Schools Interoperability Framework

Updates

SIF1.1 available now

SIF Statement of Intent

SIFA UK Newsletter Issue 6

What is?

General Overview

How does SIF work?

There are four elements that make SIF work:

• Software Application: a software program implemented within a school or district.
• SIF Data Object: Sets of information shared by software applications using the rules of the SIF Specification
• SIF Agent: A software program (written by a vendor) that serves as the intermediary between the software application and the SIF Zone
• ZIS (Zone Integration Server): A software program that serves as the central communications point in a SIF Zone

When a software application with a SIF Agent sends out a message to the ZIS, the ZIS forwards that information onto the applications that are listening for this information. The information is routed through the application’s agent. SIF Certified software applications and agents do not talk to each other directly; each application talks to its agent and it talks to the ZIS, which handles all further communication. The ZIS’s role as a “third party message handler” means that the SIF framework is easily expandable, very reliable, and relatively straightforward for software companies to write agents for.

What is the SIF Specification?

The SIF Specification is a set of documents developed by SIFA work groups, committees and task forces comprised primarily of software engineers from educational software companies. These documents articulate a set of common definitions for school data and a set of rules for how this data can be shared. The common data definitions are called data objects. Data objects cover many items that are involved in schools. For example, a student’s name, address and phone number are part of the “StudentPersonal” data object. Having different software programs understand this common definition of a student makes it possible for them to share this information properly. There are 89 data objects currently defined. Additional data objects will be defined as the Specification matures.

In addition to the data objects themselves, the SIF Specification also defines the rules for how software programs can send these data objects to each other. This set of rules is called the “infrastructure” and uses ways of sending messages that are built on the types of technology utilized by the internet. By using open and commonly available means to transport these data objects, SIF ensures that all vendors will be able to use the SIF framework and that all school systems will be able to implement it regardless of what kinds of computers or networks they have. Ensuring that SIFA is vendor-neutral and software-platform independent is an important guiding principal of SIFA and a foundation for the long-term viability of the SIF Specification.

The SIF specification is based on the W3C endorsed standard Extensible Markup Language (XML). It defines common data formats and high-level rules of interaction and architecture, and is not linked to a particular operating system or platform.

Who's who in SIF UK

John Chapman john.chapman@becta.org.uk

Penny Murray pmurray@sifinfo.org

SIFA UK sifauk@becta.org.uk

Paul Shoesmith—Int’l SIFA Board Member paul.shoesmith@becta.org.uk

Mark Phillips - Chair, SIFA UK Board mark.phillips@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk

Larry Fruth – Executive Director, SIFA lfruth@sifinfo.org

Firms doing SIF

Visual Software