Moodle/SIMS integration

[CyberNerd]

I don't think the Sims manager will mind, I'm sure he has a backup somewhere.

USE [sims]

GO
/****** Object:  View [dbo].[mdl_enrolments]    Script Date: 12/05/2007 17:16:34 ******/

SET ANSI_NULLS ON
GO
SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER ON
GO
ALTER VIEW [dbo].[mdl_enrolments]
AS
SELECT DISTINCT class_name AS course, staff_initials AS person, 'editingteacher' AS role
FROM         sims.curr_via_classperiods AS p
UNION
SELECT DISTINCT p.class_name AS course, m.unique_pupil_no AS person, 'student' AS role
FROM         sims.curr_via_classperiods AS p INNER JOIN
                      sims.stud_via_group_members AS m ON m.base_group_id = p.base_group_id

[sahmeepee]

OK, so no extra fields required.. that query will run against any SIMS db and return the teacher initials for every class code and the pupil's UPN for every pupil in every class.

It's very similar to the data I used when I tried to set up MS Classserver a few years back. The difficulty I had was a lack of link between the SIMS id (which can be the UPN or the admission number) and the AD id (which would probably be the username (samid) or the SID).

I found that although the UPN would be better to use in theory, in practice we often didn't get UPNs for our sixth formers until several months after they started. I was also wary of temporary UPNs being issued and then changed later which apparently can happen.

It's not a simple problem to solve!

EDIT: Thanks for sharing by the way

[CyberNerd]

I spoke to our Sims manager this evening as I'm obviously getting quite confused as to how we have this set up. He confirmed that the user defined fields that we have are nothing to do with moodle integration and it is just the view that was set up. It's all starting to fall into place (i think), the user defined fields that our sims has were migrated over because we used to automatically create active directory accounts from CMIS - It was the autocreation script that needed the extra field. my mistake.
Anyone fancy trying this out and writing a howto ?

[CyberNerd]

I found that although the UPN would be better to use in theory, in practice we often didn't get UPNs for our sixth formers until several months after they started. I was also wary of temporary UPNs being issued and then changed later which apparently can happen.

We have the UPN set in the employeeID field in active directory. In the LDAP authentication of moodle under data mapping, we pull out that information "ID number = employeedID". This is why AD/MIS integration is the way forward.

[m2d2]

I remember a while ago several of us (including dhicks) were discussing the very thing dhicks is currently working on; that is developing ways of getting data from the (albeit poor) method of data extraction at our disposal - the "SDK".

What's wrong with the IMS. Updating VLEs is what it was created for.

[sahmeepee]

We have the UPN set in the employeeID field in active directory. In the LDAP authentication of moodle under data mapping, we pull out that information "ID number = employeedID". This is why AD/MIS integration is the way forward.

I haven't really delved into moodle very seriously yet, but from what I can see these issues are fairly universal with VLEs as they stand today. I'm glad to hear that people are having success with it in Moodle, despite the slightly crushing news today that after consultation with the NMs in the borough, our LA have decided to ignore our requests and base their VLE selection process on BECTArds "List Of Ten". The winner to be announced on Friday to all Heads :/

[webman]

Moodle will never win in the eyes of those QUANGOs as it's free.

[CyberNerd]

our LA have decided to ignore our requests and base their VLE selection process on BECTArds "List Of Ten". The winner to be announced on Friday to all Heads :/.

Seems to be the same everywhere, The LA's get funding but only if they pay companies that are on bectas favorites list. Education will ultimately suffer because such a huge amount of money is being wasted on these companies, given the robustness of the free solutions. If Becta could have just offered a financial incentive to develop moodle/mis plugins - or even a howto (like they recently paid RM to develop an opensource whiteboard format then we'd all get a better solution and the government would save money. It's hard to believe there is no conspiracy.

[Geoff]

CLEO (Lancs and Cumbria) have standardised on Moodle. Cumbria even has some full time developers working on Moodle coding/addons.