[aspen] Live BETT questions thread

[GREED]

Just a little fun: I will be posting as often as I can listing interesting questions and answers delivered at BETT over the next week.

 

If you have any and are (or are not) at BETT, feel free to add to this thread!

[GREED]

Question 1: where is the stand! Oh wait that way my boss!!

[GREED]

Does Aspen have an API?

 

Good question, the answer is no, but we utilise our user customisable sections to utilise web services to push data processes from the system rather than pulling from x third party system.

 

This is great for working with home grown 3rd party systems

Edited January 30, 2013 by GREED

[GREED]

How does this work with multiple schools?

 

Aspen is a multi-tenancy system allowing academy trusts to have a single system that is shared by all schools. Each school only sees their own data and information, students staff etc. but at the top level the directors or sponsors can see cross school information, compare, analyse an report. This is a standard built in feature of Aspen not requiring any additional modules or the likes.

[vikpaw]

Does Aspen have an API?

 

Good question, the answer is no, but we utilise our user customisable sections to utilise web services to push data processes from the system rather than pulling from x third party system.

 

This is great for working with home grown 3rd party systems

 

Interesting, so if i was a third party software supplier, where would i stand if i wanted to integrate with Aspen / one of your customers? Do i need the school, to set something up on their system to push me the data i want on a schedule i want?

 

Can I get access to the system to do it for them?

What about an ad hoc feed/update?

[GREED]

Interesting, so if i was a third party software supplier, where would i stand if i wanted to integrate with Aspen / one of your customers? Do i need the school, to set something up on their system to push me the data i want on a schedule i want?

 

Can I get access to the system to do it for them?

What about an ad hoc feed/update?

 

Generally we would want to work with you as the third party supplier on behalf of the school, as it is likely they will not be the Only school!! We would create the required processes or exports and make them available to the schools. Depending on the company we would probably make the export available as standard to future builds.

 

Ultimately yes the school would make the data available to you, set the schedule up (very easy).

 

The interesting thing here is that a simple data export or process that doesn't require physical connectivity between the 2 systems means that a formal relationship is not required, making the process potentially very cheap/free, and quick to set up. It does mean that x third party would not have access to Aspen, this would require a formal relationship, NDAs, technical know how on both sides etc. and becomes costly for both sides.

 

Ad hoc feeds could be handled in the same way, but could just as easily be done through a report into excel or the likes, done using our very simple reporting engine, which uses on screen data fields and filtering to get the information you want before outputting to excel or the likes.

[vikpaw]

Is there anything like command reporter? Even if its in the user GUI. I'm imagining something like windoze scheduled tasks so I can just hit run now...