Ed-Fi ODS/API and Ed-Fi API v8 FAQ
Ed-Fi API v8 (formerly the Ed-Fi Data Management Service) has been released to enhance data integration and management capabilities for educational agencies. Designed to be robust and flexible, Ed-Fi API v8 addresses the evolving needs of the Ed-Fi community. The Ed-Fi Alliance plans to fully replace the current ODS/API Platform with Ed-Fi API v8 by the 2029-2030 school year. In the meantime, the Alliance remains committed to supporting the ODS/API Platform through the 2028-2029 school year.
Choosing a Platform
Q: Should a new Ed-Fi implementation use ODS/API 7.x or Ed-Fi API v8?
Plan new implementations on Ed-Fi API v8. Ed-Fi API v8 is the long-term replacement for the ODS/API Platform, and the Ed-Fi Alliance plans to fully replace the ODS/API Platform with it by the 2029-2030 school year. The ODS/API Platform remains supported through the 2028-2029 school year, so an implementation that starts on ODS/API 7.x will need to migrate to Ed-Fi API v8 before the 2029-2030 school year.
Use the latest Ed-Fi API v8 release, Release 8.1, for all new implementations, including pilots. Release 8.0 is out of support; see Supported Versions. Teams running 8.0 should upgrade to 8.1, and should expect to re-provision their databases when they do. The Ed-Fi API v8 Pilot Test Kit provides a non-production environment for testing client integrations against Ed-Fi API v8.
Client application developers (SIS, assessment, and other vendors): Ed-Fi API v8 implements the Ed-Fi API specification, so most client applications built for the ODS/API continue to work. Review the breaking changes and migration checklist and test against Ed-Fi API v8.
Use ODS/API 7.3 only if you need production use before Ed-Fi API v8 is ready for your needs, or if you depend on a feature that is not yet available in Ed-Fi API v8. If you do, plan your move to Ed-Fi API v8 now: see How can I / my team prepare for the upgrade? below.
For the support window of each release, see Supported Versions.
General
Q: What are DMS, CMS, and Project Tanager?
They are earlier or internal names for Ed-Fi API v8:
| Earlier or internal name | Current name | Replaces |
|---|---|---|
| Ed-Fi Data Management Service (DMS) | Ed-Fi API | Ed-Fi ODS/API |
| DMS Configuration Service (CMS) | Ed-Fi API Configuration Service ("Configuration Service") | Ed-Fi ODS Admin API |
Project Tanager is the name of the project that built these services; it is not a product name.
Roadmap
Q: What does the future look like for the legacy ODS/API Platform?
The Ed-Fi Alliance plans to continue support for the ODS/API Platform through school year 2028-2029. In the table below, the label "patch" means that the Ed-Fi Alliance will periodically release updates covering vulnerabilities, urgent bugs, and dependency updates. The label "active" means that the Alliance may add additional features.
| Application | '24-'25 | '25-'26 | '26-'27 | '27-'28 | '28-'29 | '29-'30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ODS/API 5.4 | patch | |||||
| ODS/API 6.2 | patch | |||||
| ODS/API 7.3 | patch | |||||
| Ed-Fi API v8.x | testing | active | ||||
As shown in the table above:
- ODS/API 5.4, released in summer 2024, will be supported for the school year 2024-2025. The 5.x series was first released in 2020, for the 2021-2022 school year. It implements Data Standard 3 (current: 3.3).
- ODS/API 6.2, released in February 2024, implements Data Standard 4.0. No further feature enhancements are planned. It will be supported in production at least through the 2025-2026 school year.
- ODS/API 7.3.x will continue to receive annual feature enhancements (and bug fixes) for the next several years, including an update to .NET 10 in 2026. This version supports Data Standard versions 4 and 5, and will support Data Standard version 6. It will be fully supported at least through school year 2028-2029.
Q: When will Ed-Fi API v8 be available?
Timeline:
- Release 8.0 was released in Q3 of 2026, available for pilot / parallel usage in school year 2026-2027.
- Release 8.1 was released in November 2026, available for parallel / production usage in school year 2027-2028. It replaces 8.0, which is out of support.
Ed-Fi API v8 is fully compatible with the must have requirements described in the Ed-Fi API Design and Implementation Guidelines, 4.0 and continues to expand into the should have and optional requirements and features. State Education Agencies (SEA) frequently have more detailed technical requirements for client authorization and for access to raw data for warehousing and reporting. The SEA-oriented release 8.1 is available for production use in the 2027-2028 school year.
