iSAMS Rest API

[CyBeRkId2002]

I am pretty familiar with how to pull info from a batch API, but for some of the bits I need to access from our MIS (iSAMS) I need to access via REST API.  Does anyone have a quick way of explaining how this differs, and what I need to do to connect.  I am only trying to pull info, not write-back.

 

Thanks in advance.

[dhicks]

36 minutes ago, CyBeRkId2002 said:

Does anyone have a quick way of explaining how this differs, and what I need to do to connect.

 

This is the kind of thing where AI assistance can work really well, both in explaining how-it-works to you and, if you have a suitible coding agent, writing the code for you. If I remember correctly, iSAMS uses an OpenAPI/Swagger REST API interface - you might have seen other services offer the same thing, where you get a handy documentation and live try-it-out box all in one. You are basically doing HTTP(S) calls to a given endpoint, with defined parameters - the Swagger UI willl let you try out values and show you the URL strings (and even examples in Javascript / Python / etc) as you type. You authenticate via OAuth - I can't remember setting up a REST API with iSAMS, I suspect it was a while ago and I probably had to do a log-in-with-Google step in the browser the first time.

[Juba]

Hi, coming from Batch, I'd think of the change as moving from a configured extract to requests for particular resources. iSAMS describes Batch as standardised data extraction and REST as real-time access for reads and writes. You don't have to use the write operations just because they're available.

For your first test, I'd pick one small read request and check three things: the REST authentication setup for your school, the relevant GET endpoint and its filters, and whether the results are paginated. That last bit matters when you move from a successful test to an actual extract.

iSAMS also publishes its own REST example application here:
https://github.com/iSAMS/REST-API-Example-App

It's a VS2017-era example, so I'd use the current developer documentation for the exact connection details rather than assume an old sample or your Batch API credentials will carry across.

What are you using to pull the data — PowerShell, Power BI, Python, or something else — and which data are you trying to get that Batch isn't giving you? That would help narrow this down to a useful first request. No API keys or real pupil details needed.