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HL Communities Migration Guide

Prepared By: Jeff Sikes
Date: 2024-09-11

1. Summary of Key Contacts, Costs, and Timing​

DetailsInformation
When to Reach Out12-14 weeks before go-live date (early November 2024 for mid-January 2025 go-live).
Associated Costs$4,000 (one-time fee for the migration).
Key ContactsMaral Balayan, Technical Consultant II. Support Email: support@higherlogic.com
Relevant LinksAMS Migration Steps, Salesforce Integration Guide, Support Communications with Higher Logic
Outstanding InquiriesRequest for a technical integration meeting with Salesforce Development vendor. Question about using Person Records vs. Accounts and Contacts in Salesforce.

2. Project Overview​

The project involves transitioning the AANP’s Higher Logic platform integration from Aptify to Salesforce. This will ensure a seamless experience for users, with a focus on Single Sign-On (SSO) and synchronization of user data across both systems. The goal is to minimize downtime and disruption to users.

3. Integration Requirements​

3.1. Single Sign-On (SSO)

  • Current Setup: SSO integration with Aptify.
  • New Requirement: Implement SSO with Salesforce while keeping both Aptify and Salesforce SSO operational during the transition.
  • Supported SSO Methods: OAuth 2.0, OIDC, and SAML 2.0 (Salesforce standard is SAML via a connected app).
  • Technical Worksheet: A full technical worksheet will be provided for SSO configuration with Salesforce.

3.2. Ongoing User Sync

  • Login Sync: Each time a user logs in, their information should be updated in Salesforce.
  • Scheduled Sync: Several times a day, a scheduled process should sync updated records (e.g., member status changes, new communities, etc.).

4. Data Migration and Synchronization​

4.1. AMS Migration

  • Timeline: The migration project will take approximately 8-10 weeks and will begin once a go-live date and Salesforce data are available.
  • Data Mapping: The current community groups in Aptify will map as follows:
    • Aptify::CommitteeTerms => Higher Logic Community
    • Aptify::Topic Codes => Higher Logic Community

4.2. Salesforce Mapping Options

  • For Salesforce, community groups can be created using:

    • Checkbox, Picklist, or Multipick fields.
    • Salesforce Campaigns can also be mapped to create corresponding community groups.

    Salesforce utilizes Account and Contact objects. During the migration, both the Aptify IDs and the related Salesforce 18-digit IDs will need to be included to ensure proper mapping and syncing of records.

4.3. UAT Environment

  • A UAT environment will be provisioned for testing the integration with Salesforce’s staging instance. This will include:
    • Testing the new SSO setup.
    • Verifying data mapping (users and groups).
    • QA of data synchronization between Salesforce and Higher Logic.

4.4. Data Sync

  • Contact & Account Objects: Higher Logic will primarily use Salesforce Contact and Account objects for the integration.
  • Unique ID: Salesforce's 18-digit unique identifier will be used to map records. A custom field in Salesforce will store the Aptify IDs to ensure records are correctly mapped during the migration.

5. Timeline & Costs​

5.1. Project Timeline

  • Start Date: Early November 2024 (12 weeks before the go-live date in mid-January 2025).
  • Go-Live Date: January 2025.

5.2. Costs

  • A one-time fee of $4,000 is required for the Online Community migration.

6. Potential Downtime​

  • Downtime During Migration: There may be downtime prior to the go-live date, depending on the data migration process. This will be discussed with the project manager during the migration phase.

7. Additional Considerations​

  • Staging Data Sync: Early testing and multiple imports into Salesforce may cause disruptions in Higher Logic’s testing environment. It is recommended to minimize changes once UAT testing begins.

8. Outstanding Inquiries​

  1. Request for Technical Integration Meeting: A meeting is requested between AANP, Higher Logic, and the Salesforce development vendor to discuss integration details.
  2. Person Records vs. Accounts and Contacts: Clarification is needed from Higher Logic regarding the use of Person Records compared to Accounts and Contacts in Salesforce.