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Tyler Odyssey / Enterprise Justice (SFTP)

This integration connects Tyler Technologies' Odyssey or Enterprise Justice case management system with eCourtDate using a scheduled report and SFTP file transfer. Each night, Odyssey runs an Electronic Custom Report (ECR) named Texas OCA Court Reminder with eCourtDate that lists upcoming hearings and the parties to be noticed. The report file is delivered to an eCourtDate-managed SFTP server, and eCourtDate processes it into Clients, Events, Contacts, and Cases so the agency can send court date reminders without manual data entry.

The report works with both Tyler-hosted (AWS) and on-premises Odyssey deployments.

Texas OCA program

The report was built by Tyler Technologies for the Texas Office of Court Administration (OCA) court reminder program, and its Client ID parameter is the OCA Court Identification Number. If the agency is outside Texas, confirm with the Tyler Technologies Client Success Manager whether the report is available for the Odyssey or Enterprise Justice instance.

How It Works​

  1. Nightly data update: Odyssey runs the scheduled report each night and generates a CSV file with upcoming court dates and party contact details (when available in Odyssey).
  2. Secure upload: The file is transferred to an eCourtDate-managed SFTP server hosted in AWS GovCloud.
  3. Automatic sync: eCourtDate's Auto-Sync retrieves the file and processes it through an Upload Template that maps the report columns to eCourtDate fields.
  4. Automated messaging: Notifications such as hearing reminders are sent based on the agency's message templates and flows.

This is a unidirectional integration. Data flows from Odyssey into eCourtDate. eCourtDate does not create or modify records in Odyssey.

Data Included​

The report includes the following details for each party on an upcoming hearing:

FieldDescription
Party IDUnique identifier for the party in Odyssey.
First Name and Last NameParty name.
Party DescriptionThe party's role on the case (for example, defendant).
Preferred LanguageLanguage preference for notifications.
Phone and EmailContact information for message delivery.
Event Date and TimeScheduled hearing date and time.
Event StatusCurrent status of the hearing.
Location NameWhere the hearing takes place.
Judge NameAssigned judge.
Case NumberOfficial case number.

Including Additional Data​

To notify attorneys or bond agents, include additional case details, or send payment notifications:

  • Request a custom report from Tyler Technologies that includes the additional fields. The eCourtDate Upload Template can map any column in the file. See Upload Templates.
  • Build a custom integration with the eCourtDate REST API for data that is not available in a report.

Getting Started​

Setup has three parts. The first two happen in Odyssey; the third happens in eCourtDate.

  1. Confirm report availability: Contact the Tyler Technologies Client Success Manager to confirm that the Texas OCA Court Reminder with eCourtDate ECR is available for the instance. Ask for the extract directory path for the court (see Deliver the output file).
  2. Schedule the report in Odyssey: Follow Configure the Report in Odyssey below, or Tyler's own instructions in the Texas OCA Court Reminder with eCourtDate Deployment/Configuration Guide (PDF).
  3. Configure eCourtDate: Follow Configure eCourtDate below and the SFTP guide. For hands-on help, schedule a session with eCourtDate.

Configure the Report in Odyssey​

Complete these steps in each Odyssey environment (Test and Production) after the report has been deployed. Menu names may vary slightly by Odyssey or Enterprise Justice release.

Set the report parameters​

Open Reports > Custom Reports > Texas OCA Court Reminder with eCourtDate and complete the parameters:

ParameterWhat to enter
LocationThe Odyssey nodes (courts) whose cases and parties should be noticed.
Client IDThe client identifier for eCourtDate. For Texas courts, this is the OCA Court Identification Number for the court, listed on the TX Courts website under District and County Court-Level Reporting.
Case TypeThe case types used to filter which hearings are included.
Party Connection TypeThe party types that should be noticed.
DaysHow many days into the future to look for hearings. Tyler recommends 30 or less.
Output FormatCSV Format.

If a county has more than one court submitting, schedule one job per court, each with that court's own Client ID and Location.

