Before you can sync ManageBac+ and OpenApply, year levels must match one to one, every enrolled student needs a unique email address and Student ID in both systems, parent accounts in OpenApply must be activated, and both systems must be on the same current academic year. When you are ready, contact ManageBac+ Support for a free Data Quality Analysis.
For schools using both ManageBac+ and OpenApply who are getting ready to turn on sync between them.
Checklist
| Requirement | Where to check |
|---|---|
| Year levels match in number and sequence | ManageBac+ Settings > School Settings > Grades & Levels and OpenApply Settings > Admissions > Programme |
| Every enrolled student has a unique email address in both systems | OpenApply Settings > Forms and Settings > Import & Export |
| Every enrolled student has a unique Student ID in both systems | Your student exports |
| Parent accounts of enrolled students are activated in OpenApply | OpenApply Rosters > Families |
| Both systems are on the same current academic year | Academic year settings in each system |
| ManageBac+ Support has completed a free Data Quality Analysis | Submit a request |
Timeline: on average, allow 2 to 3 weeks to confirm all six steps and go live. This is much shorter if one or both systems are new accounts.
Review year level mapping
In ManageBac+
Go to Settings > School Settings > Grades & Levels and review the enabled year levels.
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Confirm that OpenApply has the same number and sequence of year levels enabled, with a one-to-one match between the two systems.
In OpenApply
Go to Settings > Admissions > Programme to review the enabled years.
Sync needs a one-to-one match between year levels. For example, you cannot match one OpenApply grade to two ManageBac+ grades.
Check student email addresses
Make sure OpenApply collects student emails
In OpenApply, go to Settings > Forms and confirm the Student Email field is on your application forms.
Review the field settings, including the label, required status and instructions.
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Save your changes and check the field is in the right place on the form.
Export and check student emails
In OpenApply, go to Settings > Import & Export.
Export students with the statuses Enrolled, Graduated and Withdrawn. Make sure you include archived students.
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Include these student fields: OpenApply ID, First Name, Last Name, Email and Student ID.
Check the export for blank or duplicate email addresses.
Students and parents with blank or duplicate email addresses are left out of sync until the data is fixed.
OpenApply Support can help you create placeholder email addresses where needed, bulk update blank email addresses and check for duplicates.
Check Student IDs
Student IDs must be unique and must match exactly in both systems before sync can be turned on. Review the Student IDs in both systems before you request sync.
If your school does not use the Student ID field, our Support team can generate unique IDs and update your systems for you.
Activate parent accounts
ManageBac+ needs each parent to have a unique email address, so only activated parent accounts in OpenApply sync to ManageBac+. An activated account is one the parent can sign in with. Parents do not need to actually sign in to OpenApply.
Check which parents are activated
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In OpenApply, go to Rosters > Families > Filter and select Enrolled.
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Parents with a key symbol next to their name have activated accounts.
The key symbol also appears next to parent names in the student profile under Parents & Guardians. You can re-send a welcome email to any activated account.
Activate parent accounts in bulk
Activating a parent account usually sends the parent a welcome email inviting them to sign in to OpenApply. Most schools turning on sync do not need parents to sign in to OpenApply, so you can turn off the welcome email first.
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Go to OpenApply > Settings > Admissions > Status & Notification and turn off Parent Welcome Email if you do not want parents to receive sign-in invitations.
Go to Rosters > Families and filter for enrolled students.
Select all relevant families.
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Select Activate Parent Accounts. A key symbol appears next to each activated parent.
Turn Parent Welcome Email back on so new applicants and families receive their welcome email.
Move both systems to the current academic year
Both ManageBac+ and OpenApply must be on the same current academic year, and students' grade levels must match. For example, a student in Grade 12 in OpenApply should also be in Grade 12 in ManageBac+. If you are near the start or end of the school year, finish the year transition in both systems first.
- Transitioning to a new academic year in ManageBac+
- Transitioning to a new academic year in OpenApply
Request a Data Quality Analysis
When your systems are ready, contact ManageBac+ Support to request a free Data Quality Analysis. Include:
- School name
- ManageBac+ subdomain
- OpenApply subdomain
- Request title: MB-OA Data Quality Analysis
ManageBac+ Support will check that:
- enabled year levels match in number and sequence
- student emails and IDs match in both systems
- parent accounts have been activated
- both systems are on the current academic year
Allow 3 to 4 business days for ManageBac+ Support to complete your Data Quality Analysis.
Frequently asked questions
Can ManageBac+ and OpenApply sync if year levels do not match?
No. Year levels must match one to one in number and sequence before sync can be turned on.
Can only some year levels be synchronised?
Partial synchronisation is supported.
Will students with duplicate email addresses sync?
No. Students and parents with blank or duplicate email addresses are left out of sync until the data is corrected.
Do parents need to sign in to OpenApply before sync?
No, but their OpenApply accounts must be activated for their records to sync with ManageBac+.
How long does preparation take?
Schools should generally allow 2 to 3 weeks to complete the checks and prepare both systems. It may be shorter for new accounts.