How can partners integrate with DreamSave?

How can partners integrate with DreamSave?

Integrating with DreamSave

DreamStart Labs is a proud custodian of savings group user data collected through the DreamSave mobile application and we are committed to working with our partners to ensure their easy, reliable, and convenient access to the data that affiliated groups consent to share with you. We also want to ensure that data-sharing takes place in ways that best suit the technical and practical use cases of our partners while continuing to adhere to our Data Privacy and Security policies.

Due to the various, and sometimes complex, data-sharing needs and demands faced by our partners, we know that it can sometimes be hard to know where or how to begin discussing the best approach to accessing your DreamSave data. To help demystify the process and streamline any concerns, we’ve put together a short FAQ list of the most common questions we’ve received from existing and prospective partners regarding data-sharing. If any of the below questions do not answer your query, feel free to reach out to the DreamStart Labs Product Manager, Michaella Allen, for more information at michaella@dreamstartlabs.com.

Q1. What does it mean to integrate with DreamSave?

A technical “system integration” refers to the process of connecting multiple and diverse systems, or system components, into a single larger system that functions as one.
The two most common types of integration possible with DreamSave include:
  1. Data integration: This type of integration facilitates the seamless transfer of historical transactional data generated by savings groups affiliated with a partner from the DreamSave server to an external system or database owned by a given partner or a third party. This integration typically involves data normalization to ensure compatibility and consistent data interpretation across systems, data transformation to ensure data is updated into formats required by new systems, and data cleansing to ensure any inconsistencies are identified and rectified for data integrity.
  2. Application integration: This type of integration refers to the connecting of different applications for the frictionless flow of data from DreamSave to another application. This integration often involves establishing a unified interface that allows applications to exchange data and interact without disruptions. Core to this integration are considerations for application interoperability, ease of data portability, user consent, and data risk liability management.
Q2. Can partner organizations or financial service providers request to integrate with DreamSave?

Yes, we at DreamStart Labs are keen to explore system connections that help to meet our company's mission of supporting greater financial inclusion and poverty alleviation across the developing world.

Q3. Can savings groups link their mobile money accounts to DreamSave?

Not yet. Mobile money integrations with DreamSave are possible but not currently available in the app pending exciting new partnerships with Mobile Money Operators that can serve our global network of savings groups.

Q4. What type of data can be shared with existing NGO partners, and in what format?

All group-level financial savings and credit transaction history, including time and date stamps, can be shared with partners. De-identified member-level financial transaction history can also be shared. All data is organized by the standardized data structure defined in the DreamSave Partner Database integration schema. All metrics available on DreamSave Insights will also be shared.

Q5. What is the process to request and facilitate a system integration?

As a small and nimble start-up, DreamStart Labs is not yet able to enable automatic or plug-and-play integrations. Every integration is manually performed by our skilled group of engineers who determine the best way to support requests for different partners. This process will ideally follow the below set of high-level steps for data integration discussions, which may be highly iterative and overlapping:


Q6. What prerequisites or supporting information do prospective partners need to provide to initiate a system integration request?

We need six pieces of information from our partners to kickstart initial exploratory integration discussions. This checklist includes the following information:
  1. Savings group affiliation: Do you already have an existing agreement with DreamStart Labs and are directly supporting digital savings groups on the DreamSave app?
  2. Type of data requested: Is group-level data vs member-level data requested?
  3. Connecting platform or mobile application: Do you desire a data or an application integration? What is the name of the system/platform/application?
  4. Specifications of the receiving system: Provide documentation that would give us a sense of the back-end architecture of the receiving system or application, their data ingestion APIs, or a demo video of the receiving system/platform/application displaying its interface and functionality.
  5. List of requested key indicators: Provide a complete list of indicators desired from DreamSave, and in which desired format (lists used to evaluate requests are considered final). Here is a list of indicators that are currently available on DreamSave Insights at a group level.
  6. Contact details of data developers/engineers/IT personnel: Contact information for the individual(s) who will be responsible for managing the technical integration from the receiving system: names, surnames, email addresses, and their earliest availability for a meeting.
Optional:

Legal documentation (for application integrations with an FSP): Provide your data strategy and data privacy policy outlining the breakdown of data privacy and security liability between yourself and third parties.

Desired user journey: outline of desired user journey mapping explaining how users or you would need to experience the outcomes of integration.
You may complete this Google Form to share the above-requested information with us. DreamStart Labs will also share the above information for transparency and mutual evaluation of the feasibility of the integration.

Q7. How can I connect my system to the DreamSave server?

The easiest and most direct way to link to our server is to set up a publicly accessible PostgresQL database instance with a static IP address. Once the partner has set this up, we will share our static IPs for you to whitelist on your PostgresQL instance. Once successfully connected, we will be able to push the raw transactional data from your savings groups into your database.

For more advanced integrations from a data or application perspective, we can develop a bespoke Application Programming Interface (API) to meet your unique specifications.

Q8. Who hosts the PostgresQL instance?

