Note: This feature requires Form Admin access to upload and update Data Sources, and Form Owner access to link Data Sources to campaigns. If you don't have the right access, please contact your District People or Form Admin for assistance.
Many district workflows start with a real-world event already tracked in another system, like a sub being assigned or a new teacher being hired in your HRIS, SIS, Payroll, or substitute management system. Normally, someone has to manually turn that event into a form submission, which can cause delays and errors, especially for high-volume workflows.
Event-driven Initiation removes that step. Districts send data to Informed K12, and a form is automatically created, pre-filled, and sent to the right person, on time and with less manual effort.
In this article, we will review:
- How to upload and update a Data Source
- How to link a Data Source to a Campaign and configure auto-send
- Event-driven Initiation vs. Group Forms
How to upload and update a Data Source
- Create a Restricted Data Source by following these steps.
Note: Unique identifiers are used to determine if a row in a Data Source is "new." A unique identifier should represent the specific event or record that should generate a form, as opposed to a unique individual — for example, an absence ID instead of a student ID.
How to link a Data Source to a Campaign and configure auto-send
- Navigate to Settings in a Campaign.
- Find Prefill/Auto-send and choose Set up. The form will be able to use Prefill or Event Driven Initiation, but cannot use both.
- Choose a Data Source and select Auto-Send.
- Select the Recipient Name and Email.
- Save your settings.
Note: If your campaign is in test mode, publish it to begin sending submissions. If the campaign was already active, you will also need to Activate the auto-send functionality.
The auto-send can be paused/unpaused, and any data added during a pause will be sent once it's turned back on.
Event-driven Initiation vs. Group Forms
Event-driven Initiation isn't meant to replace Group Forms, but the two can overlap, especially for high-volume sends to many recipients. Use the table below to help decide which fits your workflow best.
| Capability | Group Forms | Event-driven Initiation |
|---|---|---|
| Initial send | Send to a large group once | Send to a large group |
| Adding new recipients | Update the group manually | Update the data source manually or via API |
| New rows added | Submissions are created but not sent | Submissions are created and sent |
| Visibility for subset users | Visible after recipient saves or submits | Visible immediately after sending |
| Field editability | Group fields can be locked | Prefill fields are editable |
| Form setup | Uses Group Forms | Uses routed forms |
| Duplication | Hard to duplicate | Can be duplicated |
| Ad-hoc initiation | Not supported | Still supported |