If your organization is part of the Tessitura Network, you likely received an email in mid-February outlining the Network's plan to discontinue support and maintenance of the SOAP API as of the 2019 release of Tessitura.
As a long-time partner of the Network and active member of the community, we felt it important to share a quick note of what this update could mean for you, next steps we're taking here at Adage, and how you can begin to prepare.
This update from the SOAP API to the new REST API means that sections of your site currently integrating with Tessitura (think your calendar page, dynamic performance information on your production detail pages, any custom cart functionalities) will likely not work correctly when switching from SOAP to REST without some adjustments.
The Tessitura Network is doing a great job of giving us all this advance notice so we can prepare to make the necessary adjustments in a timely manner. The way we understand this information from the Network, the next version of Tessitura, v14, will allow all functionalities to be built using REST. We believe V14 is currently scheduled to be released around the time of TLCC 2017 this summer/fall.
Organizations will then have the time between migrating to v14 to migrating to 2019's version (likely v16) to make any updates necessary. Pending when your organization typically migrates to new versions of Tessitura, it could be sometime in 2020 when you actually migrate to the 2019 release. This will give most organizations a timeline of roughly two to three years to make the change from SOAP to REST.
Adage uses code libraries for the majority of our work. These libraries are currently associated with the SOAP API. However, we knew this change was coming and we developed our libraries over the past several years with this update in mind. When the complete REST API is available with Tessitura v14 sometime this summer/fall, we will update our libraries to use the REST API instead. This means that when we update our code libraries to work with REST, the majority of issues clients with our code may experience should be automatically addressed. While there will almost definitely be some additional adjustments required for our clients' sites, we do not currently anticipate these changes will be major.
When Tessitura v14 with the complete REST API does become available, Adage will also begin developing all new projects and features utilizing REST only.
In the meanwhile, we have been contacting our clients to share this information, as well as to begin planning in some cases. If you're currently an Adage client, you should have heard from us already with initial specific instructions. If you haven't heard from us, please do reach out to your account manager or project team leads.
Start conversations with your current web partner early!
Begin by asking your web partner when they plan to start using REST only. Also be sure to discuss with them how major they estimate the work to be completed will be. Starting this discussion now will help both sides plan and budget accordingly.
Depending on how your site is built to interface with Tessitura today, the level of changes required will vary. For example, clients using TNEW only for integrating with Tessitura—no custom functionalities that would touch either API—there will likely be no changes required. However, any functionalities that do interact with the SOAP API today will need to be addressed. The level of involvement for these issues will depend largely on how your current code is built. If your web partner utilizes code libraries, hopefully the changes should be minimal.
If your partner doesn't utilize code libraries, the changes required may be fairly substantial. Depending on your current site and future goals, it could be that replacing your current ecommerce code entirely–rather than retrofitting what you have today–will be the most stable, forward-thinking, and cost-effective solution for you. This could also be an opportunity for your organization to consider improving other parts of your site, such as user experience, branding, or content management. If any of the above seems like a possibility for your organization, you'll want to start planning for this sooner rather than later as well.
Hopefully this quick rundown of the API changes to come, as seen from the Adage perspective, is helpful to you and your organization. We'll continue to share additional information as it becomes available. Otherwise, we'll likely post about this topic next around the launch of Tessitura v14, when the REST API is complete.
If you have any questions, or would like some customized feedback about the status of your site today and how you can best prepare, please reach out using our contact form.
At Adage we're a solutions-driven organization and would love the opportunity to discuss this topic with you further!
Through consulting and strategic planning, Sarah Bordson uses her strong arts and entertainment, web-marketing, and Tessitura background to help partners increase revenues and bring the spark of their brand and performances online.