Getting Started with APIs, Best Bang for the Buck?

Austin Ewachiw

I admittedly am a novice in the subject, and lean on different integrations and outside sources to access API data, sooooo…

What would you recommend to get started, and what you think may have the biggest impact for that initial effort? We leverage the total school solution with BB and have access to the Microsoft portfolio of apps.

Thanks,

Austin

Lauren Henderson

Hi Austin! I recommend signing up for a SKY Developer account at https://developer.blackbaud.com/ SKY Developer. It is free and will give you access to see what endpoints are available for your solutions.

If you have a particular project or pain point, that can be a great entry point to exploring the APIs and using them to pull information into Power BI or Power Automate. Related to that, I encourage you to check out the Template Showcase: https://docs.blackbaud.com/microsoft-connectors-docs/microsoft-power-platform/showcase

There are also monthly user groups for Power BI and Power Automate to ask questions, share projects, and connect with other users across nonprofits and schools who are using the solutions at their organization.

Brian Gray

Austin -

I think that which approach you choose depends on what background the people who will do the work already have. I went the route of Visual Basic programming because I have been a programmer forever and understood how Visual Studio works. (It was also the only option when I started.)

For someone who is not already a programmer, I think that the Power Automate route may make more sense. There's a lower bar to get started than to first learning how to program and then learn how to use the API.

(I have never done anything with Power Automate/Power-BI other than read posts about what people are doing with it. @Lauren Henderson can tell you more about the depth and range of that tool.)

bkg

Austin Ewachiw

Thank you! I have been hearing more and more about Power Automate from the community and this seals it, I am diving in.