From my session at WPCampus 2019 in Portland, OR. Do you use Gravity Forms or other web forms to gather lots of data your processing center needs? Do you still send them individual emails from each form submission? Let’s talk about how to automate that data collection using the Gravity Forms API! Even if you don’t use Gravity Forms, you can still gain insight on how to work with your institution to deliver better data they can use without having to reformat or manipulate it to make that data useful. You can create data formats for uploading into your SIS, create pdfs to index in your systems, and deliver that data to the folks who need it. Scripted. Automated. Done. They will love you.

1. How to Make Your
Data Processors
Love You

2. Hello!
Maryann Reissig
St. John Fisher College
Rochester, NY
@stpha6
maryannreissig.com/auto

3. About
About SJFC:
St. John Fisher College
Rochester, NY
2,600 full-time and 200 part-time
undergraduate students, as well as 1,000
graduate students
About Me:
7 years at SJFC, 20+ years in
higher ed
WPCampus Organizer
WordCamp ROC organizer

4. Overview
Forms.
History of web forms on our
campus (the short version)
What is Gravity Forms?
Wrangling Data.
How can we automate the data
collection from web forms so
we can minimally process it on
a schedule?
What’s next.
How has this been
successful, and what are
the next steps?

5. FormsWere everywhere, data went nowhere
(you know that Talking Heads song?)
we needed a better builder and
process for data collection

6. ● GF is a paid WP plugin with a drag n drop user
interface
● Created WP Site in 2015 for forms
● In 2018, went from a single WP site to a
multisite with ~150 forms (and growing)
● The success of the forms site created new
problems to solve
Enter Gravity Forms

7. Admissions Forms
The Good Problem - “Request More Information” Forms
https://www.sjfc.edu/admissions-aid/request-information/
● Data started rolling in via email only, leaving our processing
center to deal with the incoming data in a manual,
labor-intensive way (one email at a time)
● We had to find a way to provide this data in a standardized
format for upload into our SIS

8. Let’s Work Together!
● Began meeting with Admissions and Information Coordinators
● Process Discovery (wow, did we learn a lot!)
● Collaboration Tools (Get your communication out of email and
into Google Drive or other sharing tool)
● Google Drive will write your process documentation for you from
the end-user perspective!

9. The Fun Begins
Scripted.
How can we script the
process to get clean data
out of Gravity Forms?
Automated.
How can we automate the
process so we can
minimally process the data
on a schedule?
Done. (Really?)
How has this been
successful, and what are
the next steps?

10. Scripting
Gravity Forms API
● First tried to use front end tools like Gravity View
● Too many steps to get clean data from UI
● The API proved the best choice to be able to schedule a
standard export file that could be used by our processing
center to get the data in the time they needed, in the format
that worked (for SIS import)

11. Setup

12. Automate it!
● Small php app that uses GF API, pulls the data specified into
a custom CSV file
● Copies file to a shared drive where the data
processors can access it
● Cron job controls timing of data extract along with
control of date intervals of data export (you can control
the interval of data pull via the api call to only get form
entries in your specified date/time range)

13. App
Demo Code

14. Done! (Really?)
More GF API uses
● Extract GF data into PDF files using Gravity PDF
● Document Imaging of program application data not held in
database fields (like application essays)
● Data Retention (GF does it for you!)
● Security discussion
○ my scripts are stored on an internal server, not
accessible off-campus

15. Just the Beginning
As the process has evolved, the demand has grown

16. Growth
More types of forms
● Internal program applications (Nursing, School of Ed)
● Enrollment profile forms (Incoming Freshmen)
● More opportunities to work with data processors
(Yay, I love these people!)

17. ● Setting up forms properly on front end to send data in a
usable format for SIS (termcodes, major codes, control
dates for better data collection/user choices, etc.)
● Data was lost during maintenance windows, but we
adjusted so that no data is extracted on weekends
● Don’t deliver empty files if there are no entries (we had
too many empty files, which wastes the processors’ time)
● Streamlining this data has saved our processing centers
hours of time each week
● The relationship built has led to success for both teams
(💜 for us!)
Lessons Learned

18. Recap
Scripted.
Use Gravity Forms API to
extract data from forms.
Automated.
Use cron jobs and API
intervals to pull data on a
schedule that works for
you.
Done. (Really?)
Keep improving your
process by working with
your data processors and
finding new ways to help
them get the data they
need from your web
applications.

19. There is more hunger for
love and appreciation in this
world than for bread.
-Mother Teresa
“

20. Thanks!
Questions and Feedback
● Questions: 2019.wpcampus.org
● Feedback: https://2019.wpcampus.org/feedback/how-to-make-your-data-processors-love-you/
● Find me later:
○ in the hall
○ on WPCampus slack: Maryann Reissig
○ mreissig@sjfc.edu
You can also find me at @stpha6 slides and resources: maryannreissig.com/auto