Import BBAM Awards to Ellucian Banner

Jonathan Blevins

Hello!

We are looking at the ability of making awarding decisions in BBAM and using the BBAM API to automatically transfer those awards to Banner. Has anyone implemented this before?

Curious to see if there is a way to make the award offer in BBAM and authenticate eligibility upon import against banner award rules.

Thank you!
Jonathan Blevins

Victor Swindell

@Jonathan Blevins - yes… I've created in interface…if you search this board I've uploaded the documentation on how I've designed it.
but in a nutshell, the only thing that goes from BAM→Banner are offers.
What goes from BANNER-BAM are accepts, declines, cancels..etc.

If you can't find the documentation let me know

Ashley Darabaris

@Jonathan Blevins Yes, Auburn has used the API to batch post awards to Banner shortly after we implemented for the 2014-15 aid year. Our process runs four times daily and sends output on each run so we can review for posting or money errors. We have disbursement rules built on funds in RORRULE that prevent disbursement if the student becomes ineligible, in addition to the award rules set up on RFRMGMT.

Jonathan Blevins

@Victor Swindell

Thank you so much - I did find your PDF. Question - did you ever find a way to create a report process for scholarship offers that didn't import into Banner? Your PDF said that you had to contact BB Support for these.

Thank you!
Jonathan Blevins

Jonathan Blevins

@Ashley Darabaris

Thanks for the feedback Ashley! Does your output report compare the fund transactions to your rules in Banner? Or give you some type on indicator that they won't successfully upload?

I would love details on your process.

Thank you,

Jonathan Blevins

Ashley Darabaris

Hi @Jonathan Blevins, you're welcome! Yes, the report output tells us if there are not enough funds for the award to post, if the award is over their unmet need/we must override need exceeding the budget, or if the student's award went over as accepted and has not posted to Banner yet. The award has to exist in RPAAWRD before it will post as accepted, so if a student accepts the award in Blackbaud before it gets pushed to banner, we have to manually post it as offered when we see that error. Beyond that, the disbursement errors from a banner-built report (separate from the report output referenced above) catch students who changed their major and the college/major is part of the requirement of the award.

Victor Swindell

@Jonathan Blevins - Yes I have DBMS statements as well as create a file that records the transactions in a file. The reports are sent to the foundation office daily.
I run the scripts thru ATOMIC/UC4 which keeps and emails any errors. such as not enough funds in awards.

Victor Swindell

@Jonathan Blevins - One of the things we decided was to make award decisions in Banner be the source of truth. BBAM only had scholarship information and students could receive State, and Federal Aid for their aid. They would see their all of their offers in one place. and make a decision .
Plus if you had an award that was accepted in BBAM and declined in Banner…which is the right one.

Victor Swindell

@Jonathan Blevins - I generate a report for all the awards that are imported into Banner. For the BAnner side I use the Banner API which kicks out awards that can't be processed…these are capture by Atomic UC4 output. These are emailed to the foundation office…and they can manually fix them.

Victor Swindell

I've updated our documentation…in case someone is searching
BAM2Banner Data Exchange Information.pdf