Moodle Sims integration services

[LoundsZ]

Hi I'm looking at a number of services/packages a few of Sims.net/Capita partners offer, such as SalamanderSoft Limited - Moodle, ZiLink from schoolsict and webanywhere.

 

I just wanted to know whats the best option, I have prices and ZiLink & salamandersoft moodle are the cheapest.

[matt40k]

Is this just to get logins\classes or to pull data into Moodle? SalamanderSoft could sync with AD then you connect Moodle to AD to get the groups.

[truebluesteve]

At Matt says, it rather depends on what you want to achieve by this. We have the WebAnywhere solution which pulls lots of data from SIMS and allows staff to take registers and do mark sheets etc. It also provides a Parent and Student portal.

 

My own personal opinion is that its overpriced, and it took forever for them to get it working properly - plus we seem to keep finding bugs with it. If you want any more info then feel free to PM me.

[synaesthesia]

Look at Overnetdata too. They are the ones that actually did the legwork for the webanywhere stuff and *do* know how to do it.

[LoundsZ]

Thank you for replying I think we're going to go with ZiLink.

[Soulfish]

We've been using ZiLink for the past two years and it's been great. Great product and company

[LoundsZ]

Good stuff, I just need to make it look pretty once everything is imported

[Viorel-Chicu]

Hi, we have been using Moodle with OvernetData's SIMS integration for over 2 years now. The integration with SIMS is fantastic: you can do registers, marksheets, Reports (using both Profiles and Assessment Manager) to name a few. Also, the pupils information view is very friendly and gives you a wealth of information both from SIMS and Moodle. Our parents have got the latest information about their children; be it registration, achievements or assessment, at a click of a button. Our staff have been using the Pupil information view at parents evening on their iPads, Laptops and other mobile devices. From an admin point of view all the users are provided from SIMS, although you still have the option to add users manually. The support we receive from OvernetData is invaluable, they are always quick and professional and are open to ideas for future development.

[jamiesev]

Another vote from me for Overnet Data. Their support is fantastic, and you can chat with the guy who developed the code originally. It’s easy to mould to your preferences and admin related tasks are minimal

[nickjelly]

I am interested to hear from those of you who use Overnet Data. How would you rate their integration? Do they pull data up to their servers for processing before pushing down to your Moodle or is it a straight data flow between your MIS and your Moodle? Did you experience teething problems and if so how long did they last and were they resolved successfully in a reasonable period of time? PM me if you'd prefer to discuss offline. Edited September 20, 2013 by nickjelly

[synaesthesia]

It's a straight data flow via a local server they install. No teething issues however our Moodle guru was on hand to make sure everything was smooth anyway. The guys there are extremely helpful and knowledgeable. We've had no further problems short of a power supply failure on that server - we replaced it ourselves and informed them that the PSU they used wasn't fit for purpose and they took that on board with an issue.

We've had no problems so we can't comment on problem resolution time but any questions we've had either over the phone or by email have been answered near instantaneously.

I imagine the process is now a little easier than what we went through; we had ours back in the days of the WebAnywhere issues and are happy to be using Overnet as it is now.

[nickjelly]

Thanks @synaesthesia That all sounds encouraging. Prompt phone support is definitely welcomed.

 

Was a physical server installed onsite or did you provide a VM?

[synaesthesia]

They provided a physical box which in turn runs a VM if I remember correctly; not sure if that's still the case, personally I'd like to get rid of superfluous physical boxes!