Ed-Fi API v8 does not yet have complete parity with the optional features in the ODS/API Platform. The Ed-Fi API Technical Workgroup and/or Technical Advisory Group (TAG) will help guide prioritization of features.
Technical Integrations
Q: What will the system architecture look like?
The following diagram shows the core system architecture for Ed-Fi API v8.
The next diagram shows the optional streaming components. Note: the streaming architecture, although it was an original design goal for the system, took a lower priority for the initial release. It is supported starting with the 8.1 release.
Q: Will integrations built for the ODS/API continue to work with the new system?
Ed-Fi API v8 is a fully compatible implementation of the Ed-Fi API specification, so most client applications that interact with the REST API continue to work. Some changes, such as case-sensitive property names and new URL paths, can affect existing clients. Review the breaking changes and migration checklist before moving a client to Ed-Fi API v8.
The backend data store in Ed-Fi API v8 differs from the ODS/API, but it remains ODS-like and relational. To support existing reporting, analytics, and downstream integrations, the platform is evolving toward a relational data model similar to the ODS, exposing data in a familiar, tabular form. This approach allows agencies to continue using SQL-based reporting patterns. We recognize that many current Ed-Fi implementations depend on database-level integrations for critical analytics and reporting. The Alliance is committed to working with the community to create clear migration paths that allow agencies to leverage their existing data integrations. The platform also introduces new integration capabilities such as streaming events via Kafka for real-time data flows.
The base URLs will be different in Ed-Fi API v8 compared to the ODS/API. The differences between the two can easily be bridged if needed by changing client code to query the root endpoint (Discovery API), or with special redirection rules in an API Gateway application sitting in front of Ed-Fi API v8.
Q: Will integrations built for the Admin API continue to work with the new system?
Yes — if referring to the Management API
specification1.
No — if referring to the specific software application called "Admin API".
Ed-Fi API v8 will have a different database system than the
ODS/API, including restructuring of the data currently housed in the
EdFi_Admin and EdFi_Security databases. The project will introduce a new
application, called the Configuration Service, which implements the Ed-Fi
Management API specification. The plan is to implement the
Management API specification (version 3), so that applications and scripts
developed on this specification can interact seamlessly either with the platform
of today or of tomorrow.
Process
Q: How can I / my team prepare for the upgrade?
Start by identifying all direct ODS, Admin, and Security database integrations in your environment:
- ETLs that extract from a metadata catalog and load into the ODS.
- Replace with direct calls to the Ed-Fi API.
- ETLs that extract from the ODS and load into a data warehouse.
- Plan to continue SQL-based reporting or transition to direct calls to the Ed-Fi API, using Change Queries.
- Data Validation procedures that run directly on ODS.
- Replace with validation off of a data mart of data warehouse.
- Client credential management directly in the Admin database.
- Deploy Admin API and replace with calls to its implementation of the Ed-Fi Management API, which will be implemented in the Configuration Service in Ed-Fi API v8.
While some database‑level access patterns may continue to work in Ed-Fi API v8, whenever possible, use the REST API to load or extract data. Doing so both prepares you for Ed-Fi API v8 and helps you ensure data integrity and security.
You can work with your Ed-Fi liaison to build a plan for transitioning ahead of the 2029-2030 school year.
Q: How can I / my team get involved?
The Ed-Fi Alliance is running a technical workgroup that will meet regularly to help with prioritization, review, and testing of the software.
Anyone wishing to contribute at the level of design or application code level is invited to review the Design Documents to understand current and upcoming work.
Technical Design
Q: How does Ed-Fi API v8 enforce data integrity?
All data storage designs in Ed-Fi API v8 will be based on ACID-level transactions, ensuring that data operations are processed reliably and maintain data integrity. All data will be stored in a relational database (PostgreSQL or Microsoft SQL Server), and referential integrity is enforced through the use of foreign keys, ensuring the data model remains consistent with the Ed-Fi Data Standard.
Q: Can I run the system without Kafka?
Yes. Kafka is used for an optional streaming feature in Ed-Fi API v8. If you do not have streaming use cases, you can run the system without Kafka.
Core functionality (API operations, data storage, integrity enforcement) does not depend on Kafka. You can add Kafka later if you decide to implement real-time data flows.
Q: When will Microsoft SQL Server be supported?
Ed-Fi API v8 supports both PostgreSQL and Microsoft SQL Server as data store options. Ed-Fi API v8.0 had some gaps in the SQL Server implementation compared to the PostgreSQL implementation; the v8.1 release addresses them.
This approach allows agencies to continue using their existing SQL Server infrastructure to run Ed-Fi API v8.