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Connecting Realsmart to Apple School Manager via SFTP and Uploading Data

smartadmin

Connecting Realsmart to Apple School Manager via SFTP and Uploading Data

This tutorial will guide you through the process of setting up an SFTP connection between Realsmart and Apple School Manager (ASM) and uploading your student, staff, and class data using Apple-formatted CSV files.

Last updated on 15 May, 2026

Apple School Manager — MAT Sync & Scheduled Runs

This section replaces the old external guide and documents how to run Apple School Manager (ASM) syncs across multiple schools in your MAT from within ADAdmin, including daily scheduled runs.

Where to find it

  • MAT Apple Sync UI: Admin > MAT > Apple Sync

  • Direct URL: /mat/sync/apple

  • Per‑school Apple settings: Admin > Apple > General Settings (/admin/apple/general-settings)

Overview of tabs

  • Run All Schools

    • Configure a MAT run by copying FTP credentials from one “template school”, pick the schools to include, generate a combined ZIP, and upload to ASM.

  • View All Schools

    • Manage Apple connection settings per school, generate individual ZIPs, test SFTP connectivity, and upload a single school to ASM.

  • Update All School Settings

    • Apply the same Apple connection settings to every school in your MAT in one action, including enabling/disabling Apple Sync.

  • Scheduled Syncs

    • See which schools are scheduled for a daily sync, disable individual schedules, and view the MAT combined schedule status.

      • image.png

Per‑school Apple settings (single school)

Use this when configuring or running a single school rather than a combined MAT run.

Steps

  1. Enable Apple Sync and Scheduling

  • Go to: Admin > Apple > General Settings

  • Set Enable Apple Sync to Enabled if you want this school to participate in Apple syncs.

  • Optional: Set Scheduled Sync to On to run an automatic daily sync at 02:00 server time for this school.

  1. Enter Apple SFTP details

  • Fields: Apple Sync Option, FTP Host, FTP User, FTP Password

  1. Generate CSVs and check your ZIP

  • Click Generate a new CSV to build a fresh ZIP.

  • If a ZIP exists, the page will show the last modified time and offer a Download ZIP & Check Your Data link.

  1. Test SFTP connectivity

  • Click Check Connection to verify credentials can connect to Apple’s SFTP.

  1. Upload to Apple School Manager

  • When a ZIP exists and SFTP is connected, click Upload to ASM.

  • Files are uploaded to the ASM dropbox path /dropbox/Archive.zip.

Notes

  • ZIP storage path pattern (internal): apple/{sc_id}/apple/apple.zip

MAT Apple Sync — combined run across schools

Use this when you want to produce a single, combined export and upload for multiple schools in your MAT.

  1. Choose a template school (copy credentials)

  • Tab: Run All Schools

  • Step 1: Choose a School's Settings To Copy

  • Select a school. Its Apple settings are shown read‑only and used as the template (FTP Host/User/Password and Apple Sync Option).

  1. Select schools to include

  • Step 2: Choose Schools — tick one or more schools in your MAT.

  • Important: Only select schools that use the same FTP Password. The UI will prevent a run if selected schools have mixed passwords.

  • A Select All checkbox is available; ADAdmin will keep it in sync with your selections.

  1. Generate MAT CSVs and ZIP

  • Click Generate a new CSV.

  • If successful, you’ll see a success message. Internally, the combined ZIP is written under:

    • apple/{mat_context_sc_id}_mat_sync/apple/apple.zip

  1. Test the MAT SFTP connection (optional but recommended)

  • Click Check Connection in the Run All Schools tab’s connection section. This verifies the template school’s credentials (host/user/password) can connect.

  1. Upload the MAT ZIP to Apple School Manager

  • Click Upload to ASM. The combined ZIP is uploaded to /dropbox/Archive.zip using the template school’s credentials.

Tips

  • The Apple Sync Option list is driven by config('apple_sync.options').

  • If the combined ZIP isn’t detected after generation, you’ll see MAT CSVs could not be generated correctly.

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Update All School Settings (bulk apply)

  • Tab: Update All School Settings

  • Set Enable Apple Sync for all schools at once and supply Apple Sync Option, FTP Host, FTP User, and FTP Password.

  • Click Apply These Settings To All Of My Schools to persist across the MAT.

View All Schools (per‑school actions within MAT view)

For each school card you can:

  • Enable/disable Apple Sync for that school.

  • Edit Apple FTP settings.

  • Generate a new CSV/ZIP and see last modified time.

  • Test SFTP connectivity.

  • Upload that school’s ZIP to ASM.

Scheduled syncs

There are two scheduling views/features surfaced in ADAdmin:

  1. Per‑school daily schedule

  • Location: Admin > Apple > General Settings

  • Field: Scheduled Sync → On

  • Behavior: When on, that school will run an Apple sync every day at 02:00 server time.

  • In the MAT > Apple Sync > Scheduled Syncs tab, scheduled schools are listed under “Schools scheduled for daily sync (02:00)”. Use the Disable button to turn off scheduling for an individual school.

  1. MAT combined scheduled run

  • Location: MAT > Apple Sync > Scheduled Syncs

  • Shows the current status of a MAT combined schedule (if any):

    • Enabled/Disabled

    • Number of selected schools to include

    • Template school ID in use for credentials

  • Controls:

    • Disable MAT Schedule — turns off the combined schedule if it’s currently enabled.

    • To create or update a MAT combined schedule: in the Run All Schools tab, choose a template school and select your schools; then use the schedule controls provided by your deployment (when present) to save the MAT group. Internally, ADAdmin stores this under scheduledMatGroup in sc_apple_sync_settings with fields: enabled, schoolIds, templateSchoolId.

  • Execution time: 02:00 server time, same daily window as per‑school runs.

Notes and constraints

  • A template school is required when enabling a MAT combined schedule so the correct FTP credentials are used.

  • At least one school must be selected for the MAT combined schedule.

  • A school must have Apple Sync enabled to be considered for scheduling and to appear in the scheduled list.

Troubleshooting

  • Can’t connect to Apple SFTP

    • Use Check Connection in either the per‑school or MAT Run All Schools tab and review the error message.

    • Verify FTP Host, FTP User, and FTP Password.

  • MAT CSVs not generating

    • Ensure you selected only schools that share the same FTP Password.

    • Confirm a template school is selected.

  • Upload succeeds but data doesn’t appear in ASM

    • Confirm that /dropbox/Archive.zip exists post‑upload.

    • Download the ZIP from ADAdmin and spot‑check CSV contents for expected users/classes.

  • School not appearing under Scheduled Syncs

    • Ensure Apple Sync is enabled for that school and Scheduled Sync is On in per‑school settings.

    • For MAT combined schedule, ensure the school is in the saved schoolIds list and that the schedule is enabled.

      • image.png

Reference paths and actions (for admins)

  • Per‑school ZIP path: apple/{sc_id}/apple/apple.zip

  • MAT combined ZIP path: apple/{ctx_sc_id}_mat_sync/apple/apple.zip

  • ASM upload path: /dropbox/Archive.zip

  • Livewire component: App\Livewire\Mat\Sync\AppleSync

  • Related views: resources/views/livewire/mat/sync/apple-sync.blade.php and partials under resources/views/mat/apple-sync/

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