Element451Integrations Guide

Functional Overview

Updated Article

How does it work?#

The Ellucian integration is bi-directional, meaning data is synced in two directions:

  • Element451 → Ethos
  • Ethos → Element451

Element451 uses a contact-centric data model, so all integration processing occurs at the contact level rather than the application or opportunity level. When a sync is triggered, the entire contact record is processed.

This includes:

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

Data Sync Behavior#

In most cases, data sent during a sync will update the corresponding record in the destination system. However, certain data types include safeguards to prevent unintended overwrites.

Previous Schools#

  • Records where the previous school matches the partner institution are excluded from sync to prevent conflicts with transcript data.
  • In Colleague, some previous school fields may exist outside of Ethos. If those fields are populated manually, a sync can overwrite them.
    • To prevent this, Element451 only creates previous school records in Colleague and does not update existing ones.
  • In Banner, previous school records can be created and updated.

Applications#

  • Applications that are started but not submitted, or missing a major/program, cannot be accepted by Ethos and will not be sent.
  • If an application cannot sync, an error will appear in the integration logs for that specific application.
  • Once an application has been moved to student status...
    • Colleague: MS status
    • Banner: SGASTDN record created

    ...updates to that application will no longer sync.

  • Other applications on the same contact can still be processed/updated via the sync.

Sync Configuration#

The default and recommended setup is bi-directional syncing, which keeps both systems aligned.

However, uni-directional syncing is also supported for partners who prefer a single source of truth.

Element451 → Ethos#

This sync process sends data from Element451 to Ethos (SIS).

Element451 uses a combination of:

  • Configurable platform features (labels, rules, webhooks)
  • Managed integration processes maintained by Element451

How the Sync Is Triggered#

By default, the integration is initiated through the following sequence:

  1. A label—Element451 - Trigger Integration Sync—is applied to a contact record.
  2. This label triggers the rule Element451 → Ethos Integration Sync.
  3. The rule calls the webhook Ethos Integration Sync(), which starts the integration process.
  4. Within a few minutes, the record appears in the Integration Log with a status of In Progress.
  5. The record is processed and sent to the SIS via Ethos, typically within 10–15 minutes.
  6. Once complete, the Integration Log will show a status of Success or Error.
    1. Error records include detailed messages and, when applicable, the payload sent.

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

Element451 Delivered Functionality#

The following components are included in all managed integration instances and control how data is sent to Ethos.

Label: Element451 - Trigger Integration Sync#

  • This label is used to manually trigger a sync for a contact.
  • Once the sync begins, the label is automatically removed, allowing it to be reused for future syncs.

Rule: Element451 → Ethos Integration Sync#

  • This rule is triggered when:
    • The Element451 - Trigger Integration Sync label is added, or
    • One of the following labels is removed:
      • Element451 - Ethos Match Error
      • Element451 - Ethos SSN Match Error
  • Partners can add additional triggers to automate syncing. Common examples include:
    • Application submission
    • Decision release
  • When triggered, the rule:
    • Calls the Ethos Integration Sync() webhook
    • Removes the trigger label (if present) to allow future reuse

Webhook: Ethos Integration Sync()#

  • Webhooks are used to send automated notifications to external systems.
  • In this case, the webhook sends the Element451 record ID to the integration process to begin syncing.
  • This webhook is pre-configured and does not require modification.

Integration Process#

  • The integration runs in a cloud-hosted environment managed by Element451.
  • During processing, the system:
    • Extracts data from Element451
    • Transforms it into the format required by Ethos
    • Sends it to the appropriate Ethos endpoints
  • Multiple validation checks occur throughout this process to ensure data accuracy.
  • If an error occurs:
    • It may stop the entire sync, or
    • It may only impact a specific data element while others continue processing

All activity is recorded and surfaced in the Integration Log.

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

Ethos→Element451#

This sync process sends data from Ethos (SIS) to Element451, updating records based on changes made in the SIS.

This process relies on the Ethos Change Notification (Subscription) system, which must be configured by the partner. When data changes in the SIS, Ethos adds that record to a notification queue.

