Overview
This article explains the setting labeled “Enable the following custom xml exports”. It is an advanced, specialized setting that controls whether extra, country-specific data export options appear when working with Student (Learner) records. Most institutions never need to change it: it only matters for institutions that must submit official student data to a government or regulatory system in a specific country.
What This Setting Does
This setting is presented as a checklist of individual export types, and each one can be switched on or off on its own. When none of them are switched on, which is the default, the system shows no additional export options anywhere. When one or more are switched on, a matching button appears in the toolbar of the Student (Learner) list screen, letting an authorized staff member generate that specific export file on demand.
All of the available export types belong to a single country’s official reporting requirements. They cover a general study register submission, two further variations of that same submission, and a separate export limited to Student (Learner) records of former students (alumni) who have already finished their studies. In every case, the resulting file follows a fixed, official layout defined by the receiving authority – it is not a general-purpose export that adapts itself to your own institution’s structure.
The following explanation of this setting is carried over unchanged from earlier product documentation and remains accurate today:
Main Settings / General Settings / Security Settings / External Sync / Enable the following custom XML exports
This setting enables special and custom exports, needed in some countries (usually for imports to Government systems).
If you need to use this feature, it will most probably be a custom export, developed for you.
Custom exports typically include information and configuration for a specific customer. This means that it is very unlikely to completely match your structure.
In any case, we recommend speaking with a consultant about this feature.
The export option will appear like below:
Once one or more export types are enabled, the export option described above appears as an additional button next to the other actions on the toolbar of the Student (Learner) list screen.
Where It Is Used
This setting is located at Main Settings > General Settings > Security Settings > External Sync, in the “Enable the following custom xml exports” field, alongside a small number of other advanced synchronization settings.
Its effect is visible only on the Student (Learner) list screen. Depending on which export types are switched on, it adds one or more extra toolbar buttons there. No other screen, report, or export in the system is affected by this setting.
Business Logic / Behavior
The following behavior can be inferred directly from how this setting works:
- No export type is switched on by default, so a newly configured institution will not see any of these extra buttons until someone deliberately turns one on.
- Each export type behaves independently. An administrator can enable just one, several, or all of them, and only the buttons for the enabled types will appear on the Student (Learner) list screen.
- Each export type produces its own dedicated file in a fixed layout defined by the receiving authority. It does not adjust itself to your institution’s own structure or terminology, which is why the note above recommends involving a consultant before relying on it.
- The button for the alumni export automatically uses your institution’s own configured term for Student (Learner) in its label, so its wording changes if your institution renames this entity, while its function stays the same.
Turning this setting on only makes the relevant buttons appear on screen. It does not, by itself, guarantee that the resulting file matches what your local authority expects – that configuration work is handled separately, together with Classter, for each institution that needs it.
Example(s)
“Alpha Institute” is a higher education institution required by its national education authority to submit an annual study register file listing its enrolled students. Its Classter administrator, Maria P., switches on the first study register export type on this setting. From that point on, a new button appears on the Student (Learner) list screen. When the reporting deadline approaches, Maria P. selects the relevant students, clicks the new button, and downloads a file in the exact layout required by the authority, ready to be submitted to the external government system.
Some time later, Alpha Institute is also asked to report separately on former students who have already graduated. Maria P. switches on the alumni export type as well. A second button now appears next to the first one, letting staff generate a similar file limited to alumni records only.
When to Use
When to Enable
- Your institution operates in a country where a specific government or regulatory system requires Student (Learner) data in an official, predefined file format, and Classter has confirmed that a matching export type is available for that requirement.
- You have already discussed the exact requirement with a Classter consultant and know which of the available export types matches it.
When to Disable
- Your institution does not need to submit Student (Learner) data to this kind of official government system. This covers the vast majority of institutions.
- You want to keep the Student (Learner) list toolbar limited to the actions your staff actually use, without export buttons that do not apply to your institution.
Notes
This setting behaves the same way whether your institution operates in K-12 mode or in Higher Education mode. Turning it on or off produces identical results in either mode.
Assumption: based on the nature of the information involved in these exports, such as entrance scores and eligibility for state study funding, this feature is expected to be used mainly by Higher Education institutions, even though the setting itself is available in both modes.
Before enabling any export type, confirm with your Classter consultant which specific export has been prepared for your institution. Because these exports follow an official, country-specific layout, enabling the wrong type, or enabling one before its configuration is complete, will not produce a file that matches your local authority’s requirements.
A closely related setting in the same External Sync section is “Behaviour of ‘Disable External Sync’ in Entities” (“Main Settings > General Settings > Security Settings > External Sync – Disable_External_Sync_Behaviour”), which controls how the system handles synchronization with external systems more broadly.
