Developers frequently asked questions around Groupcall Xporter on Demand.

DEVELOPER - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Xporter on Demand (XoD)?

Xporter On Demand (XoD) is an API providing JSON or XML outputs against a schools Management Information System (MIS) database, located on premise or in the cloud.

What's the difference between the Core, Standard and Enhanced API?

Xporter on Demand (XoD) Core will limit access to basic student and staff data from an Management Information System (MIS), with a lower query limit per 24 hours.

If you require more frequent queries and data such as parental contacts, assessment or attendance, then you will need to opt for XoD Standard or Enhanced.

A full overview of coverage is provided on the XoD web UI and do check with us if in any doubt.

Is there a sandbox?

Yes, Xporter on Demand (XoD) features a web UI for running sample queries and is backed by demo databases of available Management Information Systems (MIS).

Note that not all MIS provide integrators with a demo database.

What features are offered as part of the Xporter on Demand (XoD) platform?

You can utilise webhooks to be notified when schools activate Xporter on Demand (XoD) against your API to help automate backend processes, along with email service notifications.

You can also access logs for troubleshooting and testing.

 

What are the infrastructure benefits of Xporter on Demand (XoD)?

XoD runs on Microsoft Azure, utilising caching to provide rapid responses to queries as quick as 0.25 seconds and providing an encrypted caching layer to protect against Management Information System (MIS) failures or school connectivity issues.

How does Xporter on Demand (XoD) satisfy data security and sharing agreements?

All relevant data is AES encrypted at rest, while additionally being transmitted over TLS/HTTPS protocols.

Individual school data is also isolated within Xporter on Demand (XoD).

Every partner and school must agree to a data sharing agreement between all parties to ensure adherence to data processing and legislation requirements.

How does a school consent to a DSA?

Your partner registration with us includes your data access scope and this is detailed to schools when they consent to share data.

We accompany this information with a link to your DSA and two checkboxes to both agree the DSA and to confirm authority to accept the DSA.

If you later change your data access scope then schools must re-consent to your new scopes. 

Can we work the DSA consent into our own checkout workflow?

When a school consents via the Groupcall Management portal we can email your nominated address or call a webhook to notify you.

What technical assistance do you offer?

Pre-written integration code in NuGet and PHP is available, with support for other languages coming soon.

Our technical support team can also offer advice and guidance on your data scope and any issues pursuant to a particular Management Information System (MIS).

Our team has been working with many MIS vendors and supporting integration for over a decade and that valuable insight should help accelerate your R&D.

How do I handle Management Information System (MIS) changes?

You should not need to.

Xporter on Demand (XoD) is updated as required and Groupcall maintains the relationship with the Management Information System (MIS) providers so you don't have to.

 

Can I utilise your SMS/Email platform?

Partners on the appropriate tier may access our Messenger API to send SMS and/or email to their users.

Details and message costs are provided on request.

Can you provision Office 365 or Google Apps for us?

Groupcall can provision users and groups from Management Information Systems (MIS) into Office 365 and Google Apps to support you in building your value-added products on those platforms.

Details and costs are provided on request.

Can you provide Single Sign On (SSO) services or user management for our software?

Yes.

Groupcall can provide you with a single common interface to authenticate students, staff and even parents.

Our whitelabel Single Sign On (SSO) interface allows you to integrate once and support users logging in with school Active Directory, Office 365, Azure AD and Google Apps for Education.

What's on the Xporter on Demand (XoD) roadmap?

We're busy increasing Management Information System (MIS) support across multiple platforms, a web dashboard for administration and management, along with refining self-service options and update-only (delta) API calls.

Still have any questions? Get in touch