Connect iCarol data to the
Data Platform
How to Export iCarol Data to the Platform!
The 211 National Data Platform (NDP) uses Resources and Contact Report data to create services that support 211s to build and share services such as online search directories, APIs and business intelligence. Data is not created or directly managed in NDP; 211s use a variety of systems such as iCarol, VisionLink, Refer, etc. to manage resource directories. Resources and Contact Report data is exported from these systems into the NDP. This page provides instructions for exporting Resource and Contact report data from iCarol into the NDP.
- For instructions on exporting Resources data from iCarol into the NDP, click here.
- For instructions on exporting Contacts data (a.k.a. call report data) from iCarol into the NDP, click here.
- Download this full page of instructions in PDF by clicking here.
Export iCarol Resource Data and Upload to the Platform!
211s using iCarol have two options for exporting data from iCarol: manual and scheduled. iCarol customers can manually export their
data for free at any time. Scheduled exports may incur a cost. Please consult the iCarol documentation or customer service for more
information regarding export options and applicable charges.
Note: The below instructions assume that you have permissions to export data from your iCarol system. If you don't have permissions, please contact your system administrator.
Manual Export of Resource Data from iCarol
Step 1: Log into iCarol and click on 'Admin Tools' in the left menu
Step 2: In the Admin Tools and Settings screen, click on 'Tools'
Step 3: In the Data Export dialogue box, ensure the 'Enable Data Export' checkbox is checked, then click on 'Extract all of your data'
Step 4: Under 'Request exports' on the Data Export screen, click the checkbox 'Resources in iCarol standard CSV'. Note: All other checkboxes in the 'Request exports' dialogue box should be unchecked
Step 5: Click on the 'Export Resources selected above' button to trigger the export. You should now see a notice posted under 'Queued or ready for download' dialogue box (right side of screen)
Step 6: The export should be ready to download in one to two business days. When ready, a link to download your data will be available under the 'Queued or ready for download' dialogue box. Click on the link to download the zipped file to your desktop
Upload Resource Data to FTP Server
Step 7: In any browser, log into your organization's file folder on the FTP service using your administrator ID and password (created during the registration process (e.g. admin-211ventura@211.org)
Step 8: After logging into the FTP service, you will notice two folders: 'reports' and 'resources'. Click on the 'resources' folder, then click on the 'Upload' button at the top of the screen. You will be prompted to upload a file. Select the zipped file exported from the location on your computer where you downloaded the resources export file, and your file will begin to upload. When the file has uploaded, you can logout of the Expound FTP service (note: do not unzip the file).
That's it! You are done. Your resource data will be imported automatically into the data platform. You can update the data in the platform whenever you like...just repeat the above steps. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us by email at support@211.org
Scheduled Export of Resource Data from iCarol
Step 1: Log into iCarol and click on 'Admin Tools' in the left menu
Step 2: In the Admin Tools and Settings screen, click on 'Tools'
Step 3: In the Data Export dialogue box, ensure the 'Enable Data Export' checkbox is checked, then click on 'Extract all of your data'
Step 4: In the Data Export screen, click on 'schedule data exports to occur in the future, once or on a recurring basis'
Step 5: In the 'Scheduled data exports' screen, click on 'add a new scheduled data export'
Step 6: Enter 'Resources Export - National Platform' (or another name of your choosing) as the 'name of scheduled export', and click the 'Active' checkbox (checkmark should appear).
Step 7: Under 'Request exports' on the Data Export screen, click the checkbox 'Resources in iCarol standard CSV'. Note: All other checkboxes in the 'Request exports' dialogue box should be unchecked
Step 8: Select 'Resources' from the 'Type of export' dropdown box, then select the frequency for your data export (note: if this is your first scheduled export, you can schedule a 'monthly' export at no charge)
Step 9: Enter the first and last date to run your export (tip: select tomorrow's date for the 'first day' and pick a date well into the future for last date to run export. Export will run on a recurrence pattern until 'last day to run export'.
