Creating Portals in Batches with a Template

Creating portals in batches can save you time. You can enter information for multiple new portals in a single place, and then simultaneously create multiple portals.

For many firms, the most efficient way to create multiple portals is with the batch portal creation template. The template is a pre-formatted Microsoft® Excel® spreadsheet. Staff members enter needed information for new portals in the template, and then send the template back to the firm administrator. When the administrator imports the template into Portal, the new portals are created using the information in the template.

Note: The firm administrator can also create portals using the Batch Portal Creation window. See Creating Multiple Portals at One Time with the Batch Portal Creation Window for more information.

The sections below describe the three phases of creating new portals with the template. Click a link to view instructions for completing each phase.

ClosedDownloading and Distributing the Template

Only staff members with firm administrator privileges can download the blank template from Portal. To download and distribute the template, do the following:

  1. After logging in to your portal, click the Administration tab on the navigation panel.
  2. Click Setup > Manage portal on the Administration tab.
  3. Click Portal Creation Template.
  4. Click Save.
  5. Note: If your download is blocked for security reasons, you may need to select the PortalCreationTemplate.xls link in the bottom right corner of your browser before you can open or save the document.

  6. Distribute the template electronically to staff members who will enter new portal information.

ClosedEntering Portal Information in the Template

Any staff member with Microsoft® Excel® can enter information in the portal creation template. Use the Instructions tab in the template or the procedure below to guide you through completing the template.

  1. Open the template document in Excel® . The default name of the file is PortalCreationTemplate.xls.
  2. Select the Data tab, if it is not already displayed.
  3. Beginning in row 2, enter the Closedinformation for a new portal.

    Note: At minimum, a portal name and portal administrator email address must be provided for each portal. A folder template is also required, but the system automatically applies the default folder template to a portal if none is specified.

  4. Enter information for additional portals on subsequent rows.
  5. Save the template, and then return it to the firm administrator.

ClosedImporting the Template to Create New Portals

Only the firm administrator can import the template information into Portal. To create new portals by importing the template, do the following:

  1. Click the Administration tab in your logged-in portal.
  2. Select Setup > Manage portal.
  3. Click Batch Portal Creation.
  4. Click Yes when the system asks if you want to import a template.
  5. Select and open the template file containing the new portal information.
  6. Click Yes to deactivate notifications for the new portals, or click No to allow notifications to be sent. Turning off notifications can be helpful if you want to set up the portals, upload a welcome message, or provide instructions before the client is informed that a portal exists.

    Note: If you disable notifications, the portal administrator will not receive a login ID and password email.

    Once you select an option, the portal creation process begins immediately.

  7. Select Yes to download a process log, or No if you do not want to download the log. The process log lists the date and time when each portal was created. If a portal was not created successfully, it also lists the reason for the failure.
  8. Note: If you selected Yes on the previous step, enter a file name for the log and the location where the file should be saved, and then click Save.

    • If all portals are created successfully, the system returns you to the Manage Portals window, and no further action is needed.
    • If some portals could not be created because of errors, these portals are listed on the Batch Portal Creation window. You must resolve these errors before the portal creation can be completed. ClosedHow do I complete portal creation on this window?
      1. Hover the pointer over the error indicator to view information about the cause of the error.
      2. Make any necessary changes to fix the errors, and then click Evaluate to verify that there are no other errors.
      3. When all errors have been resolved, click Continue to create the portals.
      4. Select whether to download the process log.
    • Note: For additional information about using this window, see Creating Multiple Portals at One Time with the Batch Portal Creation Window.