Working with the PDF Manager

Getting Started with Data Extraction

If you're just getting started with WebAdMIT's data extraction tools, we recommend you review the following information:

Create customized data files through the Export Manager. You can include only the information that you want, in the order you want it. Be sure to review your CAS's data dictionary and master code lists to learn what fields are available to you.
Bulk download applicant files through the PDF Manager. Bulk downloads can include the full application PDF, transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc.
Pull pre-built reports on your applicants and admissions users through the Report Manager. Reports can also help you compare your applicant pool to the entire CAS applicant pool.
Configure and schedule SFTP deliveries to your Student Information System (SIS).
If available to you, spot trends and help shape your class through reports in Analytics by Liaison.

Additionally, if you're interested in creating a data feed between WebAdMIT and your data systems, explore these resources:

Review the Integration Help Center for best practices and tips in moving records from WebAdMIT into your institution's systems.
The WebAdMIT API is the tool that allows you to integrate applicant data into your institution's SIS/ERP system.
You can also explore additional APIs, like the Custom Fields API and PDF Manager API.

Video Overview

Overview

The PDF Manager tool allows you to download full applications, scanned transcripts, foreign evaluations, letters of reference, and applicant uploaded documents in bulk, making it simpler for you to work with them outside of WebAdMIT.

You can download up to 1,000 applicants at a time in .zip file format. Batches exceeding the 1,000 applicant limit fail while processing. If your batch exceeds this limit, you must create multiple exports. Additionally, if you're working with a list of more than 1,000 applicants, any filters you include are applied before the 1,000 applicant limit is imposed. See the Notes and Considerations section for more information.

The maximum size of the .zip file is 1 GB; if that size is exceeded, multiple .zip files are generated.

Be aware of the following behaviors related to the full application PDF:

When you access a PDF in WebAdMIT within the applicant’s profile or through the PDF Manager, it will limit the data available in the same way that WebAdMIT limits access to panels on the Applicant Details page. This means that you can use Work Groups to redact information from the PDF for faculty reviewers and other staff to better mirror your local admissions policies.
If your CAS doesn't include certain additional document types in the full application PDF (e.g., transcripts or letters of evaluation), you can't override this configuration and add them through the PDF Manager.
Admissions Uploaded Documents are not included in the full application PDF.

Gaining Access to This Feature

The PDF Manager feature is available under the Reports & Exports panel and access to this tool is controlled through Work Groups. You must have the:

Manage Lists, Reports, and Exports permission to create PDF templates and edit any templates that you created.
Update Last Printed Date timestamp via PDF Manager permission to update an applicant's Document Last Printed Date field when you run a PDF Manager job.

Additionally, be aware that Institution Managers who are in the WebAdMIT Administrators Work Group can view and delete all PDF templates created within their organization.

Creating a PDF Template

Using the Menu Bar, open the Reports & Exports panel, then click PDF Manager.
Click New PDF File.
Select an existing list to run the PDF template against, if applicable.
Enter a name for your PDF template.
Select the Document Type; see Document Descriptions and Naming for more information. Only one document type can be downloaded in each .zip file.
If you select a list in step 3 and the full application PDF in step 5, then you can select if you want your PDF template to honor the designation criteria from your list. If this is set to will, and your list filters applicants by any field in the Designations field grouping (e.g., Designation, Application Status, etc.), then you can extract the full application PDFs that adhere to your list's criteria. See Notes and Consideration below for additional guidance.
If available, select if the Document Last Printed Date will update for applicants. If this is set to will, the Document Last Printed Date updates with the date the PDF template was most recently run for all applicants included in the PDF template. See Notes and Consideration below for additional guidance.
Select if you want to filter documents where the Document Last Printed Date is within a specific time period or is/is not null (i.e., does or does not have a value). See Notes and Consideration below for additional guidance.
If desired, edit the file name pattern. For more field options, click the pencil button. See Document Descriptions and Naming for default naming patterns.
Select who can view the template (e.g., just yourself, specific Work Groups, or all Work Groups). Institution Managers who are in the WebAdMIT Administrators Work Group can view and delete any exports created within their organization.
If you're downloading full application PDFs, then you can select which panels and subpanels you want to include in the PDF template files. The panels and subpanels you see depend on your Work Group permissions. If you cannot view specific panels based on your Work Group, then you cannot select them when creating your PDF template. Additionally, if you want to include all the panels and subpanels you currently have access to, you don't have to select them here; they'll automatically be added by default.
Click Save PDF Settings to save the customized PDF template for future use or Return to PDF Manager to discard the PDF template. Once saved, you can generate and download a .zip file of the PDF template.

PDF templates for pulling full application PDFs for matriculant applicants

Document Descriptions and Naming

Each document in the downloaded .zip file has a default file name. The variables used for each name are listed below, and you can customize the file name pattern as needed.

If you created a Custom Field with special characters in the label (i.e., name) field and use that Custom Field label as a merge field in the PDF template's file name pattern, then the special character will be removed from the merge field name within WebAdMIT. The special characters will still be included in the file names for any PDF templates you run and download.

