Cost and Benefit API

The Amplify Cost and Benefit API allows the external creation and modification of costs and benefits through tightly secured technical processes. The API allows Amplify admins to create API tokens for other users to access these processes.

This article contains the sections:

• Cost API

• Benefit API

• Create a User with REST API Privileges

• Create a Token for the User

• Configure Permissions for the User

• Add the Token to the REST API

Cost API

With the API you can:

• Create a cost line item
• Update cost line items
• Provide series data for cost line items
• Update series data for cost line items
• Retrieve cost line items and series data

Benefit API

With the API you can:

• Create a benefit line item
• Update benefit line items
• Provide series data for benefit line items
• Update series data for benefit line items
• Retrieve benefit line items and series data

Create a User with REST API Privileges

To begin using the API, an admin needs to grant the relevant user/s permission to access the REST API.

As an Administrator:

1. Navigate to the Administration page, then navigate to Manage Users in the menu
2. Click on the link icon on the user you want to grant permission to
   
3. Click on the Edit button on the user profile
   
4. Place a check in the box for the option Allow this user to access REST API
   
5. Click Update to commit the permission to the user
   

Create a Token for the User

The next step is to create a unique token for the user to use. The token should remain highly secured and multiple users should never use the same token. Please ensure that any user who has their API permission disabled or removed also has their token revoked.

To create a token:

1. Navigate to the Administration page, then navigate to Authentication in the menu
2. Locate the Access Tokens section at the bottom of the page
   
3. Click on New Access Token
   
   
4. Choose the Owner of the new token i.e. the relevant user
5. Select a date for when the token Expires. We recommend allowing tokens to remain valid for one month
6. Click Create to complete the process

Configure Permissions for the User

In order for the user to use their token to make changes to costs and benefits, they must also have permission in the relevant Program.

To enable user Update permissions:

1. Navigate to the relevant Program to receive changes
2. From the menu, navigate to Teams & Roles > Roles & Permissions
   
3. Create a new role for the API user or click on the edit icon on an existing role. NB: Practice caution when changing role permissions, ensure there are no users in the role that should not have the new permissions
   
   
4. Check the radio button for each necessary cost item to Update
   
   
5. If you have created a new role, navigate to Teams and assign the new role to the user the token was created for.

Add the Token to the REST API

To authorise the token for use by the user, add the token using the attribute:

Bearer <token>