Integrations
Integrating Charitylog or Crossdata with other systems
Integrations are where 2 systems "talk" to each other, for 2 main reasons:
- To streamline multiple processes
- To negate the need to enter the same information twice in 2 systems
Streamlining multiple processes
An example of this is the Loqate integration. This adds a button next to each postcode, and shows a list of matching addresses to save time when creating client records.
Avoiding double entry
Where systems overlap, e.g. a mailing system and a CRM, an accounts system and a CRM, or a care management system and a CRM, identical data will often need to exist in both systems. The principle of integrating two such systems is straightforward: where an overlapping data point is changed in one system (e.g. a client moves house and their address changes), the API of the other system is automatically called to make the same changes. In this way, the overlapping data is kept in-sync. There are numerous challenges to consider though, which are often referred to as "model mismatches". Examples and potential solutions might be:
- Different field types. E.g. the title field (Mr, Ms, Dr etc) in our system is free-text, but in other systems is a selection list. The free text field could contain an uncommon title, such as Dame, which might no be in the list in another system. One option would be to only attempt to sync such a field where the values are identical.
