How do I troubleshoot file- and field-level data errors and warnings?

Download the SAT Suite Ordering and Registration Troubleshooting Guide to understand the two steps for creating a data file for student registration in SSOR and to check for common data errors.

As we validate the information in your registration file, we may alert you to errors and warnings. Errors are issues that must be corrected; we do not allow you to proceed in the registration process with any errors. Warnings are potential issues we are flagging for your review; you may choose to bypass warnings and proceed with registration.

File-level Errors and Warnings

In this step of the data upload process, we will provide a file-level error if there are any issues with the file format of your data upload. You may receive one of the errors below.

Invalid File Name

In this case, the file name of the file you are uploading contains unsupported special characters. Acceptable file name characters include: uppercase letters (A–Z), lowercase letters (a–z), numbers (0–9), period ( . ), hyphen ( - ), parentheses ( ( ) ), underscore ( _ ), space ( ). If any unaccepted characters are present, you will receive an error message and will be required to fix the file name and reupload your file.

Headers Received Are Incorrect

In this case, there is an issue with the headers in your file. The header is the first line of the template, this error means that the column names and/or the order of columns (including missing columns) do not match the template. To correct this error, check the following and resubmit:

Confirm all required columns are present and in the same order as the 2023–24 Registration File Template.
Confirm each column is named properly and matches the 2023–24 Registration File Template. The header row column names are case sensitive.
Did you use the 2023–24 Registration File Template? If not, download the template and transfer your data to it.

Too Many Students Are in the File

In this case, you may have too many students in your file upload. To correct this error, check the following and resubmit:

Confirm that the number of students included in your file does not exceed the total number of tests ordered by your institution. If this is the case, work with your purchaser to update your order to increase the number of tests available.
Confirm that the students included in your file are only those grades covered by your institution's order. Reminder: Schools cannot upload grades ordered by a district where the district indicated they would upload for those grades. Similarly, districts cannot upload grades ordered by their schools. If you accidentally included students in grades you shouldn’t have, remove them.
If you exported data from your own student information system to create your SAT Suite Ordering and Registration (SSOR) data file upload, extra rows with empty spaces may have been appended in your data export. SSOR reads these extra rows with empty spaces as additional rows of data. Check your file and ensure there are no additional rows containing empty spaces.

Field-level Errors and Warnings

In this step of the data upload process, we will provide an error and warning report for your review. Download this report to see what errors and/or warnings have been flagged. It may be helpful to review the file specifications as you review errors and warnings.

If multiple errors and warnings are flagged, you may make any necessary corrections and upload a single corrected file to resolve all issues at once. You do not need to reupload your file separately for each error or warning.

