This integration guide is specifically for the VALD's NordBord and ForceFrame devices. There are separate integration guides for connecting VALD’s ForceDecks or DynaMo devices to Smartabase.
Smartabase provides an integration to enable data collected by VALD Performance systems to be aggregated into Smartabase for analysis. VALD Performance develop human measurement systems for screening, monitoring, rehabilitating and training athletes. Their devices (in particular the NordBord, ForceFrame and ForceDecks) are used widely across a range of activities, including professional sport, college sport, national teams, elite training institutions and military organizations.
As a VALD Performance user, your organization can centralize testing and training data from your NordBord and ForceFrame into your Smartabase site. For example, within Smartabase you could review max strength, limb asymmetries and other performance, rehabilitation and return to play metrics captured from these systems. For a deeper analysis, you could combine this data with various other health and wellness information and previously captured data points to gain more meaningful insights.
Setting up your Smartabase site to integrate with VALD Performance
What we need from you
Most of the setup required to integrate with VALD Performance will be completed by your Smartabase consultant. You will need to contact VALD support to confirm that you consent to Smartabase accessing your data. We recommend you include your Smartabase consultant in these communications.
What Smartabase will do
Your Smartabase consultant will add the Vald Performance Test event form (which will store your data) and the ValdPerformance profile form (used in the account mapping process) to your site. You can work with your Smartabase consultant to ensure the appropriate roles have access to view this information, as well as any dashboards set up to visualize the data.
Please speak to your Smartabase consultant before adding any new fields to the Vald Performance Test event form as it may have unintended consequences.
Once the VALD Performance connector is set up and people’s accounts have been mapped (using the steps below), historical data will automatically be synced between the two platforms. Smartabase will then check for new data every 15 minutes. Data will only be reachable by Smartabase once it becomes available via VALD Performance’s Application Programming Interface (API), so may occasionally take longer than 15 minutes.
How are people’s accounts mapped between VALD Performance and Smartabase?
Smartabase uses VALD IDs to map people’s accounts between the platforms. When this integration is initially set up, your Smartabase consultant will be able to retrieve and map this information for you. The values are imported into the ValdPerformance profile form using the standard data import process:
- Open the Smartabase main application on a web browser. Ensure you’ve loaded a group that contains all the people that you’re mapping.
- Select Import Profile Data. Provided you have permission to do this, it will appear as a front page button or within the navigation bar.
- Choose the ValdPerformance profile form.
- Add a CSV file containing the list of people to map and their VALD ID numbers (this can be provided by your Smartabase consultant), then click upload. You do not need to generate a template for this task.
- Choose the appropriate identifiers from the drop-down. These will be the columns containing the names of the people you’re mapping. If the names aren’t an exact match, you’ll be able to manually search for and map the correct people to the names in the file.
- Confirm the CSV columns have mapped correctly to the form.
- Click Next, then click Import.
To add people after this initial VALD ID import, you can either add the details for an individual using profile data entry or complete the import process for multiple new accounts at once. Your Smartabase consultant will be happy to provide guidance throughout this process. Newly mapped accounts will automatically synchronize all associated historical data.