Overcoming Integration Nightmares Using Cloud Solutions Nate Tucker

Overview For application developers, interfacing systems with one another is the most frustrating part of a project. It’s even more frustrating when CSV/Text Files are used to import/export data. Programming has to be developed to ensure data integrity is not compromised; duplicates (adds versus updates) New advancements in technology have significantly decreased these frustrations

Old Way for Interfacing Create process for exporting data in specific format CSV Fixed Format Create process for importing data from file created

New Way for Interfacing API - Application Program Interface It is a set of clearly defined methods of communication between various software components. Often includes specifications for routines, data structures, object classes, variables or remote calls

Updated Software Systems Vendors made changes to their systems to adopt the API methodology No common standards left programmers building interfaces with newer technologies that simply replicated the older CSV and Flat File formats methodology

Cloud-Based Interface Applications Developed to create a set of standards that applications could connect with Actions based on Triggers Service Data

IFTTT.com If This, Than That Automated home Started in 2010 for personal automation activities and later included limited business automation services Automated home Time of day Location awareness

Enterprise Solution Considerations Syncing Challenges include delayed data availability in destination system Reporting data delays Even here you can eliminate CSV and Text Files if syncing directly between applications that have APIs built Real-time Mixture of both

Ellucian Ethos Got into the game of APIs late Higher ED data standard Interfaces built for internal products Partners will integrate with Ethos Store data for all systems allowing for integrated data analysis

Current Lee API Usage 90 Day data verification/confirmations Read & Update student data via Portal using Student Self-Service APIs Future modifications processed through Ethos

Lee Admissions Process Collect data Forms Testing imports Process data Initiate Email Campaigns Accept student Process enrollment

Current Tech @ Lee Salesforce for Admission Recruiting Informatica – imports and exports with Salesforce iData – uses ELF processing within Colleague (4 hours of processing) Axiom – writes directly to SQL tables (near real-time) – Can solve your CAMS problem To write directly to Ellucian Ethos in future

Informatica Interfaces with common data sources CSV and Fixed File Format MS SQL databases Other ODBC OLEDB data sources

Skyvia Data integration Backups Query Connect via APIs

Zapier Connect Apps Develop Workflows Real-time actions Detailed configs

Microsoft PowerApps & Flow https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/tutorials/connections-list/

Lee Marketing Example Facebook AD Zapier Salesforce Marketing FB Form Capture data Send data Salesforce Receive Data Campaign Processing

Summary A lot of vendors have built APIs that interface with cloud providers such as Informatica Skyvia Zapier If you are still using the CSV or Fixed File Format methodology, take advantage of newer technologies

Questions & Answers

Thank You! Nate Tucker ntucker@leeuniversity.edu