Can I modify the auto-created sections with a SIS import CSV?

[ag3811]

We currently use the SIS Import API to create and modify our courses, users and enrollments, but we do not have a sections.csv.  Canvas automatically creates a section for each course, I believe when processing the enrollments.csv, but that section has no SIS ID.

Sometimes our faculty will change the name of a course, and our SIS feed will update the course name properly through the courses.csv file.  Unfortunately, that does not update the auto-created section.  I tried creating a sections.csv, but since that section has no SIS ID, Canvas just created a new section.

I see how it's possible to change the name of a section using the web API, and that's what we'll probably wind up doing, but I'd kind of like to do this all with the SIS Import API.  Is there anything I'm missing?

Thanks!

[bneporadny]

Hi Angus ,

I would recommend adding a section.CSV file to your current process that way you can update the section using the seciton.CSV file in the future should you need to make changes to the section name just like you're able to do so with a course.CSV file. 

[pklove]

No, you are not missing anything.

To add SIS IDs for the already created sections you will need to use the API.

The way to deal with this going forward is, as Brian has posted, create a section for each course when you first create the courses.

[ag3811]

Thank you, Brian and Peter.  In the short term we will use the web API, but in the long term we will probably add a sections.csv to our daily feeds.