Issue

API calls to the Enrollment Endpoint (e.g., /api/v5/enrollment/0) fail intermittently during scheduled data pulls, particularly at peak times (e.g., 8:00 AM). The error returned is typically:

504 Gateway Time-out

School and staff data endpoints work as expected, but enrollment data requests without filters often time out. This issue is observed when vendors attempt to pull large datasets without specifying filters such as School Code or Academic Year.


Cause

  • The endpoint allows unfiltered requests, which query the entire enrollment table. In some cases, this can exceed 500,000+ records, causing server strain.
  • Peak server load combined with large dataset requests leads to timeouts.
  • The API design does not currently optimize for large, unfiltered data pulls. Performance varies by district size and timing of requests.


Resolution

  1. Use Filters for Academic Year and/or School Code
    • Instead of calling /api/v5/enrollment/0, format requests like:
    • /api/v5/enrollment/0/year/{YYYY}

Example:

/api/v5/enrollment/0/year/2025

This limits the dataset to a single academic year, reducing load.

  1. Leverage Incremental Updates
    • Use the Data Change API for targeted updates:
    • /api/v5/studentdatachanges/enrollment/{YYYY}/{MM}/{DD}/0/0

Example:

/api/v5/studentdatachanges/enrollment/2025/10/1/0/0

This returns only students with recent enrollment changes, allowing iterative calls for specific records.

  1. Suggested Workflow
    • Pull prior year enrollments (e.g., 2024) weekly or monthly.
    • Pull current year enrollments (e.g., 2025) as needed using the year filter.
    • For large updates, consider full replacements less frequently and rely on incremental updates for daily syncs.