only creating a report with new achievements from TT to be imported into Scoutbook database? Hopefully that makes sense.

[Tyler]

@KevinHicks , yes, if a completed award has been included in a previous IA report in TroopTrack that has been marked as reported to IA, then TroopTrack will not include that completed in any future IA reports that are generated.

Let me know if that answers your question.

Thanks,
Tyler
TroopTrack

[KevinHicks]

@Tyler let me ask another question that I’m not sure about. What happens if for instance, you export information out of troop track via the IA report that has already been imported into the BSA IA database? And when I say imported, I am mean through another mechanism other than TT. Say for instance IA was manually updated by council office by a scouting representative.

[AaronStorey]

I believe IA will be updated with the new information from TT if the information is different. Say the original had a date completed of 4/15 and the TT upload had 4/16 then IA would be changed to 4/16.

[JohnDemaree]

I assume that if I import Scoutbook Youth into TroopTrack it won’t create duplicate accounts for the scouts. Is there a specific data point that links the scout records in Scoutbook to the proper user in TroopTrack to avoid duplicating records?

[Pushkaraj]

Hi @JohnDemaree,

Yes duplicates are prevented by having the Scout ID on the users profile in TroopTrack. If those aren’t in, then the names will need to be the same on the file as they are in TroopTrack.

Thanks,

David Keener
TroopTrack

[csp1067]

When importing training data, should the title include the code or just the name of the course?

[Pushkaraj]

Hi @csp1067,

Here’s the import that we accept for trainings. You’ll need to format the file as described on that page in order for it to upload properly to TroopTrack.

Thanks,

David Keener
TroopTrack

[csp1067]

Thanks

Yours in Scouting,

Frank Riggio-Preston
Cubmaster
Family Cub Scout Pack 1067
Essex American Legion Post 148
20 S. Marlyn Ave.
Essex, Maryland 21221

Contact & Mailing Address:
506 Hopkins Landing Drive
Essex, Maryland 21221
443-326-7085

We meet most Sunday evenings at 6:00.
Please contact us to make sure we are not on an outing on the evening you plan to visit for the first time.

[chgray]

Hey - the information in this entry is out of date! there is an automated way to import information from Scoutbook

just go to Support->Spreadsheet Import/Export - there are lots of options in there, and it’s very easy to understand!

[nigelmendez]

I’ve followed this to import date from Scoutbook, but it appears to only import awarded/completed ranks and merit badges - it does not include ones that scouts are in progress on. Am I missing something?

[AaronStorey]

According to this article it imports partials into the Notes Section. Why not use TT as your main source of Advancements and then export the completions to IA2.0, then your Youth and Adults only have one system to look at?

[chgray]

hey Aaron - I’m coming from SOAR and am a little confused (sorry! :))

IA2.0 is referenced a lot in TroopTrack, and articles like this are very out of date (TroopTrack now supports automatic import, where a ticket isnt required)

again, sorry for being new - are you saying there is a way to use TroopTrack as the main source of advancment, and then somehow export/import that into Scoutbook? that’d be awesome?

[AaronStorey]

Yes, so BSA has two systems for tracking Scout advancements that share some back end data. They have ScoutBook, (scoutbook.scouting.org) and they have IA2.0 (Internet Advancement 2.0 advancements.scouting.org, if you have been around a while IA1.0 was called TurboNet). ScoutBook is used by units that use only the BSA system to track Scout Advancements as well as do Calendaring, some Financials and communication. IA2.0 was implemented and allows for imports of advancements from outside Scout tracking software like TT. If you choose to use TT as your sole Scout tracking platform then all Advancements are exported from TT and uploaded to IA2.0 via TXT file. The Advancement Chair or whatever Leader/Leaders are tasked with Advancements would upload that file, everyone else would just use TT. BSA suggests if you use IA2.0 then you do not enter advancements into ScoutBook and vice versa, they share the same back end Database.

The import options for TT are mostly intended to get data into TT as a starting point either for an entire unit or perhaps for a youth that transfers from another unit, you could export from ScoutBook then import into TT and then just use TT.

Now of course people choose to use the systems however works best for them but the setup and intention is to use TT exclusively for Scout tracking and then export advancements from TT and import into IA2.0 for official records.

[nigelmendez]

Thanks - and we are going to be using TT for main source, but just setting up our troop in here now (switching from Scoutbook)

[AaronStorey]

Welcome to TT, great questions and keep them coming.

[StuartDonaldson]

Where is the Notes Section you refer to where partials are stored? I do not see that on a Scouts Achievements page.

We have been using Scoutbook, which I understand shares advancement data with IA2.0. So there are a significant number of partially completed Merit Badges that we would need to get into TT. Also, we share MB Counselors with other troops in the district, and for the most part, they are already familiar with SB for entering information.

For those reasons, it would be really helpful to have partially completed MB data imported into TT.

[AaronStorey]

The notes are located under Scout Profile → Achievements → Merit Badges → Actions button → Details and any note will show up under Completed On: however the field is not named, if you select Edit then you see a Note field. I will send the feedback to TT Admins as an enhancement idea. As an option for the future when Scouts work on MB with outside counselors and partials are completed it is possible for the Scouts to enter their partial award into TT to be approved by a Unit leader, it would distribute the work and not require importing SB data constantly. While I like the percentage of completion idea in our practice we really don’t use it and focus on the end completion, however if people are used to tracking percentage I can see why that would be important.