Exporting Documents in DIP Format from CrossConnect

CrossConnect can package transcript PDFs and application PDFs in the Document Import Processor (DIP) format. This format is commonly used by admissions systems to import multiple documents and associate them with the appropriate student or application records.

A DIP export contains:

The selected PDF documents

An index.txt file containing information used to identify, match, and import each document

CrossConnect creates and packages these files automatically.

Create a DIP Export

In CrossConnect, open the Export Project you use to export transcript PDFs or application PDFs.

Review and complete the export settings.

Under Options, select Create DIP file.

Run the export.

When the export is ready, download the resulting compressed ZIP file.

Important: Keep the ZIP file and its contents together. Do not rename, remove, or reorganize the PDFs or the index.txt file before importing the package into your admissions system. The filenames in the index must match the document filenames in the ZIP file.

The ZIP file can then be uploaded or transferred to an admissions system configured to process DIP files. Because each admissions system is configured differently, your institution may need to work with its CRM administrator or technical staff to map the fields contained in the CrossConnect index file.

The same Create DIP file option can be used for:

Transcript PDF Export Projects

Application PDF Export Projects

Once the option is selected, CrossConnect handles the DIP folder structure and index file automatically. No additional DIP configuration is required within CrossConnect.

Set Up a Source Format in Slate

Slate users must create and configure a Document Import Processor (DIP) Source Format before importing the ZIP file generated by CrossConnect.

Create the Source Format

1. In Slate, create a new custom Source Format.
2. Open the Format Definition tab.
3. Enter the following XML configuration:

<layout b="&#x9;" h="1" t="&quot;" type="dip" index="index.txt" />

This configuration tells Slate that:

• The source uses the DIP format.
• The index is tab-delimited.
• Text values are enclosed in quotation marks.
• The index includes a header row.
• The index file is named index.txt.

The code should be entered exactly as shown because CrossConnect names the index file index.txt.

Configure the Field Mappings

Upload a CrossConnect DIP ZIP file to the new Source Format so Slate can read the fields included in index.txt. Then configure the source-field mappings.

At minimum:

• Map the field containing the PDF filename to Material – Material Filename.
• Map the document-type field to Material – Material Code.
• Map the available student or application identifiers to the appropriate Slate fields so the documents can be matched to existing records.
• Under Value Mappings, map each CrossConnect document type to the appropriate Slate material key.

If the corresponding material does not already exist in Slate, a Slate administrator must create it before completing the value mapping.

Note: Field names and matching rules may vary based on your institution’s Slate configuration. Work with your Slate administrator to confirm the identifiers and material codes your institution uses.

Activate the Source Format

When initially configuring and testing the Source Format, leave Remap Active set to Inactive.

After the index fields and material values have been mapped:

1. Enter the appropriate date in Remap As Of Date.
2. Change Remap Active to Active.
3. Test the configuration using a CrossConnect DIP ZIP file.
4. Confirm that the documents are attached to the correct student or application records.

Import the CrossConnect DIP File

The ZIP file generated by CrossConnect can be uploaded directly through Slate’s Upload Dataset process. Institutions may also configure the Source Format to retrieve ZIP files automatically from an SFTP directory using an Import Path/Mask.

Do not extract or reorganize the ZIP file before importing it into Slate. The PDFs and index.txt must remain together, and the PDF filenames must match the filenames listed in the index.

Troubleshooting Unmatched Documents

If Slate cannot associate a document with a record, it may appear in Batch Acquire. Common causes include:

• Remap Active is still set to Inactive.
• The filename field is not mapped to Material – Material Filename.
• The document-type field or value is not mapped to the correct Slate material.
• A PDF was renamed, removed, or does not match the filename in index.txt.
• The filename in the index does not include the .pdf extension.
• The index does not contain enough information to match the document to an existing student or application record.

Your institution’s Slate administrator should review unmatched documents and adjust the source-field, value, or matching configuration as needed.