Ellucian Banner Integration

Coursedog Support

Modified on: Wed, Oct 26, 2022 at 9:59 AM

Table of Contents

Overview

Coursedog supports a real-time integration for both scheduling and curriculum planning data from Banner.
Coursedog is an Ellucian Partner and supports a validated integration with Ellucian Ethos and direct database exposure via an API.
Coursedog has successfully deployed this integration with both on premise and hosted/Cloud solutions. Both solutions are built to follow Ellucian designation best practice standards around architecture and security.
All data exchanges are handled through REST APIs that are exposed through our middleware. The direct query model is Database Extension Utility (DBEU) compliant and does not require modifications to delivered Banner APIs.
Both solutions are compatible with Banner 9.x and backwards compatible for 8.x.
Review our Coursedog Integration Methodology for more information about our approach.

Supported Fields & Objects

See Banner Integration Specifications for a list of fields and objects that are currently supported for Banner Direct. For Banner Ethos, please reach out to your Coursedog contact.
If it’s in the spreadsheet linked above, that means the integration can support it. If you wish to do less, you can. However, if you want to do something beyond what is documented, then that would be considered a custom integration and will require scoping.

There are two integration pathways: Direct Database (Oracle) and Ellucian Ethos APIs.

Coursedog has a pre-built package of SQL for bidirectional integration ready to deploy to your environment.
Direct database queries are the backbone of most integrations to Banner and allow controlled direct access to data regardless of the level of customization.
Coursedog will handle the Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) data mapping work once the data is pulled from Banner.

Institution Type

Direct Database Query is the best fit for institutions that:

Are not currently Ethos enabled.
Have highly customized data structures (customizations to the data structures may require extensions).

Simplicity – Does not require an upgrade (Ethos).
Security – You have full control of who has access to each table and run the client scripts.
Flexibility – IT staff will likely have the expertise to help close any gaps due to customizations.

May not be the long-term vision of your IT staff (See Ethos).
Shared Support Model – Support responsibility is shared given the need for a local client.
Client IT staff may not have expertise or resources to assist with the deployment.

Ellucian Ethos is another integration pathway for Banner. It boasts a unified data model across all platforms built on Open standards (REST, JSON).
Coursedog is a trusted Ellucian Partner and boasts an Ethos validated solution.

Ethos is the best fit for institutions who:

Currently use Ethos APIs to expose data externally.
Have minimal Banner data structure customizations.
Have updated system configurations (e.g. Banner 9).
Have IT staff available to install any extensions necessary to close gaps due to customizations.

Modern standards based (REST, JSON) approach to expose your data.
Ellucian-supported solution that is under active development.
Security is consistent with Ellucian and industry standards.
Flexible to your needs. IT staff will likely have the expertise to help close any gaps due to customizations (see Ethos extensions).

Requires an upgrade to Ethos.
IT staff may not have expertise/resources to perform upgrades.
Ethos extensions may be required.
IT staff may not have expertise or availability to install extensions (if necessary)

Coursedog assumes you meet the following minimum requirements:

Banner 9.
Institution is using corresponding baseline Banner processes and data structures (e.g. Course Scheduling, Course and Program inventory). The Institution is responsible for meeting the needs of their specific environment.
Ability to whitelist IPs as needed for Test and Production. Coursedog supports an industry standard transfer protocol for both approaches. Coursedog will install a lightweight client that will pull the information from your database and expose the information externally via SSL/HTTPS. All transmissions will be handled over SSL so no need for you to open any additional ports (443).

Docker installed for Non Ethos integration (See installation requirements).

Coursedog commonly partners with N2N for the SIS API integration and requires Docker for a streamlined installation process (See N2N Docker Requirements for on-premise solutions).
Please see the Banner Ethos installation guide (attached below) for a list of required resources.