On Mon, May 05, 2003 at 09:53:18AM +0100, Bruce Miller wrote:
On this idea of 'Me Too':
My thoughts are that 'it' would have to integrate pretty seamlessly.
http://www.capitaes.co.uk/simsdotco/products/S_net_p.asp
The above link is a feature list of the Capita SIMS product and has such niceties as:
'builds on your current investment in SIMS by working on current school data'
'allows data to be imported from other MIS systems'
'is designed to enable schools to comply with the national Information Management Strategy'
This all looks very familiar :)
The whole Capita / SIMS juggernaut is not something that anyone could easily push off the road, I would have thought.
It depends who's doing the pushing. Individual schools probably not, LEAs maybe.
Now,
http://www.phpbuilder.com/columns/alberto20000919.php3
is an article that says Linux and PHP could be used to interface with the current SIMS database of MS SQL (which I believe they use).
Still requires a "No Thankyou" SQL server. Especially considering the hacks which appear to be involved in making the data backupable.
This way, creating a Web based set-up that could run from any computer, Win or Lin ((Mac or Acorn (?)) could be created.
In terms of skilling, human resources, change-over costs and change-over risks, the adoption of third party bolt-ons is a concept that could have a more eager uptake.
What's to prevent an LEA or CES themselves saying that a third party "bolt on" results in void "support"?
This would make for manageable small projects that could be achievably produced by groups of keen teachers and also by student project too(!) - Don't know about you lot, but every year my A'level students struggle to find projects and the exam boards seem to love database interfacing as a topic.
You don't intend letting your students at the real data, since there are DPA issues involved. -- Mark Evans St. Peter's CofE High School Phone: +44 1392 204764 X109 Fax: +44 1392 204763