Thursday, August 28, 2008
Building Modular XML Schemas
This is a good article hosted at IBM on building modular schemas. It includes practical tips that will help you avoid the pitfalls of creating schemas that are too "quick and dirty."
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Race Code Spreadsheet
A transition is underway that requires schools and states to report data about race and ethnicity to the Federal government differently than they have in the past. For those who may be interested I have placed a copy of the race code spreadsheet that I developed here. The sheet is a very simple lookup tool that enables mapping the name of a specific race to codes defined by the NCES and the Office of Management and Budget. You may also find a link to a handout that contains all 900+ race codes on (2) pages here. Thanks to Barbara Andrepont, Judi Barnett, Laurie Collins and all others who helped with this.
Instructional Services Objects
The SIF Association has been placing a needed emphasis on the technology's use within teaching and learning. As of version 2.2 of the SIF Implementation Specification, there are a total of (8) objects that directly address core needs of teaching and learning processes. The Instructional Services Task Force (ISTF) is the group within SIF that is moving this work forward.
The diagram below of the ISTF objects contains more detail than the general Data Model ERD on which I continue to work. Almost all of the elements and attributes of the Instructional Services objects are present in this diagram, with the exception of a few that I omitted for the sake of clarity. Here is the link to the ISTF objects within the Implementation Specification.
One other item worth noting is that I am hoping to use these objects, specifically the LearningStandardItem object, on a client project to rigorously document their learning standards for use within multiple future projects. This is a good example where the SIF Data Model has significant intrinsic value, even without a specific need to "move" data using the Infrastructure.
Lastly, the SIF Association is holding a developer's camp for teaching and learning in Portland on Thursday, September 25 and Friday, September 26. For more information, see this page on the SIF website.
The diagram below of the ISTF objects contains more detail than the general Data Model ERD on which I continue to work. Almost all of the elements and attributes of the Instructional Services objects are present in this diagram, with the exception of a few that I omitted for the sake of clarity. Here is the link to the ISTF objects within the Implementation Specification.
One other item worth noting is that I am hoping to use these objects, specifically the LearningStandardItem object, on a client project to rigorously document their learning standards for use within multiple future projects. This is a good example where the SIF Data Model has significant intrinsic value, even without a specific need to "move" data using the Infrastructure.
Lastly, the SIF Association is holding a developer's camp for teaching and learning in Portland on Thursday, September 25 and Friday, September 26. For more information, see this page on the SIF website.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Using the National Education Data Model
At the NCES STATS-DC 2008 conference I co-presented with Vince Paredes on the National Education Data Model. My portion of the presentation focused on how we have started using the National Education Data Model in our data warehousing work. This is the link to a PDF version of the paper that is the basis for my presentation content. It is hosted on a Google Site because, to my knowledge, Blogger does not support PDF attachments. The unofficial site for the National Education Data Model is hosted at http://nces.sifinfo.org/datamodel.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Reflecting on STATS-DC 2008
Over the past two days I have spent much time preparing for talks, presenting, thinking, and talking with the nation's pK-20 data leaders. LEA's, SEA's, the U.S. Department of Education, and many commercial enterprises are represented here, each with ideas about the sharing of data and information. The concept of connectedness entered my mind many times, seeming to be the gravity-binder that keeps these ideas loosely interacting like masses at great distances. I was fortunate to be invited to participate in four talks: 1) Race/Ethnicity: It's all in the codes, or is it? 2) Implementation Forum: District Level Models 3) Using the Education Data Model in Longitudinal Data Systems and 4) The Evolution of the SIF Standard--Where We Are and Where We Are Going.
For the first presentation, I presented with Judi Barnett (CSIU), Barbara Andrepont (ESP Solutions Group), and Laurie Collins (SIF Association) on the work that the SIF Association has done to decipher the collection, sharing, and reporting of race and ethnicity. The crux of the issue is that states must transition to a new model for reporting race and ethnicity as separate concepts by 2010. My conclusion from all of the background work done is that we need to encourage storing race and ethnicity data at the maximum possible resolution.
The second presentation focused on trends experienced by a panel of SIF Association members. Consensus among this group, which is not generally achieved without much deliberation, was that the market is incredibly strong for SIF (and other interoperability solutions) and that all external factors are positive.
