**Pricing note:** A **$350 annual integration fee** applies.
#### **Connecting the pickAtime App** 1. In Blackbaud.com, go to **[Marketplace](https://app.blackbaud.com/marketplace/?envid=p-TP4pVtFaLEqJMcpKpeYFIQ)**. 2. Search for **pickAtime**. 3. Select **pickAtime** from the results. 4. Click **Connect**. 5. Click **Go To Application Website**. #### **Next Steps** Once your pickAtime account exists and is connected to the SKY API, you'll need to: 1. Update your **Account Settings** (below). 2. Begin [**Setting Up Your SSO**](https://help.pickatime.com/books/blackbaud-user-guide/page/turn-it-on-and-test-the-scheduler). ### **Account Settings** 1. Log in to pickAtime with your email and password. 2. Go to **Global Setup / Business**. 3. Locate the **Single Sign On** section *(under Advanced Options)* and confirm **SSO Provider** is set to **Blackbaud**.| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| **SSO Login URL** | Redirects participants to a login page after their session expires, so they can re-access the system. Should point to your portal or website. |
| **SSO Secret Key** | Provided by Blackbaud during [SSO setup](https://help.pickatime.com/books/blackbaud-user-guide/page/turn-it-on-and-test-the-scheduler) for your school's account |
| **SKY API Importer** | Enable this if you intend to use it |
⚠️ **Important:** Enabling Blackbaud SSO **removes your Account URL.** Once connected, parents and students access your account exclusively through the **Blackbaud Resource Board tile** — not a direct pickAtime link.
### **Create Your Event** When you first log into pickAtime, you'll land in the Admin tool on the **Event Reports** page. #### **Steps to Create a New Event** 1. Select **Events/Preview** from the sidebar. 2. Click **Add**. 3. Enter a name for your event — e.g., `Fall 2026 Conferences`. 4. Select the event type: **PTA**. 5. *(If you've used pickAtime before)* Select a **Template** from the pull-down, based on a previous event. This carries over your starting settings from **UI Setup**, **CUI Messages**, and **Notifications Setup**. 6. Select your event's **time zone**. 7. *(Optional)* Add a **Date** and **Location**. Once saved, your event will appear as a new row in the Events list. #### **About the Date and Location Fields** These fields are optional and primarily used to **distinguish between multiple events** when more than one is listed. - The **Date** field is just a label — if your conference spans multiple dates, you can list them all here, or leave it blank. - You do **not** need to create a separate event for each date — a single event can include any number of dates. #### **Adding Event Details** Use the **Event Details** box to add event-specific information you'd like to display on the scheduler or include in emails. Anything entered here becomes available as a macro: **`$(E_DESCRIPTION)`** You can insert this macro into your **CUI Messages** or **Notifications Setup** templates to automatically pull in this text. #### **Removing a Previous Event** If you've used pickAtime before and are importing new data, you can delete your previous event(s) once the new one is created. 1. Create your new event first (see steps above). 2. Click **Delete** on the old event.Creating the new event **before** deleting the old one lets you use the previous event as a template. Be sure to confirm your new event is set to type **PTA**.
# Creating your SSO ## **Create the SSO** PickAtime can link directly from the **Blackbaud Resource Board** to your Parent-Teacher Conference event via Single Sign-On. *(For help building a Resource Board, see Blackbaud's [Resource Board help file](https://webfiles-sc1.blackbaud.com/files/support/helpfiles/education/k12/panel/content/bb-core-resource-boards.html).)* #### **Choose your path:** - **New schools** *(no existing pickAtime/Blackbaud integration)* — follow **Part 1** and **Part 2A** below. - **Current schools** *(already integrated, updating your SSO link)* — follow **Part 1** and **Part 2B** below. --- ### **Part 1: Establish the SSO Connection Between Blackbaud and pickAtime*****(This part is identical whether you're setting up SSO for the first time or updating an existing connection.)***
This requires copying a **Redirect URL** from pickAtime into Blackbaud, then copying a **Secret Key** from Blackbaud back into pickAtime. You'll need to be logged into both accounts to copy/paste between them. 1. Log into pickAtime, go to **Global Setup / Business / Show Advanced Options**, and under **Single Sign On Options**, select **Blackbaud** as your SSO Provider. 2. Copy the **Redirect URL** shown — you'll need it in step 4. 3. In Blackbaud (as a Platform Manager), go to **Core / Security / Authentication Settings / SSO Settings**. 4. Click **Add New**. 5. Enter a **Name** for your SSO — saving will auto-generate a **Slug** based on this name. 6. Paste your **Redirect URL** (from step 2) into the appropriate field. 7. Be sure to include the `{token}` placeholder, **with the curly braces**. 8. Check **Allow Impersonation**. 9. Click **Save**. 10. Edit the item you just created, then select and copy the **Secret Key**. 11. Return to pickAtime, go to **Global Setup / Business / Show Advanced Options**, and paste the Secret Key into the **SSO Secret Key** field.💡 **Tip:** The Secret Key is 88 characters — longer than the visible field. Triple-click the text field to select the entire string.
