Moodle and SIMS .Net

[wesleyw]

Does anyone know of a way of keeping a live connection between moodle and sims say for classes by form group? I've heard of a school doing this so it is possible.


Wes

[GrumbleDook]

I think it was Parrs Wood in Manchester that have a regular script that pulls directly out of the SIMS database as part of a proof of concept.

[Geoff]

Sun are developing Sims.Net and Moodle intergration as part of their BSF contract for Birmingham(?). Obviously this will be released as Open Source.

[StArbiter]

Have a look at this thread on the Moodle forum http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=15012 - the IMS route is the way that both SUN and Parrs Wood are using as it prevents having a direct connection to the SIMS database - frowned upon I believe.

[Geoff]

it prevents having a direct connection to the SIMS database - frowned upon I believe.

It's not allowed under the Sims EULA. Even simply using the provided API's requires a developer license.

[wesleyw]

So theoretically if I bought the developer license from Capita I could then write a connection between the two? Which would then allow for a legal connection directly into SIMS .Net?


Wes

[CyberNerd]

Can it be done by accessing a mirror or image of the database without breaking the EULA?

[CyberNerd]

ok, now I just looked at the thread referenced by starbiter. I seem to be having a bad posting day today

[Geoff]

There's some background reading people need to do so we don't end up repeating ourselves. Review the following threads and what they reference.

http://www.edugeek.net/index.php?nam...wtopic&p=28038
http://www.edugeek.net/index.php?nam...wtopic&p=35090
http://www.edugeek.net/index.php?nam...wtopic&p=45987

So theoretically if I bought the developer license from Capita I could then write a connection between the two? Which would then allow for a legal connection directly into SIMS .Net?

Yes but I doubt you can afford a developer license.

Can it be done by accessing a mirror or image of the database without breaking the EULA?

If you can think of a way of mirroring the database without directly accessing the database, yes.

[wesleyw]

Well I've emailed capita will be fun to find out.


Wes

[ChrisH]

To expand slightly. If a company wants to interface to SIMS, we charge £5000 for a copy of SIMS so that they can develop their interfaces etc. A school with a licenced copy of SIMS can develop export routinues for their own use and can sell their work to others without any licencing fees from us. If a third party writes back to SIMS we do licence that on a per school basis - this is because any company that uses our Buiness Objects is supported by our helpdesk and this costs!

[bossman]

Apparently so i have been informed (whether right or not) that if you have LEA support that they should be able to provide you with the SDK kit that you need to parse the Sims database without direct constant conection.

I have asked my LEA support team and they just frowned upon it and told me that they don't encourage it end of story.

I have been working with a company called "School Software Company" who developed a behavioural piece of software namely Seuth and have gone on to integrate it with Sims doing exactly what we are discussing. Will let you all know how that goes later on in the year when it should upgrade the kids automatically fingers crossed.

[wesleyw]

From the horse's mouth as it were: "Use the IMS link - no licence fee required. Contact your local SIMS
support unit to activate the licence. "


Wes

[Geoff]

Ah yes, the IMS link. That's fine and dandy up until the point where your local SIMS support unit refuses to active it.

[CyberNerd]

Can someone please explain to me the IMS link.