Mappings import template

Every column of the mappings sheet, what goes in it, and what people get wrong.

Step 6 of 6 in the setup workbook. Before this: Students.

The columns

Column	Needed?	What goes in it	Example	Common mistake
Student ID	Yes	The ID you gave the child when you imported them.	`STU-001`	An ID that does not exist, usually a trailing space. The row is refused and named.
Pickup route	No	The morning route, by name.	`Morning Route A`	A name that nearly matches. It has to be exact.
Pickup stop	No	Which stop on that route they wait at.	`Main Gate`	A stop that is not on the route named beside it.
Pickup time	No	Which trip on that route, by its start time.	`07:00`	7:00 AM or 0700. Use 24-hour HH:MM.
Drop-off route	No	The afternoon route, by name. Empty if they do not ride home.	`Afternoon Route A`	Assuming it is the same as the morning one. It usually is a different route.
Drop-off stop	No	Where they get off, which need not be where they got on.	`Main Gate`	Nothing much - a different stop from the morning is normal and allowed.
Drop-off time	No	Which afternoon trip, by its start time.	`15:00`	3:00 PM. Use 24-hour HH:MM.

Keep the first row exactly as it is. The column names are how the file is read - the order does not matter, but the names do.
Type into the first sheet. The Example sheet is only there to be looked at; it is not imported.
One row per thing. Do not merge cells, do not add a title row above the headings, and do not leave blank rows in the middle.
Nothing is saved until you press the button. You upload the file, read what each row would do, untick anything you do not want, and only then commit.
Uploading the same file twice does not create everything twice - a row that already exists is matched and updated instead.
This is the last step and it needs the others done first: the children, the stops, the routes and the trips all have to exist before a child can be put on one.
Everything is matched by name, exactly as you typed it when you created it. If a route is called "Morning Route A" then that is what goes here.
Leave the three drop-off columns empty for a child who only rides in the morning, and the three pickup columns empty for one who only rides home.
Until a child is mapped, their family cannot see the bus at all. This is the step that turns the app on for them.

The stops sheet: every column explained, with the mistakes to avoid.

The routes sheet: every column explained, with the mistakes to avoid.

The drivers sheet: every column explained, with the mistakes to avoid.

See The School Bus Tracker with your own routes in a short, friendly demo.