You've now connected Blackbaud and pickAtime. Next, you'll need a **Blackbaud Resource Board tile** that points to pickAtime — see Part 2 below. ### **Part 2A: Add the SSO Link to a Resource Board *(New Schools)*** ***📺 Watch our video: [Setting Up Your School's Single Sign-On](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IHBBM2hXUk)*** 1. From **SSO Settings**, copy the URL next to the SSO item you just created. 2. As a Platform Manager or Content Editor, go to **Core / Content / Additional Content Types / Links**. 3. Click **Add New Category**, and name it. 4. Click **Save & Add Link**. 5. Enter a **Title**. 6. In the **URL** field, combine your school's app URL with the SSO segment from step 1, replacing the slug: `https://SCHOOLNAME.myschoolapp.com/app/sso/auth/SLUG` 7. Click **Save**. 8. Go to **Core / Content / Resource Boards**. 9. Next to **View Boards**, choose the relevant role/security group (e.g., **Parent**). 10. Click **Add Post**. 11. Enter a **Title**, **Description**, and **Cover Photo**. 12. For **Post Cover**, select **Direct Link**. 13. Select the **Category** you created earlier. 14. Select your **Link** (the SSO link from step 6). 15. Click **Save**. ### **Part 2B: Update Your Resource Board *(Current Schools)*** ***📺 Watch our video: [Setting Up Your School's Single Sign-On](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RR7hv-nnBA)*** 1. From **SSO Settings**, copy the URL next to the SSO item you just created. 2. As a Platform Manager or Content Editor, go to **Core / Content / Additional Content Types / Links**. 3. Locate and click your existing pickAtime link. 4. Click the **edit icon**, locate the link destination, and click **Change**. 5. Select **Link / URL**. 6. In the **URL** field, combine your school's app URL with the SSO segment from step 1, replacing the slug: `https://SCHOOLNAME.myschoolapp.com/app/sso/auth/SLUG` 7. Click **Save**. ### **Testing Your SSO** 1. Go to **Security / Authentication Settings / SSO Settings**, and edit your SSO link to confirm **Allow Impersonation** is enabled. 2. Under your profile menu, select **Impersonate User**. 3. Find a user to impersonate. *(Make sure this user also exists in pickAtime — Blackbaud User IDs determine the user's role in pickAtime.)* 4. While impersonating, go to that user's **Resource Board**. 5. Click the pickAtime link to confirm it opens the event correctly. #### **Notes** - - The relevant board(s) must be selected for the SSO link post to appear under the **Resources** tab. - When manually adding users to pickAtime, you'll need their **First/Last Name**, **Email**, and their **Teacher ID** or **Parent ID**. - For more on Blackbaud SSO, see Blackbaud's [SSO Tutorial](https://docs.blackbaud.com/sso-overview-docs/introduction). # Export your Data In the Admin UI, select **Importer** from the sidebar. #### **Step 1: Authenticate with Blackbaud** 1. Click **Sign in to Blackbaud**. 2. Click **Authorize**.⚠️ **Requirements:** At least one admin must be authenticated with a Blackbaud ID, hold one of the following roles — **Academic Group Manager**, **Schedule Manager**, or **Platform Manager** — and have the **SKY API Data Sync** role. Importing **Advisory** data additionally requires the **Advisory Group Manager** role.
#### **Step 2: Run the Import** Select your **Import Type**, **Event**, and **Term**, then click **Import**. There are **3 import types**, depending on what data you need: ##### **Option A: Academic Import (Parent-Teacher Conferences)** Use this to import class and enrollment data for standard PTA conferences. 1. Select Import Type: **PTA Event**. 2. Select the specific **event** to import data into. 3. Select **Academics** as the Offering Type. 4. Select the specific **Term ID**.⚠️ **Important:** If you remove teacher/class/student data manually in pickAtime, it **will be re-added** on your next Blackbaud data sync. Instead of deleting unwanted classes, set their slot type to **"Hidden"** — hidden classes are skipped during future imports/auto-syncs.
