This article provides a basic overview of Terra Dotta ISSS Best Practices for SEVIS data management.
Terra Dotta ISSS provides the following channels to update SEVIS data for F/M students, and J students and scholars:
- SEVIS Batching - the data originates in Terra Dotta records and is sent to SEVIS in batch to update.
- RTI Connect - the data is entered directly in SEVIS via RTI Connect. A copy is saved into Terra Dotta upon successful completion of the action.
- Post to RTI - the data originates in Terra Dotta , either from a record or from a direct edit to the data in SEVIS Profile or Activity. The update is then posted to RTI via the Post to RTI button in the SEVIS Profile (or Activity).
Terra Dotta ISSS recommends that clients rely first upon SEVIS batching to update their SEVIS data. We realize that some occasions require a new document immediately, so your first alternative to batching should be RTI Connect, if possible. Unfortunately, SEVIS technical connectivity issues may also affect your ability to access RTI Connect and Batch services.
Important: SEVIS is not supported on Firefox, it is recommended to use another web browser.
Terra Dotta mitigates data loss by pausing the delivery of SEVIS batches during SEVP-announced SEVIS outages. This ensures that the data in your batches remains deliverable. While SEVIS rarely sends a message confirming the environment is back online, our development team is consistently monitoring our Alpha, Beta, and client Production sites for SEVIS behavior. After SEVIS resumes normal operations, Terra Dotta will resume normal batching and safely deliver your batches to SEVIS.
Beginning with Terra Dotta Spring 2019 Release, we have rendered error messages to help you identify and differentiate when an error is due to Terra Dotta, and when an error is directly related to a SEVIS server being down. 
Terra Dotta always recommends using Batching or RTI Connect to update your SEVIS data; however, we also understand that critical times, trying as many avenues to complete your SEVIS processing in whatever way works best may be necessary. If you complete your data processing in SEVIS directly, this creates a discrepancy between Terra Dotta ISSS records and the SEVIS record. To help maintain data integrity, the best practice is to download your records back into Terra Dotta via RTI Connect to ensure data continuity. For more information see SEVIS Admin: RTI Connect Actions > Selecting and Downloading Data > Student and EV Lists.