While Ethos identifies the specific fields that changed, Element451 does not process partial updates. Instead, when a change is detected, Element451 performs a full record pull and updates all relevant data on the contact.

Import Options#

Element451 supports three configuration options for how records are imported from Ethos.

Option 1: Import All Data#

  • All person records with changes in the SIS are imported into Element451.
  • New records are created if they do not already exist.
  • This includes all record types (e.g., students, staff, faculty, vendors).

This option is not typically recommended, as it may result in unwanted records being created.

Option 2: Only Import Records Already in Element451#

  • Updates are applied only to existing records in Element451.
  • New person records in the SIS are not created in Element451.
  • If a new admission application is found in the SIS for an existing record, the application will be created in Element451.

Option 3: Import Existing Records + New Records with Applications#

  • Updates are applied to existing records in Element451.
  • New person records are created only if an admission application exists in the SIS.
  • This allows records from other systems to be included in Element451 when they are relevant for communication or reporting.

Partners select their preferred option during initial configuration. Most partners use Option 2 or Option 3.

How the Sync Works#

Once configured, the Ethos → Element451 process runs automatically:

  1. Element451 checks the configured subscription queue every 5 minutes for new change notifications.
  2. When notifications are found, they are stored in a staging area for processing.
  3. For each notification, Element451 performs a full data pull from Ethos.
  4. The data is transformed and loaded into Element451:
    • Existing records are updated
    • New records are created based on the selected import option

Sync Behavior#

  • Updates occur automatically based on changes made in the SIS.
  • No manual action is required to trigger this process.
  • Each update reflects a full record sync, not just the changed fields.

Data Source Syncing#

In addition to syncing contact records, the integration also syncs data sources and translation tables between Element451 and the SIS.

These data sources provide the available values for fields in Element451 (e.g., majors, terms, degrees) and ensure proper alignment with Ethos by storing the corresponding Ethos IDs (GUIDs) required for integration processing.

Important Guidelines#

For any data source that is synced from Ethos:

  • Do not add or remove values directly in Element451.
    • Adding values can cause sync errors due to missing translations.
    • Removing values may result in them being automatically re-added during a future sync.
  • If a new value is needed:
    • Add it in the SIS first, then request a data resync through Live Support.
  • If a value needs to be removed:
    • Contact Live Support to determine the appropriate approach.
  • The only fields that can be safely edited in Element451 are:
    • Title / Name / Label
    • Active / Inactive status (if available)

All other synced fields should remain unchanged.

How Data Source Syncing Works#

  • During implementation, Element451:
    • Populates data sources in the platform
    • Builds translation tables required for Ethos integration
  • After implementation:
    • A subset of data sources is automatically refreshed on a weekly schedule
    • Additional resyncs can be requested as needed

Data Sources Synced During Implementation#

The following data sources are typically created and synced during initial setup:

  • Application Types (Banner only; referred to as Admission Types)
  • Campuses
  • Citizenship Statuses
  • Degrees
  • Educational Goals
  • Gender Identities
  • Majors
  • Pronouns
  • Races
  • Relationship Types
  • Residency Types
  • Student Types (Banner Student Types, Colleague Admit Statuses)
  • Terms
  • Visa Types

Translation Tables Synced During Implementation#

Translation tables map Element451 values to Ethos identifiers and are required for data exchange.

These typically include:

  • Application Types (Banner only; Admission Types)
  • Campuses
  • Citizenship Statuses
  • Decision Types
  • Degrees
  • Educational Goals
  • Educational Institutions (CEEB → Ethos IDs)
  • Gender Identities
  • Majors
  • Pronouns
  • Races
  • Relationship Types
  • Residency Types
  • Student Types (Banner Student Types, Colleague Admit Statuses)
  • Terms
  • Visa Types

Weekly Data Source Sync#

The following data sources are automatically synced on a weekly schedule (Saturday at 11 PM EST):

  • Majors
  • Terms
  • Degrees

This ensures that any new values added in the SIS during the week are reflected in Element451.

  • Newly synced values are set to active by default.

Requesting a Data Re-sync#

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

This includes scenarios such as:

  • Adding new institutions (CEEBs)
  • Adding new student types
  • Updating existing data source values