When your school or district uses an automated Student Information System (SIS) integration — such as PowerSchool, Aeries, Skyward, Infinite Campus, or an automated SFTP sync — user profiles and enrollment rosters are refreshed automatically on a scheduled basis. In standard sync configurations, any manual additions or edits made directly in the Edlio dashboard can be overwritten or removed if the user does not exist in the incoming SIS data feed.
Sync Protection is a per-person administrative safeguard in the Edlio Mobile App and Mass Communication dashboard that prevents automated sync routines from overwriting or deleting custom, manually managed person records.
💡 When to use Sync Protection: Use Sync Protection when you have individuals who must maintain access to your school mobile app or communication channels but are not rostered in your official SIS data feed (e.g. community members, after-school contractors, coaches, temporary staff, or student teachers).
How Sync Protection works
Every individual synchronized from an SIS feed carries an external Source ID that links their Edlio record to their SIS database identifier. Sync Protection provides two levels of per-person shielding:
Sync Protection for Deletion: Prevents the automated sync from deleting or disabling this person record if they are omitted from or missing in the incoming SIS data export. This is essential for seasonal staff or community volunteers who should remain active year-round.
Sync Protection for Edits: Prevents the automated sync from updating or overwriting contact details (such as a custom email address, title, or phone number) that an administrator has manually entered or customized in the Edlio dashboard.
Full Sync Protection (Deletion & Edit): Completely shields the person record from all automated sync updates and deletion sweeps, preserving manual administrative changes indefinitely.
Configuring Sync Protection on a Person Record
Navigate to People > Manage People.
Locate the person record you wish to shield using the search bar or category filters (Staff, Family, Student, Community).
Click on the person's name or select the row action menu (...) and choose Edit Person.
Under the Sync Protection settings section, enable the desired protection level:
Check Protect from Deletion
Check Protect from Edit
Click Save to commit the changes.
Best practices for manual records vs. SIS sync
Avoid one-by-one manual creation for large cohorts: For new rosters or large staff/parent additions outside of SIS sync, always prefer bulk uploading using an XLSX spreadsheet via People > Import rather than creating individual records one by one.
Coordinate with Data Integrations: Before manually importing large rosters or modifying accounts that exist in your SIS, consult with [email protected] to ensure manual records do not cause duplicate profiles or schema mismatches.
Periodic Roster Audits: Regularly review people marked with Sync Protection to ensure former staff or graduated students who are no longer affiliated with the district do not retain lingering access.
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