All database integrations are hosted by receiving organizations. Your database instance can be hosted in any environment or platform that allows TCP connections over a specified port and a whitelisted IP address.

Q9. What is the cost to integrate with the DreamSave server?

Standard data integrations, as described under Q1, between our servers and existing partners are currently free of charge. Any custom requirements for a data integration, as well as any application integration, will be subject to a fee determined by the estimated level of time and effort required by the DreamStart Labs engineering team. Any further technical support to further customize or manage the integration with the receiving system may also be subject to additional fees, as may any substantial growth in data transfer sizes.

Q10. How long does it typically take to set up a system integration?

Depending on the complexity of the connection and the extent to which our requested checklist of information has been received, standard data integrations can take between a few days to a couple of weeks to complete. This time estimate may be subject to delay if the initial checklist information is revised or incomplete, technical support on the receiving end is unavailable, or the specifications for the integration are unclear or highly bespoke.

An application integration may take a few weeks or months to conclude due to its technical, legal, and strategic complexity.

Q11. What is the typical division of responsibilities between teams at DreamStart Labs and the receiving organization concerning the integration?

Our role at DreamStart Labs will be to:
  1. Determine and communicate the scope, estimated timeline, and technical set up of the integration.
  2. Ensure the ongoing robustness of the connection as well as its security and protection of user privacy and security of the connection are assured.
The role of our partners is to:
  1. Provide the requested checklist of information as soon as possible, and to ensure that the provided information is complete as far as possible.
  2. Avail technical support team for coordination with DreamStart Labs
  3. Host the database instance in the case of data integrations
  4. Manage the security of the data received and stored in the database,
  5. Regular maintenance of the ongoing operation of the integration.
Q12. How do we ensure the secure transfer of savings group financial data between systems?

The security of our database connections with partners is a top priority at DreamStart Labs. We adhere to strict data security principles to keep user data safe during transit and while stored in our databases. You may read our Data Security Principles document for more information, as well as the Google Cloud Platform data security protocol documentation that underpins our approach to data security.

Q13. Will other organizations with a PostgresQL instance with DreamStart Labs be able to view our data?

No, the connection between your platform/system/application is private and only accessible by DreamStart Labs and the receiving organization.

Q14. Why can’t I see the personally identifiable information (PII) of members in my savings groups, such as names and surnames despite the integration?

We only reveal the PIIs of members if they’ve previously provided their consent to share this information with their affiliated partner within the DreamSave app. Note that this request is not asked by default in DreamSave to protect the privacy of our users. Please reach out to your local Customer Success Representative or the Product Manager if you’d like to know more about how to initiate a specific request within the app to request permission from users to reveal their PII to you. Once consent is granted, member PIIs will be available to you through your PostgresQL instance.

Q15. Can I directly modify and update the received dataset with new metrics?

We recommend granting users read-only permission to access the data that DreamStart Labs transfers to the provided database instance. Any direct manipulation of the data inside the integration database is not recommended. Any new metrics that are desired by partners are considered new app feature requests and may be placed on our roadmap for prioritization.

Q16. Can I create new tables or reformat tables of data received from my Postgres Instance?

Receiving organizations cannot create new tables, modify, or attempt any schema changes to the DreamSave data structure received from DreamStart Labs servers. We advise read-only access for all internal database access requirements to our partners to prevent any accidental modifications/deletions. Partners may format or alter the data to their preference once imported from the database instance.

Q17. Will I have access to changelogs from the database that detail changes made by saving groups/members to their accounts and profiles?

We do not provide a single changelog of events over time in the database. However, nearly all the tables in our data model have Created and Updated timestamps, which can be used to identify any changes made by groups and their members.

Q18. Will the definitions and formulae of metrics in the DreamSave database be shared with receiving organisations?

Yes, this will be shared with every organisation that seeks to directly link to our DreamSave server.

Q19. How does the DreamSave database deal with foreign exchange rate fluctuations?

The data in a partner’s DreamSave database instance is stored in the same local currency in which data entries were recorded by saving groups and their members. This means that no conversion of local currency values into dollar denominations is performed or available to partners. Such conversions are only performed on our DreamSave Insights platform for the convenience of our partners who wish to compare the financial data of their groups across different geographies.

Q20. What is the sync or refresh period of data on the DreamSave server i.e. how quickly will I see new or updated data on the receiving system/platform/application?

The data in a partner database instance is refreshed at a near real-time rate compared to the 24-hour refresh period on DreamSave Insights. This means that all savings group data will reflect in your instance as soon as groups back up new data via their smartphones to the DreamSave server.

Q21. Why is some data missing for certain metrics in the database?

Though we try our utmost to ensure your data is as complete and robust as possible, there are instances in which data might not appear for certain metrics at different points in time due to various group-level factors. Such factors may include the failure to back up all meeting data logged with the DreamSave app, or data that is not relevant (N/A) rather than missing. We urge partners to coordinate with their on-the-ground field agents or facilitators to investigate any data entry issues that may be found.




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