Although some would consider data models an extremely dry topic, the third presentation was actually a lot of fun for me. For the past several weeks I have been working with Vince Paredes, the SIF Association's Data Model Architect, on using the National Education Data Model in our work. We essentially conducted a gap analysis for a data mart that we are designing for a client against the National Education Data Model. I will post the paper developed for this presentation in a separate blog entry. Vince introduced the National Data Model and its concepts, and I followed up by going through our gap analysis step-by-step.
The final session punctuating my participative responsibilities in the conference focused on the Oklahoma Department of Education's SIF Profile proof of concept. A Profile is an extension of the SIF Implementation Specification that will be used, initially by SEA's, to fine tune the SIF Data Model and interoperability business rules to meet specific needs.
Through the acts of preparing, presenting, and communicating with colleagues at this conference, I feel as if I have had my eyes opened in new ways to the accomplishments of the present, and to huge potential on the horizon.
For the first presentation, I presented with Judi Barnett (CSIU), Barbara Andrepont (ESP Solutions Group), and Laurie Collins (SIF Association) on the work that the SIF Association has done to decipher the collection, sharing, and reporting of race and ethnicity. The crux of the issue is that states must transition to a new model for reporting race and ethnicity as separate concepts by 2010. My conclusion from all of the background work done is that we need to encourage storing race and ethnicity data at the maximum possible resolution.
The second presentation focused on trends experienced by a panel of SIF Association members. Consensus among this group, which is not generally achieved without much deliberation, was that the market is incredibly strong for SIF (and other interoperability solutions) and that all external factors are positive.
Although some would consider data models an extremely dry topic, the third presentation was actually a lot of fun for me. For the past several weeks I have been working with Vince Paredes, the SIF Association's Data Model Architect, on using the National Education Data Model in our work. We essentially conducted a gap analysis for a data mart that we are designing for a client against the National Education Data Model. I will post the paper developed for this presentation in a separate blog entry. Vince introduced the National Data Model and its concepts, and I followed up by going through our gap analysis step-by-step.
The final session punctuating my participative responsibilities in the conference focused on the Oklahoma Department of Education's SIF Profile proof of concept. A Profile is an extension of the SIF Implementation Specification that will be used, initially by SEA's, to fine tune the SIF Data Model and interoperability business rules to meet specific needs.
Through the acts of preparing, presenting, and communicating with colleagues at this conference, I feel as if I have had my eyes opened in new ways to the accomplishments of the present, and to huge potential on the horizon.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
SIF_Header Diagram
SIF_Header is present in every SIF Message. Below is a diagram of SIF_Header that contains its elements, their corresponding data types, and explanations drawn primarily from the specification. An XML example from the specification is also shown with a particular explanation regarding the use of SIF_DestinationId.
(I have decided to post this and future diagrams as GIF's because they tend to render more cleanly than PNG's.)
(I have decided to post this and future diagrams as GIF's because they tend to render more cleanly than PNG's.)New Reports Show SIF Object Usage Across Certified Applications
The Certification Register at http://certification.sifinfo.org is the authoritative source of information about the capabilities of SIF Certified Applications and Agents. The site has recently been enhanced in two ways.
It is now possible to view a Data Model report that details and summarizes the use of SIF Data Objects by Certified Agents. This enables you to get a sense of which objects are most widely supported, and in what ways.
Located underneath this information (on the same page) is a matrix that represents the intersection of two applications. Hovering over a cell reveals the ways that the two systems may interoperate, at a Data Object level.
In combination, these reports provide end-users and developers with much information about how SIF is being used, and how it may be used. This is the direct link to the Data Model report.
It is now possible to view a Data Model report that details and summarizes the use of SIF Data Objects by Certified Agents. This enables you to get a sense of which objects are most widely supported, and in what ways.
Located underneath this information (on the same page) is a matrix that represents the intersection of two applications. Hovering over a cell reveals the ways that the two systems may interoperate, at a Data Object level.
In combination, these reports provide end-users and developers with much information about how SIF is being used, and how it may be used. This is the direct link to the Data Model report.
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