Document Name	Description	File Name Pattern
Applicant Gateway Document	If your CAS uses the Applicant Gateway, you can download applicant documents.	Default format: <CAS ID>_<FirstName>_<LastName>_Applicant Gateway_<Source>.pdf Example: 123456789_Jane_Smith_Applicant Gateway_Supplemental Application.pdf
CAS Level Applicant Uploaded Document	If your CAS collects documents from applicants under the Supporting Information quadrant in the application, you can download the uploaded documents.	Default format: <CAS ID>_<FirstName>_<LastName>_Applicant Uploaded Document_<Source>.pdf Example: 123456789_Jane_Smith_Applicant Uploaded Document_Personal Statement.pdf
Electronically Submitted Evaluation	If your CAS collects letters of recommendation (i.e., reference, evaluation), you can download the completed recommendations.	Default format: <CAS ID>_<FirstName>_<LastName>_Letter of Reference_<Evaluator Name>.pdf Example: 123456789_Jane_Smith_Letter of Reference_Hank McCoy.pdf
Foreign Evaluation	If your CAS collects official electronic foreign evaluations from World Education Services (WES), Inc. or Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc., you can download the foreign evaluations. Foreign evaluations sent via mail are available in the Transcripts document type.	Default format: <CAS ID>_<FirstName>_<LastName>_Foreign Evaluation_<Evaluation Agency>.pdf Example: 123456789_Jane_Smith_Foreign Evaluation_Education Credential Evaluators.pdf
Full Application PDF	You can download an applicant's full application PDF. The full application PDF mirrors which panels and sub-panels you can view based on your Work Group. Note that: CAS Level and Program Level Applicant Uploaded Documents from the Supporting Information and Program Materials quadrants are included. Admissions Uploaded Documents are not included. Some CASs don't include certain additional document types in the full application PDF (e.g., transcripts or letters of evaluation).	Default format: <CAS ID>_<FirstName>_<LastName>_Full Application_<CAS Side Program ID>_<Program Name>.pdf Example: 123456789_Jane_Smith_Full Application_3579_Epidemiology.pdf
Program Level Applicant Uploaded Document	If you collect documents from your applicants under the Program Materials quadrant in the application, you can download the uploaded documents.	Default format: <CAS ID>_<FirstName>_<LastName>_Applicant Uploaded Document_<Source>.pdf Example: 123456789_Jane_Smith_Applicant Uploaded Document_Personal Statement.pdf
Transcript	If your CAS collects any of the following transcripts and foreign evaluations, you can download them. Transcripts include: Official domestic transcripts received electronically or via mail. Official foreign transcripts or evaluations received via mail. Unofficial transcripts or foreign evaluations uploaded under the Colleges Attended section of the application. High school transcripts are not included in this document type.	Default format: <CAS ID>_<FirstName>_<LastName>_Transcript_<Transcript Type>_<Liaison college code>_<College Name>.pdf Example: 123456789_Jane_Smith_Transcript_Official_2345_Watertown University.pdf

Notes and Considerations

Step Number	Step Description	Notes and Considerations
#6	Exports honoring designation criteria in lists	If you create a list that searches for applicants based on any field in the Designations field grouping (e.g., Designation, Application Status, etc.), you can extract the full application PDFs that adhere to your list's criteria. For example, suppose an applicant applied to both Program A and B, and you create a list that searches for applicants in Program B. In that case, when you extract the full application PDFs, only the applicant’s Program B full application PDF will be included in the PDF file. Previously, the PDF Manager extracted the full application PDFs for all designations, regardless of the Designation fields you filtered by in the list.
#7	The Document Last Printed Date timestamp	A Document Last Printed Date logs the last date you downloaded a batch of documents using the PDF Manager. You can log the Document Last Printed Date for the following document types: CAS Level Applicant Uploaded Document Electronically Submitted Evaluations Foreign Evaluations Full Application PDF Program Level Applicant Uploaded Document Transcripts Be aware that: You can view the Document Last Printed Date on the Applicant Details page. You can’t log the Document Last Printed Date when you download a document from the Documents panel on the Applicant Details page. Transcripts and Evaluations are only logged with a date if you download a batch of Transcripts or Evaluations; they won’t be logged with a date if you download the Full Application PDF that contains these items. If an applicant is applying to more than one program (i.e., designation), a date is recorded for each program-specific document. For example, if you download a batch of full application PDFs for Program A, a date is recorded for Program A but not Program B. If you make a copy of a PDF Manager template that has the Document Last Printed Date set to will, the copy will not include that. This helps avoid accidental updates. You can clear the Document Last Printed Date in batch using the Clear Last Printed Date for ALL Docs for Checked Applicants option under List Actions, Search Actions, and Clipboard Actions. When you use this option, you clear the date for all documents for the selected applicants.
#8	Apply Include documents where the Last Printed Date is... filter	By applying this filter, you can prevent duplicate documents from downloading, which also helps keep your document batch sizes smaller. For example, your program may download applications only once toward the end of the cycle. When the time comes to process the download—and because you haven’t previously downloaded these documents and recorded a Document Last Printed Date—you can apply the Null filter option to download all PDF applications. The PDF Manager has a 1,000 applicant limit, which is imposed after this Last Printed Date filter is applied. Consider this scenario: you're attempting a batch document download on a list containing 1,001 applicants. Of those applicants, 1,000 have been previously downloaded, so their Document Last Printed Date has been updated. You've set the filter so that only applicants with a Null last printed date are included in your batch download. In this scenario, only one applicant is included in the batch download, and your filtered list does not exceed the limit.

