Higher Logic now has a new integration methodology available. Previously, all integrations to CRM/AMS systems were done by pulling member information from that system when the person logged in, or during a periodic refresh of changed records, usually every 30 minutes. Although this created a robust integration with a good user experience, the number of API calls to the CRM/AMS system can be an issue when that system has capacity issues, or additional fees are charged for the number of API calls.
So now, instead of Higher Logic pulling information from a CRM/AMS, we have the ability for data to be pushed directly into Higher Logic through our Push API. Using this methodology means that you have much more control over how and when member data is sent to your community.
With the Push API, updates to member records can be sent in periodic batches, every 30 minutes or nightly, or they can even be done in real-time. When a record is saved in the CRM/AMS, this can start the process that pushes the changes to your Higher Logic community. There can even be a button on the record in the CRM/AMS to refresh the individual if there are any data sync issues.
Using Higher Logic’s Push API eliminates the need for the calls to your CRM/AMS system’s API. This also means that Higher Logic doesn’t have access to all the data exposed through the CRM/AMS system’s API, you only send over the data needed for your community.
The only drawback to this new methodology is that someone has to build a process to send the member information in a fixed and standard format required by Higher Logic. If your organization has the technical staff to develop an integration, or you have an outside consultant who can develop it, this might be a solution for you. For those organizations with an AMS/CRM platform that Higher Logic has not yet integrated, or if they have a very custom solution, the Push API might be a solution.