Where would a method that fetches users from an external source be placed in rails?

Question

I have a Members ActiveRecord model and I want to create a method that would fetch members from an external source and synchronize them with the members in the database already.

I don't know where I should put that method that would be called. It seems like I shouldn't put it in the controller since it is a lot of logic, but I don't know if I can add it to the model since that seems to operate on the row only.

Any advice would be appreciated, I am new with RoR

Answer 1

Based only on the information you've given, I'd make it a class method for the model: def self.get_externals. That way you'd call it like Member.get_externals, and it wouldn't seem to be operating upon a single row like you're worried about.

Answer 2

If in doubt, stick it in lib.

Pulling from the network does not seem like it belongs in the model.