iSAMS Data Integration: Part 2

Adding the Keys to SchoolsBuddy 

Once you have generated your Batch API keys and credentials in iSAMS, navigate to SchoolsBuddy to start the integration.

As a super admin, please go to

1. Settings 
2. Getting Started > Data Integration

3. Toggle Import Enabled to ON (Green).

4. Enter your school's iSAMS Hosting URL (e.g., [https://yourschool.isams.cloud] ) in the input box provided.

5. In the API Keys section, toggle the 'INCLUDE' field to Yes for each API type. Medical is an optional field, depending on your school's policy.

6. Fill in the respective Client ID and Client Secret obtained from iSAMS.

7. Students Import Emails: Set to No by default. Toggle this to Yes only if your students require login access to SchoolsBuddy.
8. Contacts / Parents: Specify the contact types you wish to import into SchoolsBuddy (e.g., Mother, Father, Guardian). To import all contact types, enter an asterisk (*) in the field.
   You can verify contact types in iSAMS by navigating to Student Manager > Contacts.
   
   ⚠️ Important: All imported contacts will automatically receive student activity updates and gain login access to SchoolsBuddy. Please ensure you only select essential contact types.
    

9. Parent Import filters:
   Use the filters below to refine which contact records (from the contact types defined in Step 8) are imported into SchoolsBuddy:

   • Only "All Merges" or "Correspondence" Contacts: Enable this toggle to only import contacts that match your selected contact types and have either the All Merges or Correspondence flag enabled in iSAMS.

   • Only "All Merges" or "Billing" Contacts: Enable this toggle to only import contacts that match your selected contact types and have either the All Merges or Billing flag enabled in iSAMS.

   • Parental Responsibility Only: Enable this toggle to only import contacts marked with Parental Responsibility in iSAMS.

     📍 Where to find this in iSAMS: Contact merge types and responsibility flags can be found under iSAMS > Student Manager > Contacts.
     
     ⚠️ Important: Any imported contact will receive student activity updates and be granted login access to SchoolsBuddy. Please ensure you only select essential contact types and filter settings.
      

10. Permitted staff email domains: Enter your official school email domain(s) (e.g., crownill.edu). This ensures only verified staff email addresses are imported.
    

11. Skip the End-of-year processing section, and click Save Changes in the bottom right corner.

12. Click Run Import Now to initiate the data import. 
    (Note: manual imports can be triggered once every 5 minutes; otherwise, data will automatically refresh overnight).

Manual Trigger iSAMS Import

While SchoolsBuddy automatically imports from iSAMS on a regular schedule, you can also manually trigger an on-demand data import at any time directly from your settings.

How to run a manual import:

1. Log in to SchoolsBuddy as a Super Admin.

2. Navigate to Settings > Getting Started > Data Integration.

3. Click the Run Import button. (Step 12 above)

⏱️ Important Notes on Manual Imports:

• Rate Limit: The Run Import button can only be triggered once every 5 minutes.

• Processing Time: Depending on your school’s size and dataset, an import can take 10 to 20 minutes to complete.

• iSAMS Feed Refresh Delay: For updates to appear in SchoolsBuddy, changes must first propagate to the iSAMS API feeds. Updating data directly in your iSAMS instance does not mean it updates instantly in the feeds for SchoolsBuddy to capture. Please allow time for iSAMS to refresh its feeds before triggering an import.

• Pro Tip: You can shorten the iSAMS feeds update frequency by shortening the API Key Cache Expiry. (Default: 24 hours).