Get Connected: Set up Automatic Data Sharing From Your SMS to SPDA!

Ever wish you could share your data to Shelter Pet Data Alliance without having to upload it yourself every month?

If so you’re not alone — more and more people have been asking us when they can connect their shelter management software to SPDA.

You asked. We listened. We know manual monthly uploads take up your valuable time — and we want to make SPDA as easy, efficient, and useful as we can for you.

After months of work behind the scenes we’re thrilled to let you know that now you can use automatic data-sharing connections with Shelterluv, in addition to PetPoint and ShelterBuddy!

You can easily connect these shelter software platforms to SPDA — and just like magic (well, the magic of well-crafted software), your data will automatically be updated each month with no more monthly manual uploads.

Not to sound all salesy, but it really is so great. Automatic data-sharing is easy to set up, it’ll save you time, and save you having to worry about missing data reporting deadlines.

More shelters are setting up automatic data-sharing every month, and we’re excited to keep expanding options that make SPDA work seamlessly with the tools already being used.

Do you have questions? You'll find answers to some frequently asked questions below — and the SPDA user guide should fill in most of the rest.

If you can’t find the answers you need, or if you have another question, or an idea for how to make SPDA work even better for you, please reach out so we can help you can get the most out of your SPDA experience!

Q. How does Best Friends use the data uploaded to SPDA?

All of our data collection and analysis, and every way we use SPDA data, serves the ultimate goal of helping shelters achieve and maintain no-kill. The data is used in multiple ways to achieve that goal.

Shelter Pet Data Alliance users are able to explore their own data, and can compare their data side-by-side with more than 8,000 organizations. The data also populates our Pet Lifesaving Dashboard — Best Friends' online tool designed to provide a consistent, data-driven picture of lifesaving in our nation’s animal shelters and inspire community members to take local action for pets in need.

The Best Friends data and enterprise analytics team uses the data uploaded to SPDA in multiple way, as well: examining and analyzing the data for data reports and insights; tracking crucial lifesaving progress, shelter trends, and where we need to focus our efforts; and in fielding internal requests for analysis from our regional program team members, who work directly with shelters helping them implement new programs and fine-tune their operations to help them get to no-kill.

As a perk for our Best Friends Network Partners, we offer data analysis/help! You can request a meeting with one of our data scientists through the SPDA support form to help make sense of your data and how you can better use it. Learn more about becoming a network partner!

Q: Is there a video that can take me through the process of setting up automatic data-sharing for SPDA?

Yes, if you’re a Shelterluv user, just click right here for our API connection video! And here’s where you can find the API setup video for PetPoint and ShelterBuddy users.

You’ll also find step by step instructions for setting up automatic data-sharing for Shelterluv, PetPoint, and ShelterBuddy in the SPDA user guide.

What’s an API, you might be wondering? An Application Programming Interface (API) is a bit of software that lets one software platform connect and share information with another — in this case, your shelter management software is sharing animal data with SPDA.

Q: There's a mistake in my data on SPDA — how can I fix it?

Your organization's customizations may be set up differently than you're expecting, or may be for a different time period. Whatever the reason, if you see a mistake in your data on SPDA, please reach out to the SPDA team to help figure it out!

Q: What data will SPDA have access to through the data-sharing API?

Once your SMS is connected to SPDA via the automatic data-sharing API, it will send your animal-level data to SPDA — with information about intakes, outcomes, length of stay, spay/neuter status, and other information about the pets in your care. You can read our privacy policy in full on the SPDA website.

Q: I don’t have PetPoint, ShelterBuddy, or Shelterluv. Is there a faster way for me to enter my data into SPDA than doing so manually?

Yes! Even if you don’t have PetPoint, ShelterBuddy, or Shelterluv, you can easily enter your data from any shelter management software into SPDA by creating and uploading a CSV file — it’s faster and easier than doing so manually. You’ll find detailed instructions in the SPDA user guide.

Still have questions — or ideas of how we can help you get even more out of SPDA? Reach out to the SPDA team and we’ll walk through troubleshooting, and anything else, with you!