How Syncing Works

Overview

SchoolCal automatically synchronizes events (e.g. class schedules, work requests, etc.) from your Student Information System (SIS) or FMX account to your calendaring system by pulling event data, applying your configured filters, formatting events based on your template, and creating individual calendar events with appropriate attendees. This ensures faculty and student calendars stay accurate and up-to-date without manual data entry.

How Syncing Works

SchoolCal's synchronization process follows four key steps:

1. Pulls event information from your data source— SchoolCal retrieves class and event data from your the data source you're syncing from (such as Veracross, FMX, or Blackbaud)
2. Processes events using your filters — Events are filtered based on your event and attendee filter selections to determine which events sync and who receives invitations
3. Formats events using your template — Event details (title, location, description) are formatted according to your configured event template
4. Creates calendar events — Individual calendar events are created in your calendaring system (Google or Microsoft) with faculty and students automatically invited as attendees

Filters

SchoolCal uses two types of filters to control which events sync and who receives invitations:

Event-Level Filters

Event-level filters specify whether all events should be synced or only specific ones based on event properties including:

• The school level of the class
• The course type of the class
• The date of the event

Attendee-Level Filters

Attendee-level filters specify whether events should be synced for all faculty and students or only specific groups based on:

• The grade level of the student
• The faculty role with respect to the class

Event Templates

Event templates control how events appear in your calendaring system. You can specify:

• Event details using merge fields such as class ID, course ID, class description/name, campus, building, room, block, class URL, and more for the event title, location, and description/notes
• Event visibility for others when viewing the attendee's calendar
• Guest list visibility to control whether event attendees can view the entire guest list

SchoolCal-Created Events

SchoolCal creates all processed events within one calendar account (specified in settings) and invites faculty and students as configured. Events automatically appear as accepted on attendees' individual calendars with accurate event details and guest lists, allowing calendars to accurately reflect commitments and availability.

Events in Google

SchoolCal-created events in Google Calendar have the following characteristics:

• Created as individual events rather than repeating event series
• Automatically marked with an RSVP of "Yes"
• Set to show attendees as "Busy" during the event time
• Not editable by event attendees (attendees can edit events on their own calendar after receiving a Google warning, but edits will not be visible to others and will be overwritten by SchoolCal if the event changes)