Step 10: Select 'freebie' if you have not used the free scheduled export and you would like to use this export as your freebie
Step 11: Enter an email address to receive a notification from iCarol when export completes
Step 12: Click on 'Trasfer exports to another server' to expose the server transfer information. NOTE: By clicking this checkbox and entering information, you are authorizing iCarol to send your resource data to the 2-1-1 National Data Platform server
Step 13: Select SFTP from the 'transfer protocol' dropdown box.
Step 14: Enter 'expound.files.com' as the 'Server host address'
Step 15: Enter 'unitedStatesUpload' in the 'User name'
Step 16: Enter 'liveUnited1776' into the 'Password' field.
Step 17: Enter the path to your folder on National Data Platform FTP server. The path is the URL of your 'Resources' folder on the Files.com server. All file paths entered into iCarol follow this format '211/united states/your organization-vendor/resources/'. You can get the file path by logging into the FTP server, and clicking on your Resources folder. Then, copy the URL from the browser and paste into the 'Remote path' box (in iCarol), and remove 'expound.files.com/files/' from the beginning of the path. Also note that the '/' at the end of the path is required, and all '%20' characters must be replaced with a single space. An example of a remote path is '211/united states/211 Bedrock - iCarol/resources/'. See video below for more information on how to get the remote path
Step 18: Enter '22' in 'Port number', and click on the 'Send a test file now'.
Step 19: A successful test is required. If you have setup the form correctly, you will receive a notice at the top of the scheduled export page. If the test fails, please contact support@211.org for assistance.
That's it! You are done.Your resource data will be automatically exported from iCarol to the FTP server, following the recurrence schedule that you set. Every time the export occurs, your data will be updated in the national platform within 24 hours. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us by email at support@211.org
Export iCarol Contact Data and Upload to the Platform!
211s using iCarol have two options for exporting data from iCarol: manual and scheduled. iCarol customers can manually export their data for free at any time. Scheduled exports may incur a cost. Please consult the iCarol documentation or customer service for more information regarding export options and charge.
Note: The below instructions assume that you have permissions to export data from your iCarol system. If you don't have permissions, please contact your system administrator.
Manual Export of Contact Data from iCarol
Step 1: Log into iCarol and click on 'Admin Tools' in the left menu
Step 2: In the Admin Tools and Settings screen, click on 'Tools'
Step 3: Directly under the 'Data Export' title at top of page, uncheck the box 'Preceed data with date and time created information'.
Step 4: In the Data Export dialogue box, ensure the 'Enable Data Export' checkbox is checked, then click on 'Extract all of your data'
Step 5: Under 'Request exports within data ranges' on the Data Export screen, in the 'Contact records' area, click all checkboxes under 'Include data from these call report forms'. Then, in the data picker directly under the 'Contact records', choose January 1 (e.g. 1/1/2020) of the current year to today's date (e.g. 4/27/2020).
Step 6: Click on the 'Export Contact Records per options above' button to trigger the export. You should now see a notice posted under 'Queued or ready for download' dialogue box (right side of screen)
Step 7: The export should be ready to download in one to two business days. When ready, a link to download your data will available under the 'Queued or ready for download' dialogue box. Click on the link to download the zipped file to your desktop
Note: If this is the first time that your organization is exporting contact data to the platform, an export of your historical data is required to enable reporting before this current year. To export data prior to this year, follow the steps above to create an export of all contact report data, with a start date set to first day your organization began using iCarol to an end date equal to December 31 of last year. You only need to export previous year data once. All exports following the initial export should include only data for the current year.
Upload Contact Data to FTP Server
Step 8: In any browser, log into your organizations file folder on the FTP service using your administrator ID and password (created during the registration process (e.g. admin-211ventura@211.org))
Step 9: After logging into the FTP service, you will notice two folders: 'reports' and 'resources'. Click on the 'reports' folder, then click on the 'Upload' button at the top of the screen. You will be prompted to upload a file. Select the zipped file exported from the location on your computer where you downloaded the contact data export file, and your file will begin to upload. When the file has uploaded, you can logout of the Expound FTP service (note: do not unzip the file).