Step Number

Step Description

Notes and Considerations

#6

Exports honoring designation criteria in lists

If you create a list that searches for applicants based on any field in the Designations field grouping (e.g., Designation, Application Status, etc.), you can extract the full application PDFs that adhere to your list's criteria.

For example, suppose an applicant applied to both Program A and B, and you create a list that searches for applicants in Program B. In that case, when you extract the full application PDFs, only the applicant’s Program B full application PDF will be included in the PDF file. Previously, the PDF Manager extracted the full application PDFs for all designations, regardless of the Designation fields you filtered by in the list.

#7

The Document Last Printed Date timestamp

A Document Last Printed Date logs the last date you downloaded a batch of documents using the PDF Manager. You can log the Document Last Printed Date for the following document types:

CAS Level Applicant Uploaded Document
Electronically Submitted Evaluations
Foreign Evaluations
Full Application PDF
Program Level Applicant Uploaded Document
Transcripts

Be aware that:

You can view the Document Last Printed Date on the Applicant Details page.
You can’t log the Document Last Printed Date when you download a document from the Documents panel on the Applicant Details page.
Transcripts and Evaluations are only logged with a date if you download a batch of Transcripts or Evaluations; they won’t be logged with a date if you download the Full Application PDF that contains these items.
If an applicant is applying to more than one program (i.e., designation), a date is recorded for each program-specific document. For example, if you download a batch of full application PDFs for Program A, a date is recorded for Program A but not Program B.
If you make a copy of a PDF Manager template that has the Document Last Printed Date set to will, the copy will not include that. This helps avoid accidental updates.
You can clear the Document Last Printed Date in batch using the Clear Last Printed Date for ALL Docs for Checked Applicants option under List Actions, Search Actions, and Clipboard Actions. When you use this option, you clear the date for all documents for the selected applicants.

#8

Apply Include documents where the Last Printed Date is... filter

By applying this filter, you can prevent duplicate documents from downloading, which also helps keep your document batch sizes smaller.

For example, your program may download applications only once toward the end of the cycle. When the time comes to process the download—and because you haven’t previously downloaded these documents and recorded a Document Last Printed Date—you can apply the Null filter option to download all PDF applications.

The PDF Manager has a 1,000 applicant limit, which is imposed after this Last Printed Date filter is applied. Consider this scenario: you're attempting a batch document download on a list containing 1,001 applicants. Of those applicants, 1,000 have been previously downloaded, so their Document Last Printed Date has been updated. You've set the filter so that only applicants with a Null last printed date are included in your batch download. In this scenario, only one applicant is included in the batch download, and your filtered list does not exceed the limit.

Generating and Downloading PDF Zip Files

Once you save a PDF template, you must generate it from the PDF Manager page and retrieve it from the Recent Files page. You can also retrieve exports, reports, and PDF templates run within the past seven days from the Recent Files page.

To generate and download the .zip file of PDF documents:

Using the Menu Bar, open the Reports & Exports panel, then click PDF Manager.
Click the template name in the PDF Template column.
You'll automatically be sent to the Recent Files page. Depending on document size, number of applicants, and other factors, it may take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours for WebAdMIT to create the .zip file.
Click the file link in the Download column.

Recent Files page with a PDF .zip file ready for download

Managing PDF Manager Templates

To manage existing PDF Manager templates, click PDF Manager from the Menu Bar. You can view and perform the following actions for PDF templates that you created or that other users created and shared with you.

PDF Manager page with management functionality including editing and deleting templates

Running PDF Templates

Click the PDF template name to run it.

Reordering PDF Templates

Use the grip icon to drag and drop the PDF template into the preferred order.

Scheduling PDF Templates

Use the calendar icon to schedule a file transfer for a PDF template. You can also click the eye icon to review existing file transfer logs.

Editing PDF Templates

Use the pencil icon to edit a PDF template. Note that only PDF template owners can make edits. If you'd like to edit or see the settings of a PDF template that you are not the owner of, you can create a copy of it instead.

Copying Existing PDF Templates

Use the duplicate icon to copy an existing PDF template.

Deleting PDF Templates

Use the trash icon to delete a PDF template. Note that only PDF template owners and Institution Managers who are in the WebAdMIT Administrators Work Group can delete PDF templates.