Automating Canvas With Our SIS

[rpsimon]

Hi, we have a custom built SIS developed by a computer programmer on staff.  Currently, I manually check the SIS for roster changes every day (multiple times a day during the first month of each school year) for roster changes.  I then export the data as a .csv.  The data is pretty much formatted according to Canvas' SIS import requirements.  I then manually import the data into Canvas using the admin SIS Import feature.

What if there was a way that we could automate the process?  What if there could be some type of deep linking integration between the two?  Then I would not have to spend the time or effort manually doing this.

Am I dreaming?  Or is there a way that we could get this process to be automated?  What script would be involved?  I am not sure if this is a question or discussion so I might post it in both areas. Thanks in advance.  

[Chris_Hofer · Accepted solution]

Just cross-posting a link here...since I saw that you posted to two different areas of the Community.

Solved: Re: Automating Canvas With Our SIS - Instructure Community (canvaslms.com)

[rpsimon]

Thank you @Chris_Hofer! After I accepted the first as a solution, I couldn't figure out how to accept the same response in another location as a solution too.  🙈 Thank you!

[rpsimon]

@Chris_Hofer my SIS developer is asking me to  create a " root account with SIS imports enabled."  Would you please direct me on how I can do this?  Thank you.

[Chris_Hofer]

Hi @rpsimon ...

Full disclosure, I'm not exactly sure if this is what your SIS developer is asking for, but I'll attempt to help answer.  Assuming that you are a Canvas administrator, I think you'd first want to go to your "Permissions" tab (How do I manage the Permissions page?) and then look at your "Account Roles" tab:

• How do I add an account-level role in the Permissions page?
• How do I set permissions for an account-level role?

If there is not an existing role (column) that meets all the permission requirements for the specific role you want, you may want to consider creating a new role and then set the permissions specific to this new role.  (Or, maybe you have an existing role that you could enable some additional permissions?)  There are three rows related to SIS: "SIS Data - Import", "SIS Data - manage", and "SIS Data - read".  There may be other permissions you'll have to enable for this role, too, but I'll let you decide which to enable and which to keep turned off.

Once you have the permissions configured the way you want, you can then go to your administrative "Settings" page in Canvas, and then click on the "Admins" tab.  Here is where you can add an individual with that role/permission.  How do I add an admin to an account?  (You can also add people at the sub-account level using this same Guide.)

Again, this is a lot of speculation on my part, and I'm not sure you'll need to do all of this.  But, hopefully this will help in some way.

[rpsimon]

Yes, @Chris_Hofer I imagine that's what he was asking for.  I did a bit of my own research in the Canvas Admin Guide, I found the following on p. 1035 (image is attached).  Further, the documentation provides steps on setting up the correct permissions for this account.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/tr-learncanvas/files/pdf-guide/CanvasAdminGuide.pdf

[Chris_Hofer]

Hi there, @rpsimon ...

Thanks for sharing that.  Interesting that you are using a PDF Guide instead of the online Guides available here in the Community.  (Not saying there's anything wrong with that.)  Here's a link to the admin Guides: Admin Guide - Instructure Community (canvaslms.com).  And, here's a link to the specific Guide that you included as a screenshot in your latest reply: How do I create an automated data integration for ... - Instructure Community (canvaslms.com).

Hope this helps!