Interface Overview

The Astra Schedule interface with an SIS system is designed to facilitate the coordination of data between the two systems. Using the interface, Astra Schedule can import academic course section information and related data. Rooms are assigned to sections as required using the Astra Schedule toolset. These room assignments can then be exported back to the SIS. Additionally, as section details and room assignments change, updates can be sent in both directions to keep the respective information synchronized. Section details and meetings can be updated in Astra Schedule, and Astra Schedule room assignments for sections can be exported to the SIS. Rules that dictate the specifics of this relationship are configurable and will be determined during the interface setup.

Astra Transform Engine (ATE)

 

Astra Schedule utilizes a “hub and spoke” model for creating interfaces with other systems. In this data transform engine, the “hub” knows the format of the Astra Schedule database for a particular type of data, in this case academic section records. The hub validates and applies business rules upon receiving data. The “spoke” is a data format adapter (read Oracle, MSSQL, text, Excel, etc) with specific instructions for getting data from another source (i.e. a specific SIS database) and transforming it into data the hub can understand. In the form of an xml configuration file, the spoke contains field mapping, instructions for data filtering, business rule settings, and validations on field type and formatting.

 

Imports and exports of data are managed through “jobs” created from within Astra Schedule. Each job is associated with a specific xml configuration file. The combination of the job parameters and the xml file settings can be saved and run at any time.  See Import/Export Jobs for more information.

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