Element451Integrations Guide

Functional Overview

Updated Article

How does it work?#

The CFNC integration is uni-directional, meaning data is only synced from CFNC → Element.  There is no data that flow back from Element into CFNC.  The syncing process from CFNC will create or update an existing Element contact record based on the application data from CFNC.  This includes the following:

  • Biographic and demographic information
  • Contact details
  • Previous schools
  • Family members and emergency contacts
  • Application academic information

Additionally, there are several other syncing jobs that run to pull additional data out of CFNC.  This includes:

  • A PDF of the application
  • Transcripts related to the applicant.

Sync Configuration#

Element can be setup to sync all types of CFNC applications:

  • Traditional Undergraduate
  • Career and College Promise (CCP)
  • CIHS

During implementation, let the Integration Specialist assigned to your project know which application types you want to sync directly from CFNC into Element.

By default, Element will also sync both started and submitted applications in CFNC.  This allows for partners to use Element’s communications tools to encourage started applicants to submit their applications and have metrics for application data all in one place.  Once an application is submitted in CFNC, it will update the started application that was loaded in Element.  If a partner only wishes to sync submitted applications from CFNC, they can let their Integration Specialist know during implementations.

Also by default, all syncing with CFNC occurs on a schedule with several different jobs for different types of processing.  For a single application type, the these are the default schedules/jobs:

  • Application Data (10 minutes past the hour)
  • Application PDFs (30 minutes past the hour)
  • Transcripts (30 minutes past every 3 hours)

These jobs are duplicated for each application type that is requested to be synced in.  If there is a need to sync faster than the defaults, you can request a faster sync from your Integration Specialist during implementation.

CFNC → Element451#

How the Sync Works#

By default, this is the sequence an application import would follow from CFNC:

  • On the hour, Element scans CFNC for any applications since the date/time of the LAST started/submitted application that was loaded into Element. This means if the integration goes down for any period of time and then comes back up, it will automatically pickup any applications missed. Any new applications it saves in a staging area in our database.
  • At 10 minutes past the hour, Element processes the applications in the staging area, translating them for Element’s system and then importing them into Element directly.
    • During this stage of the integration process, the Integration Log will indicate Success or Error for any application data import.
  • At 30 minutes past the hour, Element will grab the configured Application PDF from CFNC of any application that was recently loaded into Element and is missing the PDF.
  • At 30 minutes past every 3 hours, Element will grab any new transcripts of the CFNC applications it loaded into Element.

Errors can be reviewed and resolved using internal troubleshooting steps (Integration Errors - Troubleshooting (CFNC) ) or through Live Support (How to Work with Live Support (Managed Integrations)).

Integration Log#

  • The Integration Log displays the status of each sync attempt.
  • For each record, you can view:
    • Processing status (e.g., In Progress, Success, Error)
    • Error details, when applicable
    • Additional context to support troubleshooting

Standard Translation Table Syncing#

In addition to syncing application, contact, and document data from CFNC, the integration build Element will also setup several hidden translation tables to translate CFNC based lookup data (terms, majors, etc) into Element based values (typically populated from the SIS).  Keep in mind the actual values that are mapped to, exist as Data Sources inside Element, but these data sources are synced from the SIS system, not CFNC.  Element simply uses hidden translation tables to convert CFNC values to the relevant Element Data Source values (which are really SIS values).

Translation Tables Synced#

The following translation tables are typically created and synced during initial setup:

  • Academic Loads
  • Citizenship Statuses
  • Genders
  • Majors
  • Races
  • Student Types
  • Terms

Monthly Translation Table Sync#

The following translation tables are re-synced every month in case there new values added to CFNC.

  • Majors
  • Terms

Special Note for Community Colleges#

For our North Carolina Community College partners, Element also delivers several default Data Sources that are specific to CC CFNC fields.  These data sources are typically prefixed with “[CFNC]” and include (but are not limited to):

  • [CFNC] Dependent Type
  • [CFNC] Duty Station
  • [CFNC] Educational Goals
  • [CFNC] Employment Status (there is also a hidden translation table setup for this)
  • [CFNC] Gender ID
  • [CFNC] Immigration Status
  • [CFNC] Military Service
  • [CFNC] Military Service Branch
  • [CFNC] Parent Educational Levels
  • [CFNC] Student Educational Levels
  • [CFNC] Suspension/Expulsion Reason
  • [CFNC] VA Benefits

Requesting a Data Source/Translation Table Re-sync#

If updates are needed outside of the monthly schedule, or if changes are made to other data sources:

This includes scenarios such as:

  • Adding new student types
  • Updating existing data source values (such as Terms, Majors, etc)