WHAT'S AN API?
If you're not exactly sure what an API is, you're not alone.
In its most basic form, an API is something that allows one system to access information from another.
In the past, many applications used direct database connections to do the same thing. Unfortunately, as these are not standardised the way APIs are, these connections were difficult to build, even harder to maintain, and posed a real information security risk.
The popularity of cloud hosting solutions also made it difficult for schools to access their data as, unlike APIs, direct database connections are not typically an option in these environments.
So, what makes APIs different? They're developed in-house, have strict version control, and are rigorously tested to ensure that only the relevant data is returned or modified.
To put this in context, an API is like a waiter at a restaurant; you look through the menu and tell them what you want to order, the waiter takes your order to the kitchen, and then they return with your meal.
Without APIs, third parties and assorted staff members would have to go into your kitchen themselves, figure out a recipe, and hope they choose the right ingredients to use – all whilst trying not to contaminate any other foods.
The ‘kitchen’ here is your database, and it’s a lot worse than burnt food if something goes wrong with the data inside.
Using an API keeps everyone out of your kitchen, so your data is secure, and ensures that meals are correctly prepared and go to the right table.
Each of these ‘meals’ is called an Endpoint, and there are hundreds of them to choose from on Edumate’s API Menu.
Each endpoint, or multiple at once, can be used by schools and third-party vendors to safely and efficiently integrate data between Edumate and numerous other systems.
Importantly, every API connection is logged and auditable, with access dependent on user permissions.
WHAT ARE EDUMATE'S APIs?
Edumate APIs come in two types:
- With POST or PUT APIs, you're receiving data from another document or system into your school's database, where it updates the requested field.
- With GET APIs, you're requesting specific information from your database, which you can use in reports, external systems, or whatever your school requires.
Edumate APIs are available across a range of areas, covering a majority of the information that a school may need to access. Each endpoint is part of a larger API group, which cover:
-
Attachments
- This group allows you to attach documents to a student, carer, staff, or debtor record, and works with both Edumate's default attachment types (such as enrolment letters, academic reports, or suspension details) and custom, school-defined types.
- Contacts
- Using the Contacts API group, you can access comprehensive contact record data for students, carers, and staff.
- Enrolments
- The Enrolments API group covers a wide range of enrolment data, from various student demographic information to carer details, fee status and visa types.
- Learning Management
- This API group is predominantly used to support the transfer of user, course and membership data from Edumate into a third-party Learning Management System.
- Staff
- The Staff API group covers all Edumate staff records, allowing you to export required information, or integrate with third-party HR systems to update existing records in Edumate.
Documentation on the Edumate API Framework is publicly available, so schools and other vendors have access to everything they need to integrate.
More information on the extensive list of endpoints for each API group, along with configurations, error messages and example structures, can be found here.
WHAT IS THE API TOOL?
Whilst the Edumate APIs were built to make it easy for schools to integrate with whatever systems they use, it can be difficult to get started.
If your school doesn't have the time or someone with the technical skills to build on the framework, or you don't have room in your budget to hire someone to take on the project, you're back at square one.
For cloud-hosted schools, who don’t have direct access to their database, this made it difficult if not impossible to access their data, whether they wanted to use it internally or provide it to an auxiliary system.
The API Tool was developed to make it easier for schools in this situation to take advantage of APIs, allowing them to easily view, import, and process data in bulk, without the need for programming expertise or coding skills.
Even where schools are able to access their database directly, importing and exporting through the API Tool provides security features that aren’t possible with direct connections.
Phase One, released in November last year, made it possible for you to import data from a .csv file via a chosen POST/PUT API, and import it securely into Edumate.
Phase Two is coming soon, in the July Edumate release, and will allow you to trigger a data export using one of the available GET APIs. The resulting .csv can then be used by your school or imported directly into a third-party system.
With the complete tool, your school will be safely able to leverage two-way data transfer between Edumate and any third-party system that supports .csv files.
