The CommonAppPayment Source Format is optional for institutions that import payment data separately from the Common Application. Many institutions do not use this source format to map payment data since the payment data is included in the CommonApp Application file.
Because payments are not paid in Slate or via a process that updates Slate directly, no payment fields are pre-mapped. This file is helpful for students who change their payment method after the submission of the Common App or for those who need to resubmit their payment.
There are a few guidelines to consider if your process requires using this Source Format:
- Do not map a destination for the Common App ID. This field should remain unmapped.
- Do not map application Round information for this file.
- Do not map applicant data, as it is already mapped in the CommonApp Source Format.
The CommonAppPayment source format has the Slate Common App ID mapped to the application-scoped unique fields Common App ID and App: External ID.
The Common App ID uniquely identifies a person, so the application cycle year is appended to the Slate Common App ID to make it unique for a specific application. As of August 2022, -2023 is appended to the Slate Common App ID. With each cycle, the year changes, and the year value is automatically updated.
Remapping the Payments File
- Select Database on the top navigation bar and select Source Formats.
- From the Source Format Library, find the CommonAppPayment Source Format, select Add, and again in the popup.
- Select Remap to confirm destinations and to set up additional data mappings for this Source Format.
Please visit this Community Forum post that discusses a recommended approach for mapping the payment data.