instructure/canvas-lms · error · ImportError

Improper status "# " for institutional tag category #

Error message

Improper status "#{status}" for institutional tag category #{sis_id}

What it means

Raised by SisImports::InstitutionalTagCategoryImporter#add_institutional_tag_category when status is non-blank but does not match /\A(active|deleted)/i. The importer accepts only 'active' or 'deleted' (case-insensitive) as lifecycle states; any other string is rejected before the record is created or updated.

Solutions

1. Change the status value in the CSV/API call to exactly 'active' or 'deleted' (any casing).
2. Add a mapping step in the export pipeline translating foreign status enums to Canvas's active/deleted vocabulary.
3. Strip whitespace/extra text from the status field before import.
4. Re-run the SIS import.

Example fix

// before
add_institutional_tag_category('cat-1', 'Department Tags', 'desc', 'inactive')
// after
add_institutional_tag_category('cat-1', 'Department Tags', 'desc', 'deleted')

status = status.to_s.strip.downcase
raise ArgumentError, "invalid status #{status}" unless %w[active deleted].include?(status)
add_institutional_tag_category(sis_id, name, description, status)

begin
  importer.add_institutional_tag_category(sis_id, name, description, status)
rescue SisImports::ImportError => e
  Rails.logger.warn("Bad status for category #{sis_id}: #{e.message}")
end

When it happens

Trigger: Calling add_institutional_tag_category with status like 'inactive', 'archived', 'enabled', or values with leading/trailing text that break the anchored match; CSV rows using vocabulary from a different SIS object (e.g. course 'unpublished'/'completed').

Common situations: Mapping an external system's status enum (enabled/disabled, A/I flags) straight into the Canvas SIS file; typos like 'actve' or 'deletd'; copying status values from course/section imports where the allowed set differs.

Understand the failure class

Background: Invalid enum value errors: "Unknown type", "Invalid scope", "must be one of" — when a string is not on the library's allowed list — this error's family across 23 libraries.

Related errors

• An institutional tag category did not pass validation
• Improper grade_publishing_status "#
• Improper status "# " for an enrollment
• No account found for context
• No institutional_tag_id given for an institutional tag

AI-assisted analysis of instructure/canvas-lms@1c9f0bb801 (2026-09-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/ed28a84345c8a1f1. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at lib/sis/institutional_tag_category_importer.rb:45

      importer.success_count
    end

    class Work
      attr_accessor :success_count, :roll_back_data

      def initialize(batch, root_account, logger)
        @batch = batch
        @root_account = root_account
        @logger = logger
        @success_count = 0
        @roll_back_data = []
      end

      def add_institutional_tag_category(sis_id, name, description, status)
        raise ImportError, "No category_id given for an institutional tag category" if sis_id.blank?
        raise ImportError, "No name given for institutional tag category #{sis_id}" if name.blank?
        raise ImportError, "No status given for institutional tag category #{sis_id}" if status.blank?
        raise ImportError, "Improper status \"#{status}\" for institutional tag category #{sis_id}" unless /\A(active|deleted)/i.match?(status)
        return if @batch.skip_deletes? && /deleted/i.match?(status)

        category = InstitutionalTagCategory.find_by(root_account_id: @root_account.id, sis_source_id: sis_id)
        category ||= InstitutionalTagCategory.new(account: @root_account,
                                                  root_account: @root_account,
                                                  sis_source_id: sis_id)

        category.name = name
        category.description = description
        category.sis_batch_id = @batch.id
        category.workflow_state = /deleted/i.match?(status) ? "deleted" : "active"

        if category.save
          data = SisBatchRollBackData.build_data(sis_batch: @batch, context: category)
          @roll_back_data << data if data
          @success_count += 1
          maybe_write_roll_back_data
        else

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