Release Notes
REALTOR.ca DDF® release notes
March 14, 2024 - (Upcoming) Release notes
This release will bring several enhancements:
- Timestamps displayed in GMT/UTC format will now be accurately converted (+4 or +5) to account for daylight saving time, as necessary based on the date.
- Please ensure that timestamps in search queries are in GMT/UTC format.
- Previously, the system defaulted to displaying the image number as one even when a specific image was requested in the GetObject response. This issue has been addressed, and the system will now correctly display the requested image number.
January 31, 2023 - Release notes
Upgrade to TLS version 1.2 for DDF connections which will require all incoming request to be in Https
April 7, 2020 - Release Notes
To accommodate Live Stream for Open Houses additional changes are introduced in the Property payload response format
March 17, 2020 - Continued Important Release Notes!
Support for the GetObject via /GetObject.svc/ as well as streaming MIME media type images through the GetObject transaction will be discontinued on July 6, 2020 for Agent and Office images. Please see attachment for more information.
February 11, 2020 - Important Release Notes!
Support for the GetObject via /GetObject.svc/ as well as streaming MIME media type images through the GetObject transaction will be discontinued on July 6, 2020 for Property photos. Please see attachment for more information.
June 5, 2018 - Release Notes
1. Property Geocode Coordinates
Summary
The Property Details Payload will now include the Geolocation of the property if the corresponding Board/Association allows distribution of Geolocation information. However, even if a Board allows Geocode distribution, it is not guaranteed to be present for all listings.
Boards that allow distribution of Geolocation information will be listed here:
https://support.crea.ca/DDF#/discussion/57/which-boards-allow-distribution-of-property-geolocation
Modification Details
STANDARD-XML format
The Address element of the Property Details payload will indicate the geolocation of the property via the and child elements.
Example:
<Address> <StreetAddress>Lorem ipsum dolor sit a</StreetAddress> <AddressLine1>Lorem ipsum dolor sit a</AddressLine1> <City>Saskatoon</City> <Province>Saskatchewan</Province> <PostalCode>S7J</PostalCode> <Country>Canada</Country> <Neighbourhood>Lorem ipsum</Neighbourhood> <Longitude>-106.650000</Longitude> <Latitude>52.110000</Latitude> </Address>
COMPACT format
The Property Details payload will indicate the geolocation of the property using two new columns: Longitude and Latitude.
Example:
<Columns> . . . Longitude Latitude . . .<Columns> <Data> . . . -106.650000 52.110000 . . .<Data>
2. DDF® more frequent updates
Summary
Data distributed by DDF® will now be updated regularly throughout the day as CREA receives data from local Boards. CREA processes Board updates from 9am to 3am Eastern each day.
Modification Details
Clients do not need to make any code changes in relation to this service enhancement. To take advantage of it, CREA recommends the preferred strategy outlined below:
Preferred Strategy:
Do the following steps as frequently as required by your business model:
- Pull the Property Master List (using ID=*)
- Delete Properties from your Database if not present in the Master List
- Update properties in your Database whose LastUpated value does not match the one in the master list. You would need to do a Property Search Request on these properties to get their updated details.
- Add new properties to your Database. These are the ones present in the Master list and not in your database.
Alternate Strategy (for users doing LastUpdated Queries):
-
Add a 30 min buffer to the time of your previous run when calculating the LastUpdated value for the Query. This buffer is required to account for the timing of the various data processing steps at CREA.
For example, if you run your queries every hour on the hour:
In the 9:00 am run, use 8:00 – 30min as your LastUpdated value in your Query: LastUpdated = 07:30am
In the 10:00 am run, use 9:00 – 30min as your LastUpdated value in your Query: LastUpdated = 08:30am Schedule your LastUpdated queries as frequently as required by your business model.
May 28, 2015 - Major Release
1. Agent & Office LastUpdated Flag
Summary
Some listings were not being flagged as updated when agent/office data had changed.
Modification Details
There are no technical changes to this fix, but you may have a slight increase in the number of updated listings.
2. METADATA-LOOKUP_TYPE
Summary
The MetaData-Lookup Specialties for the Agent resource was displaying some retired codes.
Modification Details
The retired codes 6, 13, 15, 17 & 19 have been removed.
3. GetDestinations Service
Summary
We had a request to indicate on a feed if it was created by a Brokerage Owner or not.
Modification Details
A Boolean flag BrokerageOwner has been added to the GetDestinations service.
October 1, 2014 - Release Notes
Changes include new data feed types, updates to the COMPACT and Standard-XML payloads and general updates. See the attached PDF for details
July 15, 2014 - Major Release
1. The new DDF® Data Feed Wizard
Summary
- The Data Feed page, in the DDF® Dashboard for CREA members, has been replaced by a “Wizard” style interface that will guide CREA members in the process of creating or editing a Data Feed through a series of steps.
- The DDF® Data Feed Wizard allows CREA members to select the Technology Provider that will operate their data feed.
- To have their company name appear in the DDF® Data Feed Wizard and to benefit from this advertising opportunity, Technology Providers need to apply for a Unified Data Feed and sign a Data Access Agreement with CREA.
- Once a Technology Provider is selected by a CREA member in the DDF® Data Feed Wizard, the link is done automatically and an email notification is sent to both, the CREA member and the selected Technology Provider.
Please contact CREA Helpdesk (helpdesk@crea.ca ) to obtain a copy of the Data Access Agreement or to request a Technology Provider’s name be included in the DDF® Data Feed Wizard or if you have any questions.
Modification Details
This is how CREA members create a DDF® Data Feed and select a Technology Provider using the new DDF® Data Feed Wizard:
1 CREA members go to the DDF® web application at https://ddf.realtor.ca/ and click on the
Data Feed icon to get to the Data Feeds page.

2 On the Data Feeds Page, CREA members click on the “Add a Data Feed” button to get to the DDF® Data
Feed Wizard.

3 CREA members follow a guided set of steps that help them create the data feed and select a Technology
Provider. CREA members use steps 2 and 3 on the Wizard to select a Technology Provider.


4 CREA members click on the Review Data Feed button which presents them with a summary and
confirmation button to create the Data Feed.
5 Finally, the CREA system sends an e-mail notification to both, the CREA member and the Technology
Provider he/she selected.
Please contact the CREA help desk (helpdesk@crea.ca) if you have any questions.