SIF DEVELOPER DECISION TREE

SIF Developer Decision Tree:

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Walking the Branches 

Software Component Types:   

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Glossary of Terms  

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Data Providers (SIS, Data Warehouse, LMS) Data Requesters (Dashboards, Student Contact Systems) Infrastructure Providers (Brokers, Application Adapters) SIF versions & SIF-compliant component types Environment Types

Developer Choices   

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SIF 2.x or SIF 3.0 or Simple SIF? (Or a combination?) Application Packaging (Service or Direct Environment?) What optional SIF functionality is commonly supported? Make or Buy infrastructure Components? Available Toolsets Copyright © SIF Association

Q1: Which SIF Version? 

V2.x: 

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Large customer base (solutions deployed in all 50 states at the school, district and state levels). Growth driven from new District-wide deployments of SIF 2.x in SIFfriendly States (Massachusetts, ...) Established Software Certification program Focus includes school / small district needs 

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Transportation, Library and Food Service system coverage

V3.0: 

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Leverage REST technology Early Adopter customer base Growth driven from the large District / State Level down (Iowa, Minnesota, New York) CEDS Logical Data Model an important 3.0 differentiator Market primarily Greenfield opportunities “Relatively “ seamless migration from SIF v.2x deployments Copyright © SIF Association

Q2: Which SIF Component type? Depending upon the specific SIF version targeted, there are several alternatives regarding how a given Service Provider application may be “packaged” when participating in a SIF solution

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A SIS (Student Object Provider) in a SIF 2.x Zone SIF v2.x Browser

JavaScript

SIS Application

DB

SIF v2.x Student Object Provider

ZIS

V2.x Client Client Application Agent

V2.x Client SIF v2.x Client Application Agent

V2.x Object Provider Agent Copyright © SIF Association

Q3: SIF 2.x - Make or Buy Agent? 

All Make: 

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Mix: 

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Open Source, free SIF 2.x Agent Developer Kit (ADK)

Use Open SIF 2.x ADK, buy consulting

All Buy: (Infrastructure Vendor does custom Agent)    

Bridge between SIF DM and internal Application DM Handle all SIF Infrastructure requirements Agent may use DB, SIF is transparent to Application (!!) Agent Vendor may optionally be contracted to move Application / Agent through SIF Certification process Copyright © SIF Association

SIF 3.0 Consumer World View “Create” Consumer Application

Consumer Application

Service Consumer Adapter

Service Consumer Adapter

Environment”

Environments URL

Environment”

Service Requests URL

Service Responses

Environments Provider Copyright © SIF Association

SIF 3.0 Component Types SIF Direct Environment Consumer Application

Consumer Application

Optional Service Consumer Adapter

Optional Service Consumer Adapter

Direct Environment Provider Adapter

Service Provider Logic

Brokered Environment Provider Adapter Message Broker Middleware

SIF Brokered Environment

Service Provider Adapter

Service Application (Ex: SIS)

Service Application (Ex: SIS)

Service Consumer Adapter Copyright © SIF Association

Q4. Which SIF 3.0 Service Component?  

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Simple SIF Service Direct Environment Provider (minimal and up) Brokered Environment Service Provider

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Simple SIF Service (functionality defined) 

RESTful Service   

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One or more “use case driven” composite object types 

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Decouple SIF Object Model / Client needs (Ex: Student Roster)

JSON Payload support (only) Typical Optional Extensions  

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Supports browser based immediate response Queries Uses OAUTH for user authentication (user, password) No Events, URL Query Parameters not HTTP Header Fields

Create, Modify and Delete Immediate Response support Multi-objects / message packing

Typical Deployment / Tradeoff   

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Clients are mobile device apps (or pretend to be) Extremely simple implementation (but SIF-certifiable) Interoperability with other SIF Services not an issue SIS Cloud Vendor doesn’t want “Clever disintermediation” Copyright © SIF Association

Simple SIF Service Motivation: An SIS must support RESTful Clients on Mobile Devices

Browser

Simple SIF Client Application

Simple SIF “CRUD” Requests (JSON Payloads)

“Simple“ Simple SIF (Queries only, JSON Responses)

SIS Copyright © SIF Association

Direct Environment Provider 

Minimal Direct Environment      

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Fully compatible subset of SIF 3 Environment functionality Requires successful initial Environment creation. Supports BASIC (application level) Consumer Authentication XML payload support Create, Modify, Delete and Query “ Immediate Requests Multi-objects / message Alert Utility Service (**) One or more CEDS compliant object types (ex: Student)

Typical Deployment / Tradeoff 

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No middleware required SIS is directly accessible “owner of record” for Student data Clients are “low demand” SIF-compliant Consumer Apps Copyright © SIF Association

SIF 3.0 Service Application Alternatives for SIS: Simple SIF RESTful Web Service Consumer Application

Consumer Application

Consumer Application

Optional Service Consumer Adapter

Optional Service Consumer Adapter

Report Objects (Roster) JSON, OAUTH

Report Objects + CEDS Objects

XML, BASIC, Alerts, multi-object messages

Report Objects, CEDS Objects XML, BASIC, Alerts, multi-object messages, + Events, self-provision

Service Application (Ex: SIS)

Simple SIF Web Service Logic

Minimal Environment Provider Adapter

Service Provider Logic

Service Application (Ex: SIS)

Enhanced Environment Provider Adapter

Service Provider Logic

Service Application (Ex: SIS)

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Service Provider in a Brokered Environment 

Valid SIF 3 Consumer 

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Service multi-object Requests from many Clients   

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Support one or more specific Object types (ex: Student) Create, Modify, Delete and Query Requests Requests / Response messages relayed by Broker

Must also publish Events when data changes 

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Must first Register with Environment, then self-provision as Object Service

Delivered to all active subscribers by Broker

Typical Deployment / Tradeoff 

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District SIS in a State-level solution SIF 3 Broker middleware available

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Dual Component Support

District SIS Simple SIF “CRUD” Requests (JSON Payloads)

SIF 3 Service Provider (Req/Resp, Events) JSON

SIF 3 XML

State Consumer Application

SIF 3 JSON

District Consumer Application

SIF v3.0 Broker

“Queries only, JSON Responses) Simple SIF Client Application

Browser

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Any Questions? 

Ron Kleinman  CTO,

SIF Association  [email protected]

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