Schedule the job​

  1. Select Schedule.
  2. In Add Job Schedule Entry, fill in the Start Date and Start Time, then select the rotating arrows icon on the blue Job Definition ribbon to open the recurrence settings.
  3. In Add Job Recurrence, set:
    • Comment: the court name. The description should match the node selected in the Location parameter (for example, "61st District Court").
    • Start Time: the time the report runs each day. eCourtDate recommends a nightly run at 10:00 PM or 11:00 PM in the court's local timezone, so the report captures the full day of activity and Auto-Sync processes it overnight. See Recommended Schedules.
    • How often does this job recur: Daily, every 1 day.
    • When does this recurrence start and end: the start date and No end date.
    • Job sequencing: Run recurring job as configured.
  4. Click Save.

Deliver the output file​

  1. In Add Email Notification Recipients, check Copy Job Files to Directory.

  2. In the Directory field, enter the extract path received from the Tyler Technologies Client Success Manager (called the CSAM in Tyler's guide), with the environment appended:

    • Test: add \Test to the path
    • Production: add \Prod to the path

    Example paths:

    \\odfile\odyssey-extracts-fs\TX\COURTNAME\eCourtDate\Test
    \\odfile\odyssey-extracts-fs\TX\COURTNAME\eCourtDate\Prod

  3. Click Finish.

Tyler's SFTP Upload Job delivers the file from the extract directory to the eCourtDate SFTP server. Provide the eCourtDate server's host, username, and SSH key to whoever configures that job. See Managed Server for where to find these details.

Monitor the report (Tyler-hosted clients)​

Tyler provides an ECR Monitor Report that emails a court administrator about the daily run of the Texas OCA Court Reminder with eCourtDate report, so its completion can be confirmed. Configure it with:

FieldWhat to enter
Report NameTexas OCA Court Reminder with eCourtDate
Email AddressThe administrator who should receive the monitoring email.
Email SubjectA subject line for the monitoring email (for example, "ECR Monitor").
ContactA name and phone number to include in the email for assistance.
Notifications to MonitorMonitor Completed, Monitor Errors, Monitor Not Found, Monitor Currently Running.
Output FormatPDF Format.

The monitoring email lists the job process ID, report name, start date, status, user, and a message such as "Report has not ran today." when the scheduled run did not happen.

Configure eCourtDate​

  1. Create a staging agency in eCourtDate if one does not already exist, and point the Odyssey Test environment's report at it. See Staging and Production.
  2. Create the SFTP server and profile in the Console. Use a Managed Server hosted in AWS GovCloud, then create an SFTP Profile with a source directory and filename keyword that matches the report output. See Server Setup and File Naming Convention.
  3. Create an Upload Template that maps the report columns (Party ID, names, Party Description, Preferred Language, Phone, Email, Event Date and Time, Event Status, Location Name, Judge Name, Case Number) to eCourtDate Client, Event, Contact, and Case fields. See Upload Templates.
  4. Enable Auto-Sync on the profile so eCourtDate checks for new files every hour. See Auto-Sync and Downloads.
  5. Transfer a test file and confirm that Clients, Events, Contacts, and Cases are created as expected. Check the profile's Files tab and the linked Upload for row-level errors. See Upload Acknowledgements.
  6. Configure messaging flows for the notifications to be sent, such as hearing reminders.
  7. Review generated messages in the Console before enabling delivery.
  8. Go live: repeat the Odyssey report setup for the Production environment with the \Prod path, and replicate the SFTP profile, Upload Template, and flows in the production agency.

Frequently Asked Questions​

Can the report be sent more frequently for real-time updates? For real-time updates, eCourtDate recommends an API integration instead of the nightly report. If the agency licenses the Tyler Technologies API Toolkit, see Tyler Odyssey / Enterprise Justice (API). If the IT team prefers to build its own integration, see the eCourtDate REST API.

Can the report be uploaded manually? Yes. If the agency has limited IT resources or prefers not to automate file transfers, staff can run the report in Odyssey, download the file, and upload it through the Console. The same Upload Template processes the file regardless of how it reaches eCourtDate.

Can additional information be included? Yes. Request a custom report from Tyler Technologies that includes the additional fields (for example, attorney or bond agent contacts, additional case details, or payment amounts) and map the new columns in the Upload Template. See Including Additional Data.

Does eCourtDate write data back to Odyssey? No. This is a unidirectional integration. Data flows from Odyssey into eCourtDate. eCourtDate does not create or modify records in the case management system.

What file format does the report produce? The report's Output Format parameter is set to CSV Format. eCourtDate Upload Templates also accept TXT and XLSX files. See Supported File Formats.