A Student Information System (SIS), is a software that manages student data. An SIS can keep track of things like student and parent data, emergency contacts, attendance records, class schedules, grades, etc. Examples of SIS’s include PowerSchool, Chalkable, Illuminate, Aeries, and Skyward, among countless others.
What is covered in this article?
- What does it mean to integrate SchoolMint data with my SIS?
- How does SchoolMint transfer data to my SIS?
- What is an API?
- How are APIs used when transferring data to my SIS?
- Where can I find the overview for my SIS?
What does it mean to integrate SchoolMint data with my SIS?
When we mention SIS Integration, we are referring to the ability to transfer student data from what you have collected in SchoolMint, to your SIS. Through our integration process, we can update records of returning students that already exist in your SIS, or create new records for students attending your school for the first time.
How does SchoolMint transfer data to my SIS?
SchoolMint can transfer data to your SIS in 3 ways:
1. Direct Integration (available for PowerSchool, Chalkable, Aeries and Software Answers):
- Setup Timing: ~4-6 weeks for repeat integration, ~6-8 weeks for new integration depending on seasonal demand
- Process: Involves setting up a connection in SchoolMint with your SIS's API, sending us your database schema extensions, and completing a mapping template that our engineers can process to ensure the data in SchoolMint is transferred to the right fields in your SIS. This process is made much smoother if we have access to a sandbox (testing) environment for your SIS.
- Advantages: This is the most seamless way to transfer your data from SchoolMint to your SIS-- once it has been setup, syncing your data only takes a click of a button.
- Considerations: A direct integration requires that you work with your SIS representative closely to complete a mapping template, setup the connection, send the database schema extensions, and test once the integration has been completed. This setup is quite technical.
2. Export to SIS: Manual import to SIS with a customized CSV
- Setup Timing: ~3-4 days to build and test depending on your familiarity with building custom reports
- Process: Schools have to ability to self-configure an export file to move student data from SchoolMint into your SIS. This process of building your export file will leverage the Custom Report Tool. If you haven't used the Custom Report Tool yet, we recommend that you first review this article.
- Advantages: This process allows you to select fields from SchoolMint's core data tables and your custom forms, transform your data to meet SIS formatting requirements and track export history on the Sync to SIS page.
- Considerations: This process may require a greater understanding of building custom transformations to meet your SIS needs.
3. Manual Data Manipulation and Import
- Timing: Immediate download, timing of necessary data manipulation varies
- Process: Data can be accessed immediately by logging into SchoolMint and navigating to Reports > Custom Reports > Re-Enrollment Data Report (or Registration Data Report). This step requires that you manually manipulate the data found in the Custom Data Report and Quick-Import into your SIS
- Advantages: No mapping template is required if this route is taken. There is no downtime waiting for engineering tasks to be completed.
- Considerations: Since no engineering work is involved, it can mean a great deal of manual Excel data manipulation on your part in order to create a file that can be imported into your SIS.
What is an API?
An application programming interface (API) is essentially a messenger that takes requests and tells a system what to do. Think of an API as a waiter at a restaurant. In order for the kitchen to make the food you have chosen from your menu and to get that food to your table, the waiter needs to give your order to the kitchen, and then carry your food to your table. Your waiter in this case, is the API that is taking a message (your order), relaying it to the system (the kitchen), and then relaying that back to you (your food).
Check out this terrific YouTube video to learn more.
How are APIs used when transferring data to my SIS?
Depending upon the type of API available, we can either read and write information (PowerSchool, Aeries, Chalkable), or only read information. When we use a ‘read’ API, SchoolMint is reading the information from your SIS and pulling information such as student name, birth date, and SIS ID to determine if there is a student in SchoolMint that already exists in your SIS. When we use a ‘write’ API (only possible through PowerSchool, Aeries, Chalkable), we are able to update information in PowerSchool directly from the data that has been collected in SchoolMint.
Where can I find the overview for my SIS?
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Still have questions? Email us at support@schoolmint.com.
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