instructure/canvas-lms · error · DataFormatError

Missing 'Rubric Name' in some rows.

Error message

Missing 'Rubric Name' in some rows.

What it means

RubricImport#process_rubrics raises DataFormatError when a parsed rubric row has a blank rubric name key — the CSV has rows but at least one row is missing the 'Rubric Name' value, so the rubric cannot be identified or grouped.

Solutions

1. Fill in the 'Rubric Name' cell for every data row in the CSV
2. Remove empty/blank rows at the end of the file
3. Open the CSV in a text editor to check that each row has the correct number of comma-separated fields
4. Re-download the template and rebuild the file, ensuring the name column is never blank

Example fix

// before
,Criteria,Ratings
Essay Rubric,Quality,"Great:10"
// after
Essay Rubric,Quality,"Great:10"

rows = CSV.read(uploaded_path, headers: true)
blank_names = rows.select { |r| r["Rubric Name"].to_s.strip.blank? }
raise "rows with blank Rubric Name: #{blank_names.size}" unless blank_names.empty?

begin
  import.process
rescue DataFormatError => e
  flash[:error] = e.message
end

When it happens

Trigger: A data row in the rubric CSV with an empty 'Rubric Name' cell — e.g. the name was deleted, a criterion row was left without its rubric name repeated, trailing blank-ish rows, or a comma-shift caused values to fall into wrong columns.

Common situations: Deleting the rubric name while keeping criteria rows; spreadsheets converting empty cells to whitespace; CSV rows with missing commas shifting the name column; appending rows below the template without copying the name.

Understand the failure class

Background: "must not be empty", "cannot be empty" — required-field validation errors across open-source libraries — this error's family across 41 libraries.

Related errors

• The file is empty or does not contain valid assessment data.
• The file is empty or does not contain valid rubric data.
• Friendly description is too long (maximum is 255 characters)
• Invalid fields after ratings
• Invalid fields

AI-assisted analysis of instructure/canvas-lms@1c9f0bb801 (2026-09-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/319cfbbcd392992b. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at app/models/rubric_import.rb:110

      update!(error_count: 1, error_data: [{ message: I18n.t("The file is not a valid CSV file."), exception: e.message }])
      track_error
    rescue => e
      ErrorReport.log_exception("rubrics_import", e)
      update!(error_count: 1, error_data: [{ message: I18n.t("An error occurred while importing rubrics."), exception: e.message }])
      track_error
      job_failed!
    end
  end

  def process_rubrics
    rubrics_by_name = RubricCSVImporter.new(attachment).parse
    raise DataFormatError, I18n.t("The file is empty or does not contain valid rubric data.") if rubrics_by_name.empty?

    total_rubrics = rubrics_by_name.keys.count
    error_data = []

    rubrics_by_name.each_with_index do |(rubric_name, rubric_data), rubric_index|
      raise DataFormatError, I18n.t("Missing 'Rubric Name' in some rows.") if rubric_name.blank?

      rubric = context.rubrics.build(rubric_imports_id: id)
      criteria_hash = {}
      rubric_data.each_with_index do |criterion, criterion_index|
        raise DataFormatError, "Missing 'Criteria Name' for #{rubric_name}" if criterion[:description].blank?
        raise DataFormatError, "Missing ratings for #{criterion[:description]}" if criterion[:ratings].empty?

        ratings_hash = {}
        criterion[:ratings].each_with_index do |rating, rating_index|
          ratings_hash[rating_index.to_s] = {
            "description" => rating[:description],
            "long_description" => rating[:long_description],
            "points" => rating[:points]
          }
        end
        criteria_hash[criterion_index.to_s] = {
          "description" => criterion[:description],
          "long_description" => criterion[:long_description],

View on GitHub (pinned to 1c9f0bb801)