That's it! You are done. Your contact data will be imported automatically into the data platform. You can update the data in the platform whenever you like...just repeat the above steps (remember to select January 1 of this year as start date). If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us by email at support@211.org
Scheduled Export of Contact Data from iCarol
Step 1: Log into iCarol and click on 'Admin Tools' in the left menu
Step 2: In the Admin Tools and Settings screen, click on 'Tools'
Step 3: In the Data Export dialogue box, ensure the 'Enable Data Export' checkbox is checked, then click on 'Extract all of your data'
Step 4: In the Data Export screen, click on 'schedule data exports to occur in the future, once or on a recurring basis'
Step 5: In the 'Scheduled data exports' screen, click on 'add a new scheduled data export'
Step 6: Enter 'Contacts Export - National Platform' (or another name of your choosing) as the 'name of scheduled export', and click the 'Active' checkbox (checkmark should appear).
Step 7: Select 'Contact Records' from the 'Type of export' dropdown box, then ensure all checkboxes are checked under 'Choose the call report forms to include:' section. then select the frequency for your data export (note: if this is your first schedled export, you can schedule a 'monthly' export at no charge)
Step 8: Select the frequency for your data export (e.g. daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly). Your selection determines how often your data will automatically be refrehsed in the National Data Platform. Note that iCarol charges for scheduled data exports with a frequency greater than once per month. Note: iCarol provides one free scheduled export with a frequency of one month or longer (e.g. quarterly). If this is your first scheduled export, no charges apply to this export. If you are interested in scheduling more than one export or generating exports with a frequency greater than monthly, contact iCarol support to setup a new scheduled export.
Step 9: Enter the first and last date to run your export (tip: select tomorrow's date for the 'first day' and pick a date well into the future for last date to run export. Export will run on a recurrence pattern until 'last day to run export'.
Step 10: Select 'freebie' if you have not used the free scheduled export and you would like to use this export as your freebie
Step 11: Enter an email address to receive a notification from iCarol when export completes
Step 12: Click on 'Trasfer exports to another server' to expose the server transfer information. NOTE: By clicking this checkbox and entering information, you are authorizing iCarol to send your resource data to the 2-1-1 National Data Platform server
Step 13: Select SFTP from the 'transfer protocol' dropdown box.
Step 14: Enter 'expound.files.com' as the 'Server host address'
Step 15: Enter 'unitedStatesUpload' in the 'User name'
Step 16: Enter 'liveUnited1776' into the 'Password' field.
Step 17: Enter the path to your folder on National Data Platform FTP server. The path is the URL of your 'Reports' folder on the Files.com server. All file paths entered into iCarol follow this format '211/united states/your organization-vendor/reports/'. You can get the file path by logging into the FTP server, and clicking on your Reports folder. Then, copy the URL from the browser and paste into the 'Remote path' box (in iCarol), and remove 'expound.files.com/files/' from the beginning of the path. Also note that the '/' at the end of the path is required, and all '%20' characters must be replaced with a single space. An example of a remote path is '211/united states/211 Bedrock - iCarol/reports/'. See video below for more information on how to get the remote path
Step 18: Enter '22' in 'Port number', and click on the 'Send a test file now'.
Step 19: A successful test is required. If you have setup the form correctly, you will receive a notice at the top of the scheduled export page. If the test fails, please contact support@211.org for assistance.
That's it! You are done. Your contact report data will be automatically exported from iCarol to the FTP server, following the recurrence schedule that you set. Every time the export occurs, your data will be updated in the national platform within 24 hours. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us by email at support@211.org
Note: If this is the first time that your organization is exporting contact data to the platform, a manual export of your historical data is required to enable reporting before this current year. To export data prior to this year, follow the steps under ‘Manual export of contact data from iCarol’ to create an export of all contact report data, with a start date set to first day your organization began using iCarol to an end date equal to December 31 of last year. You only need to export previous year data once. All exports following the initial export should include only data for the current year.