instructure/canvas-lms · error · Canvas::Migration::Error

No outcome file or guid given

Error message

No outcome file or guid given

What it means

Canvas::Migration::Error raised by AcademicBenchmark::OutcomeData.load_data when the options hash contains neither :archive_file nor :authority/:publication keys, so there is no source for the outcome data.

Solutions

1. Pass an uploaded file: load_data(archive_file: file_or_path).
2. Or pass API identifiers: load_data(authority: abrv) and/or publication: guid.
3. If you have a guid, translate it into the authority/publication options the loader expects.
4. Pre-check options before calling: ensure options[:archive_file] || options[:authority] || options[:publication].

Example fix

// before
OutcomeData.load_data(guid: 'abc')
// after
OutcomeData.load_data(archive_file: attachment.open) # or authority: 'XYZ'

unless opts[:archive_file] || opts[:authority] || opts[:publication]
  raise ArgumentError, 'need archive_file or authority/publication'
end
OutcomeData.load_data(opts)

begin
  data = AcademicBenchmark::OutcomeData.load_data(opts)
rescue Canvas::Migration::Error => e
  Rails.logger.warn("outcome load skipped: #{e.message}")
  data = nil
end

When it happens

Trigger: Calling OutcomeData.load_data with an empty options hash or options holding only unrelated keys (e.g. guid only without authority/publication/archive_file).

Common situations: Scripts importing by a bare GUID without mapping it to authority/publication; callers forgetting to pass the uploaded attachment; refactor dropping the archive_file key from options.

Understand the failure class

Background: "Must pass :limit option" / "Missing required option" — required option errors explained — this error's family across 41 libraries.

Related errors

• Missing required content_migration settings
• Artifact required for assessing
• Assessment type required for assessing
• assessor and assessee required
• Assessor required for assessing

AI-assisted analysis of instructure/canvas-lms@1c9f0bb801 (2026-09-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/b231629bab05f557. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at gems/plugins/academic_benchmark/lib/academic_benchmark/outcome_data.rb:28

# Software Foundation, version 3 of the License.
#
# Canvas is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY
# WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR
# A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU Affero General Public License for more
# details.
#
# You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License along
# with this program. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.

module AcademicBenchmark
  module OutcomeData
    def self.load_data(options = {})
      if options.key?(:archive_file)
        OutcomeData::FromFile.new(options.slice(:archive_file))
      elsif options.key?(:authority) || options.key?(:publication)
        OutcomeData::FromApi.new(options)
      else
        raise Canvas::Migration::Error, "No outcome file or guid given"
      end
    end
  end
end

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