ADVANCE NOTICE: Batch Tool & API changes that will enable the multiple Direct Managers feature.
Our Direct Manager feature is going from single to mingle because, let’s face it, more Direct Managers = more fun! Your LMS, Batch Tool, and APIs are all on the guest list, and they’re putting on their dancing shoes and getting ready to party. (Approximate date of party – end of February 2024)
We aim to make your experience with us more versatile by continuing to provide new options that fit with your organisational needs. That’s why we’re building an exciting update to our Direct Manager feature. Currently, you can add one Direct Manager to an account through the LMS, Batch Tool, or an API. In next to no time, you will be able to add multiple Direct Managers via the same platforms. That way, your people can have a different Direct Manager for each role or position they hold.
Coming Soon
We're delighted to introduce a significant enhancement to the Direct Manager feature that allows your administrators to add multiple Direct Managers to an account via the LMS. They can also map multiple Direct Managers to an account via the Batch Tool. This change allows for the scenario where a person performs a variety of roles or positions across your business. Therefore, this change allows that person to have a different Direct Manager for each of their roles or positions.
We aim to introduce this change to our products by the end of February 2024.
NOTE: An administrator needs the right permission level to perform these actions. In the LMS, Site and Learning Management Administrators can add or update a Direct Manager against an account. Sometimes, an account has limited administrative rights such as when an account has the LMS Manage Account permission. With this permission, the account holder has been given access to specific groups where they can maintain the Direct Manager for the accounts within that group. In the Batch Tool, only Site and Learning Management Administrators can add or update an account’s Direct Manager.
Batch Tool Changes
There are two types of batch uploads available from the Batch Tool, both of which contain the Direct Manager reference:
- Create Account; this upload uses the Direct Manager field to add a Direct Manager to the account.
- Update Direct Manager; this upload uses the Direct Manager Username field to change the account’s Direct Manager.
Currently: With either option, you can upload a CSV file that contains one Direct Manager per account. To allow the Direct Manager’s username to be added to or updated against the account, the field value needs to be a single value in the CSV (as usernames cannot contain spaces, all usernames are a single value).
In the future: With the introduction of multiple Direct Managers, the relevant Direct Manager fields will be able to contain multiple Direct Manager usernames when they are separated by the delimiter comma.
NOTE: For more information about how these options currently work in the Batch Tool, please check out our previous Direct Manager Product Update here: You can now map a Direct Manager to an account via the Batch tool
API Changes
As certain APIs can be used to perform these tasks, those APIs will change to accommodate this new feature. Currently, the APIs allow one Direct Manager to be added or updated against an account. Once we release this change, the APIs will support the adding or updating of multiple Direct Managers to an account by introducing respective new tags to pass the multiple manager details.
APIs can be used to add, update, remove, or find Direct Manager details. You can do this when you create a new account, change an account, search for an account’s (or multiple accounts’) details, or find or change the Direct Manager on an account via an API.
Here are the specific APIs that are changing:
SOAP
- >/soap/GroupService?wsdl>
- getAccounts
- >/soap/AccountService?wsdl>
- newAccount
- updateAccount
- getAccount
- getDirectManager
- setDirectManager
REST
- >/rest/{format}/group/{group_path}/getaccounts>
- >/rest/{format}/account/get>
- >/rest/{format}/account/create>
- >/rest/{format}/account/{username}/edit>
- >/rest/{format}/account/{username}/get>
- >/rest/{format}/account/getDirectManager/>
- >/rest/{format}/account/account/setDirectManager/>
Why the API Change?
We’re updating our APIs to ensure that they harmonise with the new logic of the application, which is to enable an account to have multiple Direct Managers. This modification doesn't limit the ability to assign a single Direct Manager; it simply expands the possibilities.
Client Action
Please reach out to the Kineo Service Desk if you use or plan to use any of the impacted endpoints or if you have any questions or concerns about these changes.
If your company doesn’t use the Direct Manager feature and you don’t use any APIs, then there is no immediate impact. The system will continue to function as usual for you.
Endpoint
We're committed to ensuring a smooth transition for you. If you have any questions or need help, please get in touch. We're excited about this enhancement and look forward to providing you with even more powerful and flexible tools in the future.
* We had a debate over the heading for this section and decided to go with a little API humour.