Integrations

How to sync data between eFront and 3rd-party systems

'Auto Sync' is a special eFront feature that enables automatic data synchronization for a number of its modules through the use of plain CSV/JSON files.

The current list of supported modules includes:

  • Users
  • Courses
  • Lessons
  • Locations
  • Training Sessions
  • Branches
  • Jobs
  • Groups
  • Skills
  • Audiences
  • Course Assignments
  • Curriculum Assignments
  • Lesson Progress
  • Training Session Assignments
  • Skill Assignments
  • Job Assignments
  • Group Assignments

Step 1: Basic configuration

The feature can be enabled by clicking on Maintenance (1) › Auto Sync (2) › Settings (3). You will then be able to set the following.

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  • Data-Set Base Path (4) is the path of the working data folder. Make sure it's got the appropriate read/write access permissions.
  • Delete logs checkbox (5) allows you to delete any Auto Sync logs which are older than 30 days.
  • Use SFTP (6) to synchronize your data. If you want to find more on how to establish the SFTP connection check our guide here.

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Note: If Data-Set Base Path is not properly set you won't be able to proceed with the rest of the configuration.

Once you get past that step, return to the Auto Sync menu where you will now find two new options:

  • Scheduler (8): Allows the automatic creation and management of the sync tasks.
  • Logger (9): Offers administrative functionality over any logs created on sync task completion.
  • Settings (10): Go back to Auto Sync settings to change the Data-Set Base Path or the SFTP connection settings.

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Step 2: Task creation

You might be wondering by now what exactly is a task and why do you need one; well -in short- a task is simply a bundle of choices on what to sync when to do it, and how to perform it.

You can create a new task by going to Maintenance (1) › Auto Sync (2) › Scheduler (3) › Add Task (4).

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On the Task Creation page you'll find a plethora of options for configuring your sync actions which are split into the following sections:

Primary Data

This section is required. You have to fill in a Title (5) and Description (6) of your task.

Execution Plan

  • Set the Initial Execution (7) time. This is the first time ever that your task will be executed.
  • Set the repetition time (8). Meaning how often do you need the task to run.

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Importing

Enable this option by moving the slider to On (9). You will then be able to specify the following

  • Data Format (10): the format which will be used as the source for the data import.
  • From ZIP (11): whether your data are packaged in a compressed ZIP file.

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Then you need to select the entity that you want to import (sync), for example Content progress (12). For each entity you can select one of the following actions depending on the entity (13):

  • Ignore: Ignore duplicate entries from input.
  • Merge: Merge duplicate entries with existing entries.
  • Replace: Replace duplicate entries.

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Exporting

Enable the option by moving its slider to On (14) just like we did with importing, and then you will be able to specify the following: 

  • Data Format (15): Determines the type of the output format. That is JSON or CSV.
  • To ZIP (16): Determines whether the output file (regardless of type) will be compressed or not.

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Then you will be able to specify the entity to be exported. To specify an entity move its slider to On (17).

Behavior

This section allows an administrator to control the syncing process. The following actions are available: 

  • Process Sequence (18): Allows you to specify the sequence of the sync actions.
  • Keep imported Files (19): Keeps or discards the data files after importing them to the database.
  • Stop on Error (20): Set whether you'd like syncing to stop upon errors or continue using the selected sync strategy.
  • Running Status (21): Specify whether a task is currently active or not.
  • Log reports (22): Enable/Disable the logging functionality
  • App Notifications (23): Allow eFront to send you notifications after a task has finished execution.
  • Email Notifications (24): Allow eFront to send you email notifications after a task has finished execution.

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Upon successfully creating a new task you will see it on the Scheduler page. Once there, you can quickly toggle a few configuration options by clicking the corresponding icon (25).

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Step 3: Task Details

To check on an already existing task details, go to Maintenance (1) › Auto Sync (2) › Scheduler (3) and click on the task name (4) where you'll be presented with a detailed overview of your task configuration.

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You will be able to inspect the full filesystem path to your data (5) and log folders (6) which are placed under the task's ID parent folder. 

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Note: You can't entirely configure the data files path. Once you create a new task, a folder named upon the task ID (non-configurable - automatically assigned) will be created on the specified Data-Set Base Path location which will include Export, Log, and Backup subfolders for the data and log files. Import folder needs to be manually created under the task ID folder.

On the same page, you can switch between your tasks (7), edit, and delete them (8) using the Task Actions (9) drop-down menu.

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Finally, if a task is currently active and sitting idle, you can directly execute it regardless of its normal scheduling setting by pressing the Execute Now button (10).

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