Choosing an integration channel
HousingSurvey Pro offers five distinct ways to move data in and out, each suited to a different kind of system on the other end. Most organisations end up using more than one at once.
What it is
Every channel does a different job, and none of them require you to name or configure a specific vendor’s system — all of them speak generic, open protocols (REST, webhooks, CSV, SFTP, JSON-RPC) that any case-management, BI or automation tool can consume:
| Channel | Best for | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| REST API | A system that can poll on demand, or write work orders in | Both ways |
| Webhooks | A system that needs to react the moment something happens | Push out only |
| EDI flat-file (CSV) | A system with a nightly batch-import step and no API | Push out only |
| SFTP | A system that already exchanges files with other suppliers | Both ways |
| BigQuery warehouse access | Your own BI or reporting tool, queried directly | Pull out only |
| MCP server | An AI agent or assistant acting on your behalf | Both ways |
How to do it
- If your system already has a nightly import job that reads CSVs, start with the nightly EDI export — it needs no development work on your side.
- If your system can expose an HTTPS endpoint and you want to react to events as they happen — a new sealed record, a deadline approaching — set up a webhook.
- If your system needs to query or write data on demand (rather than wait to be told), or your team wants to build against a documented API, use the REST API.
- If your own infrastructure team already runs an SFTP server for other suppliers, use SFTP — HousingSurvey Pro can both send files to it and pull specific data types from it.
- If you want your own BI tool querying HousingSurvey Pro data directly, without going through any of the above, enable BigQuery warehouse access.
- If an AI agent or assistant needs to read or act on your data, point it at the MCP server — it authenticates the same way as the REST API and can never do more than the key’s own scopes allow.
How it integrates
These channels are not mutually exclusive and commonly run side by side: a landlord might use the nightly EDI export for their case-management system’s batch import, a webhook to trigger an internal alert the moment a deadline is breached, and BigQuery for a Power BI dashboard — all from the same organisation, all reading the same underlying evidence. The REST API and the MCP server share one authentication model (an org-scoped bearer key) and one rate budget, so traffic through either counts against the same per-organisation limit. See The REST API, Webhooks, The nightly EDI export, Sending and pulling files over SFTP and BigQuery and warehouse access for how each one actually works.
Common problems
- I’m not sure which channel our developers should build against. If they’re starting from scratch and want documented, on-demand access, point them at the REST API and its OpenAPI specification. If they already have a batch process, the nightly EDI export is usually less work on their end.
- We want near-real-time updates but don’t want to poll. That’s exactly what webhooks are for — see Webhooks for the event catalogue.
- A channel I want to use is greyed out. Several of these — the REST API, webhooks, EDI, SFTP and BigQuery — are Platform-plan features. Check Your plan and what it includes if a control isn’t available.
Related