TABLE OF CONTENTS

Overview

  • Auto Conversion of Users is a Guardian data integration setting that controls how Guardian handles a person when they are included in a different import file than the profile type they already have in the system.
  • For example, a person may already exist in Guardian as an Employee, but later appear in the Student import file. If Auto Conversion of Users is enabled, Guardian may automatically convert that person from one profile type to another based on the import file they are included in.
  • This setting can be helpful in some situations, but it is important to understand how it works before enabling it.
  • Super Admins can enable or disable this by going to Configurations > Display Settings.


How Auto Conversion Works

Guardian commonly receives user data through scheduled import files, such as:

  • Student files
  • Employee files

Each person in Guardian can only exist once. This means the same individual should not be maintained as both a separate student profile and a separate employee profile.

When Auto Conversion of Users is enabled, Guardian can automatically update a person’s profile type based on the file they appear in during the import process.

For example:

  1. A person currently exists in Guardian as an Employee.
  2. That same person is included in the Student import file.
  3. Auto Conversion of Users is enabled.
  4. Guardian converts the person from an Employee profile to a Student profile.

The reverse can also occur. If a person exists as a Student and is later included in the Employee file, Guardian may convert that person to an Employee profile.


Important Considerations

A Person Should Only Be Included in One Primary Import File (Student OR Employee). Although it is common for a person to be both a student and an employee, Guardian should receive that person in only one primary import file.


For example, a staff member who is also taking classes should not be included in both the student file and the employee file. Instead, they should be included in the file that matches how they need to function in Guardian.


Employee Profiles Can Have Elevated Access

The biggest difference between Student and Employee profiles is that Employee profiles can be assigned varying roles/elevated access in Guardian.


If a person needs access to Guardian as a staff member, administrator, case owner, investigator, or Super Admin, they should generally be included in the Employee import file. If that same person is also a student, their student status can be tracked using an additional field on the profile, rather than including them in both files.


Examples of additional fields your institution may choose to send include:

  • Student Status
  • Employee Status
  • Person Type
  • Student and Staff
  • Active Student
  • Active Employee

This allows your institution to track that the person has multiple affiliations while still maintaining one primary Guardian profile.


Potential Impact on Roles and Access

When Auto Conversion of Users is enabled, a person’s profile type may change automatically during the import process. This can affect their access and assigned role.

For example:

  1. A user is an Employee and has the Super Admin role.
  2. The user is included in the Student import file.
  3. Guardian converts the profile from Employee to Student.
  4. The user may lose employee-level access.
  5. If the user is later included in the Employee file again, Guardian may convert the person back to an Employee, but their previous elevated role may not be preserved.

This can result in a user being reset to a default employee role, such as Staff, and needing to have their elevated role manually reassigned.


What Happens If Auto Conversion Is Disabled?

When Auto Conversion of Users is disabled, Guardian will not automatically convert a person from one profile type to another. Instead, if a person already exists as one profile type and is included in the opposite import file, that record will be rejected and included in the import error file. For example:

  1. A person already exists as an Employee.
  2. That same person is included in the Student import file.
  3. Auto Conversion of Users is disabled.
  4. Guardian rejects the record instead of converting the person to a Student.
  5. The rejected record appears in the error file for review.

This behavior can help prevent unintended role or profile changes.


When Auto Conversion May Be Helpful

Auto Conversion of Users may be helpful if your institution intentionally wants Guardian to automatically move people between Student and Employee profile types based on the latest file received. For example, this may apply if your institution has a clear process where a person should only be considered one profile type at a time, and your data files are carefully managed to reflect that change.


When Auto Conversion Should Be Used Carefully

Auto Conversion should be used carefully if:

  • The same person may appear in both the student and employee files.
  • Staff members may also be students.
  • Student employees need staff-level access in Guardian.
  • Users have elevated roles that should not be reset.
  • Your institution does not want profile types to change automatically based on import files.

In these cases, it may be better to disable Auto Conversion of Users and resolve duplicate records through the import error file.


To prevent unintended profile or role changes, we recommend the following:

  1. Include each person in only oneprimary import file.
    • Use the Student file for users who should exist as students.
    • Use the Employee file for users who need staff or administrative access.
  2. If a person is both a student and an employee, determine which profile type they need in Guardian.
    • If they need elevated access, include them in the Employee file.
    • Track their student status using an additional field if needed.
  3. Avoid sending the same person in both the student and employee files.
  4. Review import error files regularly.
    • Error files can help identify people who are being sent in the wrong file or duplicated across files.
  5. Use Auto Conversion only when your institution intentionally wants Guardian to change profile types automatically.

Summary

  • Auto Conversion of Users controls whether Guardian automatically changes a person’s profile type when they appear in a different import file than their current Guardian profile.
  • When enabled, Guardian may automatically convert users between Student and Employee profiles. When disabled, Guardian will reject those records and include them in the import error file instead.
  • Because profile type can affect user access and role assignments, this setting should be reviewed carefully, especially for users who may be both students and employees or who require elevated access in Guardian.