Using Interchange-X to sync Blackboard data into Engage

Interchange-X simplifies the process of managing your Engage service by using existing data from your Blackboard instance.  It's so easy it almost feels like cheating!

Step 1: Set Up Your Blackboard REST API

1. If you haven't signed up for your Blackboard Developer account, you can do so here: https://developer.blackboard.com/

2. Once you've done that, you can log in.
   
   
   

3. Create a new REST application, if you don't already have one, that you can use (choose "Manual Registration").  Don't forget to add the new application to Blackboard (How to: Building Blocks and REST APIs, or check out this video "Setting up Blackboard's REST API").
   
   
   
4. Once you have the Application ID and secret, you can use these to set up Interchange-X.

Step 2: Adjust Interchange-X Settings and Upload Data

1. Open Interchange-X and log in.

2. Navigate to the settings panel and configure your Blackboard-Engage (not the API mapping, unless you've organised API access for Engage - talk to your Anthology Support Manager) mapping according to your campus-specific needs. You will, of course, be asked to use your Blackboard API Key and Secret.  Other basic things you will want to set up are the user filter, which helps specify the users to sync by username or Data Source Key.
   
   
   
   The SFTP configuration allows for automation, but is OPTIONAL if you do not enable the "Upload After Extraction" option. Copies of the output data/files are always available under the Advanced Mapping > View button(s). In fact, initially omitting the automation is RECOMMENDED until you have confirmed the output of the mapping to be satisfactory.
   

3. After saving your settings, select: Tasks > Run (choose the mapping you want to run).

4. Click "I Confirm" to upload the file and initiate processing.

And that's all there is to it!