Bursar Export Integration

Owned by Lauren Magnuson (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Dec 17, 2024 by Christina Hennessey
3 min read

 

Status

DRAFT

Status

DRAFT

Primary Author

Rick Dietz, Stanislaus

Additional Authors

Ian Chan, San Marcos

Lauren Magnuson, San Marcos

@Brian Moore (Unlicensed), San Diego

Eva Sorrell, San Bernardino

@Suzanna Conrad (Unlicensed), Sacramento

Cecilia Huang, Pomona

Christian Ward, Sacramento

@Julie Kowalewski-Ward (Unlicensed), SJSU

@Troy Compton (Unlicensed), SDSU

Aleta Asbury, SFSU

 

If your library wishes to export fines and fees to PeopleSoft and close out money owed balances in user records in Alma, the built-in Bursar Export Integration enables this.  When fines and fees are exported through this integration, the fine/fee balance is closed out in Alma.

Note that this integration is the 'out-of-the-box' bursar integration provided by Ex Libris, and is distinct from the two-way PeopleSoft Integration being developed at San Marcos. The San Marcos integration is being designed to enable fines to remain active on user records, with payments processed in PeopleSoft to be sent back to Alma. More information on that model is available here.

Considerations

This is the native bursar export provided by Ex Libris.  With this option, fines and fees are closed in Alma.  This option is best if your library does not intend to restrict library use for balances owed, and does not wish to accept fines in the library.  If TOU restrict permissions based on fine balance owed, those restrictions would not take effect, as fine balances are closed out once they are exported to the bursar's office.

Ex Libris Documentation

Bursar Systems (Ex Libris Knowledge Center)

Bursar Fine/Fee Export (Ex Libris Developer Network)

Sample upload file for importing Alma user fine/fee data to PeopleSoft (Bitbucket.org account required. Send your account username and email to @Lauren Magnuson (Unlicensed) or @Ian Chan (Unlicensed).)

Step-by-step guide

Steps below are dependent on whether all campuses use the same file format for importing data to PeopleSoft SFS accounts.

Alma Integration Profile Setup and Procedures

Create/Configure a bursar type of integration profile

Location in Alma menu

Administration > General Configuration > Configuration Menu > External Systems > Integration Profiles

Ex Libris documentation

https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Product_Documentation/Alma_Online_Help_(English)/Integrations_with_External_Systems/050User_Management/020Bursar_Systems

https://developers.exlibrisgroup.com/alma/integrations/bursar

https://developers.exlibrisgroup.com/alma/integrations/bursar/export

notes about configuring integration profile

• scheduling options are preconfigured by Ex Libris staff.  Choices: "Every Sunday at 18:00", "Every day at 18:00" and "Not scheduled". 
• You can specify how old a fine is before it is exported.
• The minimum amount of fine needs to be. 
• Select specific User Groups. 
• Select specific Fine/Fee types. 
• Whether to include fines/fee from the institution level.
• Select which libraries to include.

Run the Integration Profile

Name of xml file generated

• The "code" you specify in the Integration Profile with be prepended to the name of the xml file generated.

• Do not use "/" or other non-alphanumeric characters.

What happens to the fine/fee in Alma

  • Status of Fine or Fee in Alma will be changed to "Closed" and Remaining Balance will show "0.00 USD".

  • Record will be created in "Fee/Fine Transaction List".

  • Transaction Type will be "Exported and Paid". • Amount will be the amount that was owed.

  • Reason will be "Bursar External system".

  • Comment will be the code you specified when creating the Integration Profile.

  • To see the "Fee/Fine Transaction List" click on the "Remaining Balance" value for the Fine or Fee.

 

Formatting Alma Output for PeopleSoft

  1. Contact your PeopleSoft administrator and share documentation regarding this integration.  You will need to define an S/FTP server location for Alma to export the fines/fees file to for PeopleSoft to pick up.

  2. Configure and place Alma-to-SFS data conversion script on same server as destination directory for exported bursar data file. 

  3. Utilize automated process to periodically run Alma-to-SFS data conversion script to convert data into appropriate format for file upload to PeopleSoft SFS.

  4. Place conversion output in directory accessible to PeopleSoft.

  5. Implemented automated process for PeopleSoft SFS system to upload and process bursar data file.

 

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