Hello and SIMS data via Web Services

[martyj]

Hello

 

I've just joined - I don't know why it's taken so long!

 

I taught ICT and some Maths for 26 years and left the profession last year (early retirement - I was neither pushed nor did I fall off the end!)

 

I have been doing a little work for a few schools and I have developed an externally hosted web application for one. We now need to be able to interrogate the SIMS data.

 

I know that SIMS is based on SQL Server 2005 (of which I have some experience) and that SQL Server 2005 has Native XML Web Services (or at least the full version does - not Express).

 

I am interested to know first of all if there is anything about a SIMS installation that prevents using the Web Services capability of SQL Server 2005 and, secondly, whether anyone has successfully done such a thing.

 

Glad to be here.

 

Thank you.

[penfold_99]

there is nothing to stop you using the SQL server web service, not sure how you would go able using it.

 

SIMS.net does have a web service but it read only for a pre-defined set of results.

 

i have gone with using view as it was easy to implement.

[dhicks]

We now need to be able to interrogate the SIMS data. I know that SIMS is based on SQL Server 2005 (of which I have some experience) and that SQL Server 2005 has Native XML Web Services (or at least the full version does - not Express).

 

I wrote my own small web server that uses SIMS' CommandReporter tool to extract data from SIMS. I figured that way all the data comes from where SIMS expects it to (no hauling it straight out of the database) and people with SQL Express are fine, too.

 

--

David Hicks

[Oops_my_bad]

Sounds interesting, but I'd be careful as there is some agreement that schools cannot access their SIMS database directly (although you may get around it via "views").

[localzuk]

Accessing SIMS.net data has been discussed on the site quite a lot.

 

There are a few options

 

1. Use commandreporter

2. Use the Business Objects, but if you aren't directly employed by the school then you would need to purchase a developers license which is somewhere in the region of £5k the last I heard.

3. Break the school's license agreement and access the SQL data directly. This is not advisable!

[sahmeepee]

Generally accessing SIMS data direct from the database is frowned upon by Capita unless you contact them and become a partner (£££) etc.

 

Their main reason for not supporting it is that the schema is subject to regular changes and they don't want people constantly having to fix their secondary applications. Your best bet is the CommandReporter dhicks mentioned. It can be scheduled to periodically extract (but not insert) data using any report you have set up within SIMS. Exports to XML iirc.