Purpose

In order to sync Mealtime mPower with Illuminate ISI, you can send a nightly extract to a server via Secure File Transfer Protocol (sftp) so that Mealtime can “pick up” the latest list of active students that has been updated within the prior 24 hours.  This article will walk you through the steps on how to setup this data extract in Illuminate ISI.

Step 1:  Create a report of current students.

The easiest way to achieve this is from the home screen where you can search for students and adjust the fields to show at least the following recommended fields:

1. Student ID
2. Last Name
3. First Name
4. Middle Name
5. State Student ID
6. Birth Date
7. Gender
8. Current Site Name
9. Current Grade Level
10. Lunch Program Name*
11. Lunch Program Eligibility Start Date*
12. Lunch Program Eligibility End Date*

You can choose to include more data in the columns you send to MealTime if you would like.  For an Extended File Layout, scroll down to the end of this article.

*One potential problem with adding these fields is that a student may have more than one record.  If that is the case, you will need to use the Grouping feature to prevent the creation of multiple rows in the report for a single student.  Below is a potential setup configuration for using grouping.

Step 2:  Create a Custom Data Extract

Once the report is set up to your liking, create a Custom Data Extract by navigating the menu bar to Advanced > Make Custom Extract

Step 3:  Schedule the Data Extract

Find your new Custom Extract by navigating the menu bar to Gear Icon > Data Extracts

At the very bottom of the page, select your Custom Extract and click Create.This screen below is where you can input the specifications of the Secure File Transfer Protocol (sftp) details to the server.  Work with your network administrator for these details.

Finally, enter the timing that you would like your extract to send the file to the sftp server:

Step 4:  Confirm and finalize your setup

At this point, you can wait for your extract to run and then log into the server to see if the file was placed and has the expected file layout.  If so, your Illuminate setup is complete and you can now coordinate with Mealtime for them to access and setup the server on their end to complete the Sync.

Example:  Extended File Layout

Not all of the data is required but below is an example of a report layout that your Illuminate ISI system may already be pre-programmed with under the report name “MealTime (Default)”:

1. Customer ID
2. Customer Last Name
3. Customer First Name
4. Customer Middle Name
5. Customer Birth Date
6. School Name
7. Customer PIN
8. Customer SSN
9. Customer Alt ID
10. Customer Grade
11. Customer Active Status
12. Customer Homeroom Name
13. Customer Track Name
14. NonStudent Type
15. Prefix
16. Suffix
17. Customer Preferred Name
18. Customer Balance
19. Household Number
20. Primary Contact First Name
21. Primary Contact Last Name
22. Primary Contact Phone
23. Primary Contact Alt Phone
24. Primary Contact Email
25. Primary Contact Address Line 1
26. Primary Contact Address Line 2
27. Primary Contact City
28. Primary Contact State
29. Primary Contact Zip Code
30. Secondary Contact First Name
31. Secondary Contact Last Name
32. Secondary Contact Phone
33. Secondary Contact Alt Phone
34. Secondary Contact Email
35. Secondary Contact Address Line 1
36. Secondary Contact Address Line 2
37. Secondary Contact City
38. Secondary Contact State
39. Secondary Contact Zip Code