##### **Option B: Advisory Import (Advisory-Only Conferences)** Use this to import data for advisory-only conferences. Requires the **Advisory Group Manager** role (see authentication requirements above). ##### **Option C: Admissions Import (Admission Events)** Use this to import parent data for admissions events. - Includes a **Parent Type** selector — choose **Parent of Incoming**, **Parent of Candidate**, or both. - Imported contacts will have the role **Parent of Candidate** or **Parent of Incoming Student**.**Note:** Contacts imported via Admissions import do **not** have access to the Resource Board.
#### **If Your School Doesn't Use Blackbaud Academic Data** If your school doesn't track Academic data in Blackbaud, you'll need to import your **Teacher**, **Class**, and **Enrollment** files manually instead: 1. Go to **Global Setup / Business / Single Sign On**. 2. Uncheck **"Use SKY API, Importer."** 3. [Create and import your data files](https://help.pickatime.com/books/pta-setup-guide/page/step-two-import-data-files) as you normally would. ### **Viewing Your Imported Data** 1. From **Events Preview**, select your event and click **Go To Event**. 2. Select **Class Editor** to see your teacher list. Select a teacher to see their classes; select a class to see enrolled students.See **Modifying Teacher or Room Data** to add/remove teachers, **Moving a Class** to reassign a class, and **Modifying Enrollment Data** to add/remove students from a class.
**To view data organized by class instead:** Check **"Show Only Classes"** (far right). # Creating Time Slots ### **{{@14}}** # Configure Settings {{@27}} # Turn it On and Test the Scheduler #### **1. Open the scheduler** 1. From the Admin UI, go to **Events / Preview**, select your event, and click **Go To Event.** 2. Select **Settings / UI Setup / Event Settings / Scheduler Availability**. 3. Set **"Open scheduler to customers on"** and **"Close scheduler to customers on"** to define the window during which parents can book appointments.To access the scheduler yourself while it's closed to parents, check **"Allow Admins access to the CUI at all times."**
#### **2. View the scheduler** 1. First**,** make sure that your [SSO ](https://help.pickatime.com/books/blackbaud-user-guide/page/creating-your-sso)is set up and permits impersonation. 2. Log in to Blackbaud and under your profile menu select the Impersonate User option. Blackbaud will allow you to find a user to impersonate. Ensure that this user is in pickAtime as well (note that the User IDs in Blackbaud tell pickAtime what role that User has). 3. Once you are impersonating a user, go to the Resource Board. 4. Click the pickAtime Resource Tile to access the event. #### **3. Test the booking process** Ensure that you have a student attached to your test account to confirm that appointments can be booked correctly. To review your Parent-Student Relationship or if you need to manually add a student, follow the instructions [here](https://help.pickatime.com/books/pta-management-guide/page/parent-student-relationships). 1. Confirm the student's name appears in the drop-down list. 2. Select the student's name and continue through the scheduling process. 3. You'll see a list of all available appointment slots for that student's teachers. 4. Select a teacher and time to book and complete the process. ### **Recommended Testing Checklist** - Teachers imported correctly - Classes imported correctly - Student relationships are imported correctly - Room assignments verified - Appointment slots displayed correctly - Parent scheduling tested - Confirmation emails verified - Virtual meeting links tested (if applicable) - Reports reviewed - Test appointments removed ### **Troubleshooting** ##### **Students' teachers aren't showing up** This usually means one of the following: - The student's enrollment data is incomplete or missing - No slots have been created yet for that student's teachers at this event ##### **What does "the integration with pickatime is not set up correctly" mean?** This appears when you have added your vendor id # to the end of the secret key (located in Global Setup / Business, Show Advanced Options, Single Sign On Options, Blackbaud). The secret key should be empty after the ==. ##### **What does "There was an error: Blackbaud user not found" mean?** This appears when pickAtime is not able to locate a user with a Blackbaud email within our Database. Users must exist in both pickAtime and Blackbaud with a matching User ID (parentID or teacherID). Check and confirm that the user exists in both systems and if they do confirm that their User ID data matches. ##### **What does "Failed to get Blackbaud user" mean?** This appears when pickAtime is not able to communicate with BB communication. Please check and confirm that the user exists in both systems, and if they do confirm that the User ID data matches, try again. Click [here for our full Blackbaud FAQ](https://help.pickatime.com/books/blackbaud-faqs).