Validation Errors
Affected Column	Error Description	How Do I Correct This Error?
Testing AI Code	Testing AI code is invalid and/or not covered by this order	Check to ensure that the Testing AI code is correct. It should be 6 numbers. Examples: 123654, 098791. Additionally, be sure there are no leading or trailing spaces around the 6-digit number. If you are a school SAT Suite Data Coordinator, then the Testing AI code should be the same as your school's AI code. If you are a district SAT Suite Data Coordinator and the Testing AI code is valid, then double check which AIs are covered by the order for this event. Your district's SAT Suite Ordering role user may need to update the order for your district to include all desired Testing AI codes.
Testing AI Code	Testing AI code is missing	You must include a Testing AI code for each test taker in your file. Make the necessary additions and upload a corrected file.
Attending AI Code	Attending AI code is invalid	Check to ensure that the Attending AI code is correct. It should be 6 numbers. Example: 330814. Additionally, be sure there are no leading or trailing spaces around the 6-digit number. If you leave this value blank, SSOR will default to the Testing AI Code provided as the Attending AI Code as well for that student. Make the necessary changes and upload a corrected file.
First Name	First Name is missing	You must include a First Name for each test taker in your file. Make the necessary additions and upload a corrected file.
First Name	First Name has invalid characters	The First Name field may contain letters (A–Z), hyphens ( - ), spaces ( ), and apostrophes ( ‘ ). Remove any other symbols from this field and upload a corrected file.
Middle Initial	Middle Initial has invalid characters	The Middle Initial field may contain a single letter (A–Z). Be sure there are no leading or trailing spaces around the 1-digit letter. Leave this field blank if you do not wish to include a Middle Initial. Make the necessary changes and upload a corrected file.
Last Name	Last Name is missing	You must include a Last Name for each test taker in your file. Make the necessary additions and upload a corrected file.
Last Name	Last Name has invalid characters	The Last Name field may contain letters (A–Z), hyphens ( - ), spaces ( ), and apostrophes ( ‘ ). Remove any other symbols from this field and upload a corrected file.
Gender	Gender (F, M, A) is missing	You must include a Gender for each test taker in your file. Ensure that each Gender is a single letter to prevent further errors: F = Female M = Male A = Another Make the necessary additions and upload a corrected file.
Gender	Gender has invalid characters (expected values: F, M, A)	The acceptable value for Gender is F, M, or A. Use single letters instead of other abbreviations or spelling out the entire word. Be sure there are no leading or trailing spaces around the 1-digit value. F = Female M = Male A = Another Make the necessary changes and upload a corrected file.
Date of Birth	Date of Birth is invalid. PSAT test takers must be between 7–50 years of age.	PSAT test takers must be between ages 7 and 50. Ensure you have entered the birth date correctly for this record. Make the necessary changes and upload a corrected file.
	Date of Birth is not a valid date	Dates of Birth must be in MM/DD/YYYY format and be in the past. Double check to ensure you did not enter the current year instead of the student’s actual birth year. Be sure there are no leading or trailing spaces around the date value. Make the necessary changes and upload a corrected file.
	Date of Birth (MM/DD/YYYY) is missing	You must include a Date of Birth for each test taker in your file. Make the necessary additions and upload a corrected file. Ensure each Date of Birth is in the correct format to prevent further errors: MM/DD/YYYY
Grade	Grade is missing	You must include a Grade for each test taker in your file. Make the necessary additions and upload a corrected file. Ensure each Grade is in the correct format to prevent further errors: 6 = 6th grade 7 = 7th grade 8 = 8th grade 9 = 9th grade 10 = 10th grade 11 = 11th grade 12 = 12th grade N = No longer in high school 1C = First year in college 2C = Second year in college
Grade	Grade is invalid and/or not covered by this order	Double check that the grades you entered are accurate and covered by the order. Reminder: Schools cannot upload grades ordered by a district where the district indicated they would upload for those grades. Similarly, districts cannot upload grades ordered by their schools. If you are missing grades in your order, you'll need to work with the Purchaser at your organization who placed the order. Be sure there are no leading or trailing spaces around the grade value.
Test	Test is invalid	You must include a test value for each test taker in your file. You must use one of the following 3-digit values: SAT, PNM, P10, or P89. Each value corresponds to a test: SAT = SAT School Day PNM = PSAT/NMSQT P10 = PSAT 10 P89 = PSAT 8/9 Additionally, be sure there are no leading or trailing spaces around the 3-digit test value. Make the necessary additions and upload a corrected file.
Season	Season is invalid	You must include a season value for each test taker in your file. This is a 1-digit value and should be F for Fall (October testing) or S for Spring (March or April testing). Additionally, be sure there are no leading or trailing spaces around the 1-digit season value. Make the necessary additions and upload a corrected file.
School Student ID	School Student ID exceeds maximum field length	The School Student ID field can be a maximum of 30 alphanumeric characters. Edit or delete the value in this field and upload a corrected file.
	School Student ID has invalid characters	The School Student ID field can only contain alphanumeric characters. Remove special characters (including spaces) and upload a corrected file.
	All students have the same School Student ID	Students in your file cannot share the same school student ID. Update your file to ensure each student has a unique student ID.
District Student ID	District Student ID exceeds maximum field length	The District Student ID field can be a maximum of 30 alphanumeric characters. Edit or remove this field and upload a corrected file.
	District Student ID has invalid characters	The District Student ID field can only contain alphanumeric characters. Remove special characters (including spaces) and upload a corrected file.
	All students have the same District Student ID	Students in your file cannot share the same district student ID. Update your file to ensure each student has a unique student ID.
State Student ID	State Student ID exceeds maximum field length	The State Student ID field can be a maximum of 30 alphanumeric characters. Edit or remove this field and upload a corrected file.
	State Student ID has invalid characters	The State Student ID field can only contain alphanumeric characters. Remove special characters (including spaces) and upload a corrected file.
	All students have the same State Student ID	Students in your file cannot share the same state student ID. Update your file to ensure each student has a unique student ID.
Combination of multiple columns	This record is a duplicate; ensure Student IDs are different if both records are needed.	This error indicates that two or more records have completely matching information. If you have multiple test takers with the same Name, Gender, Date of Birth, and Grade then you should ensure that each of them has a unique Student ID (School, District, or State) so that our system creates an individual record for each student and so that you have a way to distinguish them in Test Day Toolkit and in score reporting.

Validation Warnings
Affected Column	Warning Description	Do I Need To Correct This Warning?
Testing AI Code	A leading zero was added to Testing AI code	This is a courtesy message letting you know we added a leading zero to this school's Testing AI Code to ensure it’s at least six characters. Example: 12345 was updated by our system to 012345 If the record's Testing AI code looks correct with a leading zero added, then no changes are needed.
Attending AI Code	A leading zero was added to Attending AI code	This is a courtesy message letting you know we added a leading zero to this school's Attending AI Code to ensure it’s at least six characters. Example: 12345 was updated by our system to 012345 If the record’s Attending AI code looks correct with a leading zero added, then no changes are needed.
First Name	Special characters were removed from First Name	This is a courtesy message letting you know that we removed special characters from this test taker's First Name.
First Name	First Name was truncated to 20 characters	This is a courtesy message letting you know that we shortened this test taker’s First Name field to 20 characters in order to meet file specifications.
Last Name	Special characters were removed from Last Name	This is a courtesy message letting you know that we removed special characters from this test taker's Last Name.
Last Name	Last Name was truncated to 35 characters	This is a courtesy message letting you know that we shortened this test taker’s Last Name field to 35 characters in order to meet file specifications.
Gender	Gender is the same for all records	This warning indicates that Gender is identical for your entire file. If this is intended, then you can bypass this warning. If this was a mistake, make the necessary changes and upload a corrected file.
Date of Birth	A leading zero was added to Date of Birth	This is a courtesy message letting you know we added a leading zero to this record’s Date of Birth to meet length requirements. Example: 1/01/2010 was updated by our system to 01/01/2010 If the test taker's Date of Birth looks correct with a leading zero added, then no changes are needed.
Grade	A leading zero was removed from Grade	This is a courtesy message letting you know that we removed a leading zero from this test taker’s Grade. Example: 07 was updated by our system to 7
School Student ID	N/A was removed from School Student ID	This is a courtesy message letting you know that "NA" or "N/A" were removed from this test taker's School Student ID. Our system will read this cell as blank.
District Student ID	N/A was removed from District Student ID	This is a courtesy message letting you know that "NA" or "N/A" were removed from this test taker's District Student ID. Our system will read this cell as blank.
State Student ID	N/A was removed from State Student ID	This is a courtesy message letting you know that "NA" or "N/A" were removed from this test taker's State Student ID. Our system will read this cell as blank.