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Importing Courses and ISBNs into Compete and Connect

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Yari Rodriguez

Importing Courses and ISBNs into Compete and Connect

This article walks you through how to manually import courses into Compete and then sync them into Connect. 

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In This Article

Step 1: Configure Your CSV File 

To make courses available in Connect, you’ll first need to prepare a CSV file for import into Compete. 

  1. Open a new Excel spreadsheet and include the following header fields:
    • ISBN (required) – We recommend using your specific IA ISBN. If that isn’t available, you may use a dummy ISBN or a print equivalent.
    • DEPT (required)
    • COURSE (required)
    • SECTION (required) 

    • INSTRUCTOR (optional)Screenshot of an Excel document. Column A includes ISBN, column B includes department, column C includes course, column D includes section, and column E includes instructor information.

      💡 Tip: Ensure your course and section data match what’s in your enrollment import, paying close attention to leading zeroes (e.g., 001). 
      For guidance, see Microsoft’s article on keeping leading zeros in spreadsheets.

  2. Save your file as Comma Separated Values (CSV) — do not use CSV UTF-8 format, as it is not compatible.
  3. Save your file locally. 

Step 2: Upload Your File 

  1. Go to www.verbacompete.com and log in using your Compete username and password.
    • Note: You will use the same log in that you use for Manage and Connect

  2. Click the gear icon ⚙️ and select Imports

    Screenshot of the main Connect screen that shows the gear icon located on the top-right hand corner of the screen, and the Imports option nested underneath.

  3. If your term already exists and you’re updating an existing CSV, refer to the upper-left corner under Now Working to confirm you are working in the correct term.

    Screenshot of the Now Working tab.

  4. Under Select a File, click Choose File and browse to your saved CSV.

    Screenshot of the Select a File section and the Choose File button.

  5. Under Choose Catalog:
    • If the courses belong to an existing catalog, select it from the Import Into Existing Catalog dropdown.

    • If you are creating a new term, enter the catalog name into the field next to Create New Catalog.

      Screenshot of the Choose Catalog section with the Import into Existing Catalog and Create New Catalog sections.

    • Note: The Catalog Name must match your enrollment file to avoid needing custom term mapping later. 

  6. Under Column Headers, confirm the toggle is set to Yes.

    Screenshot of the Column Headers section with the column headers toggle set to Yes.

  7. Click Start Import.

     Screenshot of the Start Import button.

Step 3: Match Data Fields

You’ll now map the fields in your CSV to Compete’s data fields.

  1. Required fields (highlighted in yellow) must be mapped: ISBN, Department Name, Course Name, Section Code, and Section Instructor Name (if included).

    Screenshot of the Data point ISBN pointing to Column Match ISBN.Screenshot of the Department name data point matched to DEPT column match, course name matched to course, section code matched to section, and section Instructor name matched to instructor.

  2. Do not map anything to Section Display Name.
  3. Leave any unused data points blank.
  4. After mapping, click Continue Import. 

Step 4: Verify and Complete the Import

Compete will review your file for errors. If your file included ISBNs, you’ll see title information for review.  

  1. Review your field mapping for accuracy.
  2. Leave the Overwrite ALL existing retail data box unchecked to safely add or update courses without deleting existing data.  
    • ✅ Unchecked: Adds or updates courses incrementally.
    • ⚠️ Checked: Erases all previously imported data for that catalog.

  3. Click Complete Import and wait for the confirmation message: Import Complete.

    Screenshot of the complete import button, with the overwrite all existing retail data check box left unchecked.

If you created a new catalog, its name will now appear in the top-left corner under Now Working. You can review imported courses on the Courses page.  

Step 5: Sync with Connect

After completing your import in Compete, the data must now sync into Connect.

  1. Log in to www.verbaconnect.com and log in using your Connect username and password
    • Note: You will use the same log in that you use for Manage and Compete
  2. If you created a new catalog, allow 15–30 minutes for it to appear in the Connect dropdown menu.

  3. Once the term is in Compete, you will see it appear in the dropdown at the top of your Connect dashboard.

    Image if the term selector in Connect, showing the new term appearing in the dropdown.

  4. Navigate to Settings and select Current Catalog Settings.

    Screenshot showing the Settings button in the top banner, positioned next to Reports, and the Current Catalog Settings tab in the left-hand navigation menu.

  5. Scroll down and click Sync Compete Sections.

    Screenshot of the sync complete sections button within the POS section import section.

  6. Click Save Changes.

     Image of the save changes button

  7. Go to the Courses page and confirm that your newly imported sections appear under the correct term.

    Image of the Courses section showing sections appearing in the dashboard.

    • Note: Sync times may vary depending on the size of your import. 

✅ You’re all set! Once synced, your courses and ISBNs are now available for use in Connect. 

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