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

'Auto Sync' is a special eFront feature which 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

Usage

The feature can be enabled by clicking on Maintenance › Auto Sync.

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  • Data-Set Base Path (1) is the path of the working data folder. Make sure it's got the appropriate read/write access permissions.
  • Delete logs checkbox allows you to delete any Auto Sync logs which are older than 30 days.

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 likely spot two new options:

  1. 'Scheduler': Allows the automatic creation and management of the sync tasks.
  2. 'Logger': Offers administrative functionality over any logs created on sync task completion.

Note: Before we dive deeper into the Auto Sync menu 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.

In the following section, we'll talk about how to create one and use it with one of our action plans.

Configuration

You create a new task by going to Maintenance › Auto Sync › Scheduler › Add Task.

In 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 out the title and description of your task.

Execution Plan

  • Set the initial execution time. This is the first time ever that your task will be executed.
  • Set the repetition time. In other words how often do you need it to execute?

Importing

Enable this option by moving the slider to ON.

  • Data Format refers to the format which will be used as the source for the data import.
  • From ZIP specifies whether your data sources as packaged as a ZIP file.
  • Import <Entity> refers to the exact modules which you want to sync. For each module you can take one of the following strategies:
    • Ignore: Ignore content from input.
    • Merge: Merge content.
    • Replace: Replace local content.

Exporting

Enable the option by moving its slider to ON position just like we did in importing.

Its options include the following:

  • Data Format: Determines the type of the output format. That is JSON or CSV.
  • To ZIP: Determines whether the output file (regardless of type) will be zipped or not.
  • Export <Entity>: Cherry-pick the module data that you'd like to export.

Behavior

This section allows an administrator to control the syncing strategy.

  • Process Sequence: Allows you to specify the sequence of the sync actions.
  • Keep imported Files: Keeps or discards the data files after importing them to the database.
  • Stop on Error: Set whether you'd like syncing to halt upon errors or continue using the selected sync strategy.
  • Running Status: Specify whether a task is currently active or not.
  • Log reports: Enable/Disable the logging functionality
  • App Notifications: Allow eFront to send you notifications after a task has finished execution.
  • Email Notifications: Allow eFront to send you email notifications after a task has finished execution.
Notice! Upon successfully creating a new task you should be able to see its entry on the maintenance/op/Auto-Sync/Page/Scheduler page. Once there, you can quickly toggle a few configuration options by clicking the corresponding icon.
 

Task Details

While on the maintenance/op/Auto-Sync/Page/Scheduler page, any mouse clicks on the task name will take you to the Task Details page where you'll be presented with a detailed overview of your task configuration.

You'll be able to easily inspect the full filesystem path to your data and log folders which are usually placed under the task's ID parent folder just like the picture shows below.

Notice!!! 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 hold the entire subfolder tree for the data and log files.

On the same page, you can also easily switch between your tasks, edit them and even delete them using the Task Actions drop-down menu.

Finally, if a task is currently active, you can directly execute it regardless of its normal scheduling setting by pressing the button on the upper right corner of your screen titled Execute Now.

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